Chapter 9
A cold nose poked me in the mouth ensued by spirited slobbery licks. MAXIE was looking at me; head cocked to the right and with a curious expression on her face. The dog’s mouth then opened as it breathed heavy--- with tongue out and beads of spit dripping on my lap. I heard movement in the kitchen and stood up as MAXIE took the cue and lead me to the room and her master.
CHANAH was busy on a stove range; not at all dissimilar to any found on Earth which I thought looked strange in this otherworldly residence in the sky. A spatula in CHANAH’S hand worked steadily to scrape whatever was in the frying pan.
I walked closer as CHANAH greeted me with, “Good Morning William---that was quite a night you had. Did you catch up on some sleep?”
“I did; thank you. Is Miles up yet?”
“No, he is still asleep…but don’t worry as this is normal for a fast healing STONIAN like Miles. I suspect he’ll wake up when he is mostly recovered. I suspect you and Miles will be eager to get back to the city as soon as possible. Still, another day of rest would probably do both of you some good.”
I nodded my head but knew Miles would probably make that decision when he awake.
“This planet has all the fancy gadgets to cook a meal in seconds but nothing beats the human’s method of frying an egg in a skillet. Don’t you agree William?”
I really didn’t know how to respond to this as I hadn’t tried ALVERON’S egg cooking methods or tasted a great deal food native to this planet. So much had been tailor made for my partialities from Earth in the BALLASTAH that trying new foods hadn’t occurred to me. I recalled the GNOCKTA and last evening’s SORPOMPEAU; two polar opposites in taste, which I took to mean that the flavors on this planet were a mixed bag---not unlike Earth. The eggs in CHANAH’S frying pan looked good though. And was that a coffee maker on CHANAH’S counter? This sight delighted me and CHANAH could tell. Within ten minutes, I was enjoying a rich cup of coffee and three fried eggs. CHANAH seemed amused at my appreciation for the meal and vigorous pace that fork went from plate to mouth. I wondered what the sophisticated alien thought of me at that moment.
There was a lot that needed to be done but nothing would get accomplished now; especially while Miles was still recovering. As I finished my meal; CHANAH told me about some interesting stories from earlier visits he had to my planet. The first visit was highlighted by the opportunity to serve as a pageboy for knights in training under King Henry II. Later; he served King Henry VIII as a royal cook until his interests shifted to broader exploration and enlightenment on the great seas of the world. This led to the shipwreck incident on Easter Island for a brief period.
“I was the only survivor but lived with the Rapanui for several months. I was very young then and quite eager to learn as much as possible.”
With these stories, a different side to CHANAH had been revealed. I was more in awe of him at this moment than any other time before. He was a vibrant and living relic with stories too numerous to count and he was giving me something that no other human from my era could obtain---an eye-witness account of events that occurred from a distant past.
I asked him if he’d ever fought in any of the wars to which CHANAH replied; “I was merely an observer and never wanted to interfere in your world’s events. Remember William, I am only a watcher.”
CHANAH was the picture of wisdom for me at that moment. This admiration was interrupted by the rousing of Miles in the other room. It was only a few short moments when Miles wandered into the kitchen---MAXIE leading the way.
Miles hair was sticking straight up which made him look several inches taller than he actually was. His eyes were squinty and he didn’t look completely awake. Then his eyes widened when he noticed CHANAH and me sitting at the table.
“William…you’re alive,” Miles said.
“Just barely,” I said.
“Where are we,” Miles asked?
My hand motioned toward the host, “This is CHANAH. He is responsible for keeping us among the living and we owe him our gratitude.”
Miles nodded his head and directed words of thanks toward CHANAH. I had so many questions to ask Miles. I then noticed CHANAH was reacting tentatively toward Miles or it might have been the other way around. CHANAH was now distant in his own thoughts.
“Is everything alright CHANAH,” I asked?
“If you’ll both excuse me---there is something that requires my attention in the other room,” CHANAH said.
CHANAH left us.
Miles in a whispered tone asked, “How did you find CHANAH?”
“I didn’t know what else to do after we split so I started walking in the direction from where we had started that day. I was looking for a tree to set up in for the night when this ladder appeared and lead me to this place. CHANAH has been good to me. I was starving and he gave me something delicious called SORPOMPEAU. He even took me to the GARGIAN cavern to save you. Listen, Miles, you should talk with him. He has a fascinating perspective on why you brought me here and the ALVERONS.”
Miles leaned in and interjected at this in a hushed tone before I went on more, “William, we need to get back to the city. The ALVERONS will protect you. We can’t trust anyone in the AVERWOODS. How do we know that CHANAH isn’t working with the NOBIANS?”
