Arkapeligo- Rising

by Ma West

  It was beautiful, if not sparse. Each mound appeared to reach two or three stories high, and on closer inspection, some of the mounds had vegetation growing between them. As Mardoxx descended, Hashmore felt another repositioning, this time much less comfortable. Mardoxx now held Hashmore horizontally and was moving him toward his rear end. “I need nourishment if I am to have the strength to carry us to Mother. I apologize for the discomfort. This should only take a couple of minutes.”

  With two loud crows, Mardoxx circled back around and dove in low. It took some adjustment, but Hashmore was finally able to attain a forward view, only to discover it was terrifying. The two raced down deep into the foliage at terrifying speed. Suddenly Mardoxx jerked hard right, straining Hashmore’s neck as he struggled to maintain position. Then the bird dove down hard for several feet, jerked back, twisted left, and juked down and right. It was a dizzying and painful experience as the bird was most agile in avoiding the vegetation, but the constant jerking was awful. Hashmore felt something wet and sticky smack him in the face, and as the two broke skyward again, he saw several other aliens shaking the vegetation behind them.

  It took several thrusts of Mardoxx’s wings before Hashmore finally returned to his original position. “Who is Mother? And what will she want from me?” Hashmore again yelled needlessly, as the stones translated directly into another’s head regardless of volume.

  Mardoxx’s response came across very choppy, as if he was still eating. “Mother is the wisest and fairest of all the Tilotin egg layers. She will evaluate and give her final judgment as to your worthiness as a species and report that to the ark council. I will not, nor will Aragnaught, be allowed to join you. This will be an interaction of your own doing, your own free will—and of course Mother.”

  Hashmore thought for a second, noticing how high they now soared. He cinched tighter as they rose ever higher, toward the great peak. “I don’t understand what you just said. Just don’t drop me, for God’s sake. I’m scared of this height.”

  “You will face greater, scarier, and more daunting challenges than overcoming a fear of heights on the next few trails. I suggest you shut down that part of your brain for the short term. Fear will not serve you well here.” Mardoxx brought Hashmore in tighter, and as they approached the spire, a burst of wind took hold. With a whoosh of his stomach, Hashmore felt them rising even higher, faster than ever.

  Oh, Lord, protect me now, lead me now, and save me now. What does it all mean, my Lord? What are these creatures doing in your universe? Are humans not the chosen race of Jesus? Did my Lord’s son not take my form and save my kind? I don’t understand any of this, Lord. Lord, I beg you, reveal yourself to me so that I may once again believe. Oh, my Lord, have I not been faithful enough? Decent enough? Have I failed to vanquish enough of your enemies?

  Lord, are these aliens your next task for me? Do you wish for me to bear your vengeance down on these foul creatures? I remember many days, Lord, when you gave me the strength to capture your enemies. Let me feel that strength again so that I can execute your will. I remember that son of a bitch who touched those girls. We brought vengeance down on that demon, did we not, Lord? What of the demon who betrayed its own? Did we not bear vengeance down with our mark of the cross against its sinful body? Yes, my Lord, thank you. I can remember the power of your grace, the strength it gave me. I can feel it starting to flow through me again, my Lord. Yes, my Lord, I can understand your message. Mother—you want me to use this strength against Mother. Yes, my Lord, I can execute your will.

  My Lord, fill me with newfound strength, fill me with newfound purpose. I thank you for saving me. I, I thank you for saving those you did. Lord, I thank you for giving me my many gifts. I thank you for this mission. I thank you for everything, my Father. My Lord, please lead me so I may be in your grace at the end. Please give me the strength to bear down your vengeance.

  My Lord, why do I need to bear vengeance down on these creatures? Before, the mandate was so clear, so holy. Now I wonder, Lord, is their existence an affront to you? These creatures have not shown ill will toward me, Lord. My Lord, I don’t understand. My Lord, I have so many questions, so many fears. What is this all about? What am I praying for? Who am I praying to? Lord, why is all this happening, and where are you in all of this, my Lord?

  Hashmore’s feet touched down gently just outside a large doorway as Mardoxx released him. They stood on a wide ledge, and Hashmore remarked on the beauty of the landscape, calming his nerves and slowing his breath. Mardoxx landed a few feet away. “Did you say something? Did the translation stone fall out during the flight?”

  “No, I still understand you.” Hashmore stepped