“You’re wrong about CHANAH. He told me that it is the ALVERONS who can’t be trusted. Miles, do you know that they have kidnapped Sonya and brought her here as well? CHANAH sees things and you and me were part of an elaborate plan to get Sonya here so that she would eventually be forced to negotiate with the people of Earth. The ALVERONS needed someone that the humans would trust because they want to sell their precious GLYSTIN metal. This metal isn’t what everyone thinks it is as it contains bacterium that’s trapped inside and the ALVERONS have found a way to release it whereby taking over Earth. You see; they tricked you. Think about this Miles; why would CHANAH save me---save you; only to hand us over to the NOBIANS? It doesn’t make sense!”
Everything that I said; Miles listened to and seemed to measure it against everything he knew and suspected.
CHANAH walked into the kitchen and spoke to Miles, “All of it is true; the ALVERONS created this deception. I know it’s hard for you as a STONIAN to accept this Miles but search your heart. Remember stories passed down and told when you were a child.”
CHANAH flipped his hand slightly and an image appeared in front of Miles; similar to the one produced for me of my parents but this involved people from Miles’ world; scenes from his past. A great storm had occurred and people were upset; they were crying and scared. I looked at Miles who was visibly shaken at this sight. Then an image of Erick appeared. He was younger and in front of a machine with a dozen others in grey vests. The words; ‘Use STONIA as our test site today,’ left Erick’s mouth. The machine powered up and then that image disappeared and another image appeared of Erick in present likeness in front of some familiar faces I’d seen when we landed. This time he spoke of Earth and mentioned a weapon of control beyond the ability of the weather machine. Erick was pounding on the lectern in front of him and emphatically speaking of total control over all the galaxies. ‘No one can stand against us,’ were the words he repeated until CHANAH waved off the images.
Erick’s words and tone still echoed in my head. I looked at Miles who had rage on his face.
I didn’t know what to say to him and was relieved when he spoke first, “We are going to the capital city William but we are going there to get Sonya so I can take both of you back to Earth.”
Miles seemed very amped up after the images and what I had told him. I’d never been in a fight and didn’t watch boxing to know which fighter appeared more ready but at that moment I was certain the GARGIAN wouldn’t have stood a chance against him. He had a look of determination and hyper-focus on getting Sonya and me back to Earth. CHANAH assisted Miles in making the necessary preparations for our trip back. CHANAH also filled Miles in on more details which only seemed to f
uel an already heated enthusiasm for stopping the ALVERON’S plans for Sonya.
I mentioned the possibility of a plan being discussed with me before we set out to which Miles responded; “I’m working on that.”
CHANAH gave a few ideas to Miles but in the next breath spoke to me; reminding me that he was only a watcher and not able to interfere. I grinned a little as what CHANAH called watching; seemed to me like interfering so far. This was the absolute truth---Miles and I wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for him. CHANAH kept a transporter in hiding near a valley that was only half a day’s travel from here. CHANAH drew a map and sent us on our way. CHANAH told us both something before we left though;
“When you get Sonya back, you will find help in the form of a NOBIAN named DRUCKER. You will have to travel to NOBI to reach him. You will find him in the village MEDOAN near the MOMENTRUS MOUNTAINS. DRUCKER can be trusted and he will help both of you and Sonya in reaching Earth safely.”
The irony of it all---we came to the AVERWOODS to hide from the NOBIANS and it turns out we need one to get back to Earth.
CHANAH waved at each of us as we climbed down---not closing the door until the clouds, the tops of the trees and foliage covered any sign of the house from my sight. The way down was much quicker to me and as soon as Miles feet touched the ground, we were off. The pace was intense. My initial reaction was to tell Miles to slow down but I understood the urgency. Miles feared for Sonya’s life.
Then the other idea that occurred to me was he had a vengeance in his heart for actions that already occurred. I could only guess as to what the initial images shown to Miles by CHANAH meant but since then---something had stirred in Miles. We arrived at a steep area that was littered with shale rock. This was clearly marked on CHANAH’S map that showed we were getting close to the transporter. A couple of times in his insistent haste--- Miles slipped and fell; landing on his backside with his feet slipping out from under him.
“Slow down Miles; we aren’t any use to Sonya dead,” saying this then succumbing to my own plunge and my backside hitting the ground.
From then on, we both heeded my advice and each took careful side steps to reach the bottom. We checked the map and followed the nearly dried up creek for half a mile when we spotted dense and an unnatural looking amount of brush beyond a few trees.
“There,” Miles exclaiming, “the transporter is there.”
Sure enough, when we reached the area, it was. I felt a small amount of accomplishment for achieving the item sought after at the end of the map. This was beginning to feel like an adventure to me. The reality of it sunk in though and I became aware of the dangers that Miles and I would be heading toward in a matter of minutes.
Miles quickly had his gear off and had the thing running. I was a bit wary from the memory of our last ride together but overcame it by the thought of staying another night in these AVERWOODS and the probable exposure in one of these trees. No way am I staying another night here. When I settled into the machine; Miles lifted off and just like that; he was piloting another craft I was riding in. I made a mental note to ask about driving one of these things someday.
I did notice Miles traveling lower; in fact, below the tree line this time. I had to ask why Miles chose to travel at a much slower speed under the tree line to which he replied; “So we don’t get shot down again.”
“What,” astonished at this revelation?
“We were ambushed. I noticed the sunlight hit an object in the trees; perhaps a scope or something, just before our motor was destroyed.”
“How is that possible? I thought no one knew we were here except the council.”
“It is possible we were spotted by NOBIANS either when we first arrived or when I went after your coat, but now I’m wondering if it’s something else. Anyway, we can’t take any more chances of not getting out of this forest alive so I’m proceeding with extra caution on this trip back to the city.”
I was glad for that but wondered if we’d take those same precautions in the city. This prompted the question; “Miles; where will we be staying when we get to the city?”
I also wondered if Miles had a plan for getting Sonya back yet.
Miles said, “I have a sister in the city that can be trusted. She has a place near the Capital building. You can sleep on her couch.”
I was relieved that part had been worked out and that I wasn’t going to be in some tree tonight. We passed over those trees I dreaded and were now taking different angle toward the city. I could see the skyline in the distance as we traveled over the large body of water. I then turned around and looked at the AVERWOODS and it was from the higher altitude and different angle we were traveling that put into perspective the great distance we had been from the city. I wondered what was beyond the AVERWOODS. The eerie cloud cover from that direction covered any chance of looking beyond since we had arrived in the forest. We approached the city but only at a distance; making a wide loop around the bustle of the other travelers further in.
Within minutes, Miles turned into an opening that placed us squarely in a busy section of the city. There were no stop lights or lanes to travel on. Every moment of travel was continuous---as transporters above us; as well as below, worked their way toward a destination. My destination would be at a strangers place; Miles sister in fact and I’d be staying on her couch for the night. This was becoming the story of my life on ALVERON. I’ve never slept on so many couches.
I started to notice the detail of each building as we neared the downtown area. Many of the buildings were built with the GLYSTIN metal. After hearing CHANAH talk about it essentially being congealed bacterium, I didn’t have quite the appreciation for it as I had before. I imagined the inevitable destruction to my planet if businesses on Earth turned to the magnificent alien metal for railroads, skyscrapers, cars and even playground equipment. I was curious about the device that the ALVERON council came up with to release this bacterium. They will certainly need more than Sonya; perhaps other leaders in the business community, to convince these industries to buy their products and at what price? Were we so far along in worrying about our global warming problem that we’d blindly turn to aliens for their products and technologies---whereby saving our planet from the pollution and the various other effects that domestic production causes. Were the ALVERONS really that clever?
My mind was going in a hundred different directions when Miles snapped me out of it, “We’re here.”
I looked around to notice that we had landed on top of a building. There was a door made of GLYSTIN metal that I later found out led to stairs and the elevator in the building. Miles hopped out of the transporter and walked toward another door that seemed out of place on this futuristic roof. It was large and made of a dense wood. It looked worn; as if being some poor sailor’s makeshift raft after his ship sunk. This gave it an appearance on hinges of belonging to some old pub, deep in the city of Boston. Miles knocked on it and then he started pounding on it.
“Open up KATRAVIN. We have nowhere else to go.”
The door opened and a beautiful female was standing at the door. She looked at Miles with astonishment and spoke to Miles in another language I didn’t understand but her body language was clear; we were not a welcomed sight or maybe I wasn’t. I waited for Miles to introduce us. I studied KATRAVIN as the two ignored me and conversed in their alien language. She was presently a foot taller than Miles and me; slim and had raven black hair that was cropped. She had high cheek bones that I quickly noticed made her appear skeletal when she was agitated.
Her eyes narrowed toward me when she said, “So, is this him, the human?”
I was astonished to hear her speak my native tongue and interjected immediately at this.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I said, “Look Miles, I don’t want to be trouble to anyone. We can head back to the forest. I’m beginning to like this sleeping in trees thing on this planet.”
KATRAVIN looked at me and then Miles; ro
lled her eyes before moving aside and telling us to come in quickly. I followed Miles into the room; noticing immediately that it was a studio apartment that I can describe in somewhat exaggerated terms of being nearly the size of a shoe box.
“This isn’t going to work Miles---there’s not enough room for us.”
I felt really bad for this KATRAVIN person---imposing on her like this. Her bed took up the majority of the space in the room. However; it was as Miles mentioned earlier, that a small two-seater; that looked inconspicuous the room’s corner, had a place for me to rest. That is; only after I moved the giant mound of clothes that covered one side, off of the sofa.
“She’s all we got for tonight,” Miles said assuring me. He turned to KATRAVIN, “Thank you.”
KATRAVIN had half the pile of clothes that were on the couch in her arms by the time he said this and she nodded. She was looking for a place to set the clothes but eventually gave up and dropped them to the ground. Without looking at either of us, she went into her bathroom and closed the door.
Miles spoke, “Sorry about my sister. She is usually not this unsociable. We had an argument before I left for Earth and I guess she is still angry with me.”
I nodded as if I understood and Miles went on, “Listen William, we need to figure out where Sonya is and fast. The sooner we get both of you off this planet; the safer it will be for all of us.”
How are you going to find out where they are keeping Sonya?”
“I know they wouldn’t be careless and risk the possibility of her seeing us in the AVERWOODS or even us seeing her. Plus, the forest is too dangerous.”
I had to interrupt my friend at hearing this; “Too dangerous for her but not for me, huh?”
Miles caught my meaning then nodded.
“My guess is they will keep her in a secured location but not give off that appearance. I’m thinking of a place with a lot of cameras and security that is already in place which would keep suspicion on Sonya’s part low. There’s a hotel that the ALVERON council uses to hold large meetings among officials; a place where the guests from other planets can have a private and safe place to stay. It’s actually not far from here. We’ll investigate it tomorrow evening.”
KATRAVIN came out of the bathroom as Miles finished talking. She didn’t look as agitated as before but still made no eye contact with me. Instead, she directed her questions to Miles.
“So this person you are trying to kidnap from the ALVERON council is human too?”
Miles looked amused and responded, “I see you are still the eavesdropper. You know---that’s going to get you into some trouble one of these days KATRAVIN.”
“I want to help KEETCHA,” KATRAVIN insisted.
“First of all; KEETCHA no longer exists. My name is Miles. Also, mother wouldn’t have appreciated that I got you this involved; much less, using you as an inconspicuous spy to size up the situation for us,” and then Miles gave a wink.
The first smile on KATRAVIN”S face appeared. She was really an attractive woman…or...uhh, alien. She put her hands on the top of Miles head then the two of them locked eyes. KATRAVIN spoke something in her language to Miles and a radiant smile appeared on his face. She released him and stepped back. I could only gather that this was some kind of affectionate embrace among the two siblings. There are just some expressions that remain universal and Miles demonstrated a degree of personal warmth; a similar expression that I’d seen on my mom and dad’s face when I’d come home from college. The two had a good relationship, despite the initial greeting at the door. This world was a strange one to me and personal contact hadn’t been something that I had examined much since arriving here.
KATRAVIN looked at me and asked; “Have either of you had anything to eat?”
Miles spoke up before I could graciously decline her offer and said, “We do, in fact, need something to eat. Could you make some of your delicious SORPOMPEAU stew?”
Well, if it was anything like what CHANAH had made---I wouldn’t be able to turn it down.
KATRAVIN spoke in an excited tone, “Yes, that would be good this evening.”
KATRAVIN lived in a building that essentially had two large kitchens that everyone shared. The lower half of the building went to the bottom floor; the top half echelon went to the 17th floor and somewhere in the middle of the building, people could decide whether they traveled up or down. The whole setup seemed like a bad idea to me. For one, wouldn’t it get kind of irritating having to wait in a line just to cook food? I found out from Miles that there is a list you sign your name to.
“You basically rent the kitchen out,” he told me later that evening.
“So if all the slots are full, do you order take out?”
“Not necessarily. KATRAVIN has made some friends in the building so sometimes she can share a slot with one of them. It depends on which cooking devices are used and which are available to her. In fact, most people like sharing their slot with someone else. The phrase, ‘Too many cooks in the kitchen,’ doesn’t exist here. It’s a much more communal atmosphere here than anything I’ve seen on Earth.”
I wasn’t sure if Miles really knew the meaning behind the use of that phrase but I didn’t ask and instead posed the other question that had bothered me about the whole setup.
“What about stealing?”
“Stealing,” Miles asked?
“Yeah, what keeps one person from taking away food or supplies from another?”
“Food is not scarce nor is it expensive. On Earth, it takes three times longer to grow crops than it does here on ALVERON or any of the surrounding planets. The supply is so much greater than the demand that usually, if a person has leftovers of anything, they gladly give it away. There may be a later time they will do the same for you.”
Why did this sound so strange to me. I thought of my dad and imagined what he would think about this different way of life as a farmer. I mean---having the ability to produce three times as many crops in a given year? Still, I admired the people of this building and their community life style. In the city I moved to, most of the time I felt alone. If I asked anyone for something as simple as; ‘could you tell me what time you have on your watch;’ the person I’m troubling gives me a ‘put off’ or annoyed look and then glances at the timepiece on his wrist before saying; ‘Yeah, time for you to buy your own watch.’ I wish I was kidding but this actually did happen to me once in my early adjustment days in the city.
As a kid; on that field trip to the city, I was mesmerized by the bustle or energy of the city. I imagined the grand possibilities of when I grew up and would one day live among these people. My fond recollections of that trip had since been changed by the realities of living in a large city alone. Sure, I had made a few friends since moving to the metropolis but I mostly felt alone. This made me recall the image of the Edward Hopper painting I’d seen in an art book once. It was the one with the man sitting alone at the counter, next to two strangers and brooding over a cup of coffee. I never wanted to be that guy but that was who I was---in the big city anyway.
The familiar aroma quickly filled the room when KATRAVIN walked in with the hot SORPOMPEAU stew. That smell would forever trigger in my mind the memory of CHANAH’S place. Miles was already sitting at the makeshift dining table that really was just KATRAVIN’S bed. I sat on the couch to eat my bowl and as advertised by Miles, the stew was excellent. The steam from the stew fogged up my glasses which got a laugh from KATRAVIN and Miles.
“You need wiper blades for those things,” Miles said heartily.
KATRAVIN opened up to me more after she saw me serve myself a second bowl. I thanked her and this opened up the flurry of questions about my planet that would be discussed the rest of the evening. Subjects like food and recreational activities opened up our conversation but those eventually led into work life and then family life and then questions about food again. I was mostly interested in listening to Miles talk about his comparisons of both planets. He s
poke very favorable about life on Earth.
He then pulled something out of a pocket in his backpack and said, “Oh yeah, almost forgot.”
It was a candy bar; a SmOreBar in fact. That was a new candy that was sold in the US.
“Here’s your dessert.”
He handed it to KATRAVIN.
“I had to travel something close to…well trillions of light years to get this for you.”
KATRAVIN’S face lit up with effervescent wonder. She put her bowl down and grabbed it from Miles. I was a little nervous thinking---Geez, I hope the candy bar lives up to the amount of travel it took to get here.
She tore into the wrapper and sunk her teeth into that first bite. I studied her face intensely for the first indication of what she thought, waiting for some expression that would show me what the candy bar meant to her in that moment. The corners of her mouth elevated to a smile and then another bite to which this gave me an idea for a commercial whenever or if ever I got back to Earth.
I felt a bit of pride watching her eat that candy bar; something I’m sure she felt when watching me chow down two bowls of her stew. The evening continued with a card game that I never completely understood but Miles seemed to be really good at it. There was plenty of friendly banter between KATRAVIN and Miles. They were natural competitors---cut from the same cloth. I watched the two mimic each other with slight exaggeration and outlandish dramatic behavior. I couldn’t stop laughing at either of them. It certainly took my mind off of the business we had tomorrow. Being around KATRAVIN also helped me understand Miles more. He was an entertainer at heart and a pretty good one at that. I marveled at why Miles chose the career path that he did. Wasn’t there a need for entertainers in the LOMMETRUS GALAXY?
I wanted to ask Miles and KATRAVIN this but the two were in their own world now and I was merely an interested spectator. He did choose an interesting profession and no one could say that his life had been filled with boredom. That is to say, how many life forms can say they’ve traveled the distances that Miles has?
Still, there was something tragic about only a few seeing this side of him. I felt lucky to have these experiences with him. It also struck me as being odd their initial encounter earlier had been so cold and now they were as friendly as two siblings should be. I tried to imagine what their argument had been about. It was clear that Miles had been ready to put the differences aside and move on but KATRAVIN still had issues with him when we arrived at her door earlier. I put it to rest in my own head by concluding that it wasn’t my business and I wouldn’t ask either of them. Tomorrow, we were all on the same team and needed to get some rest before we made our move to rescue Sonya.
The LOMMETRUS Chronicles: Book One: The Abduction of William Baxter Page 10
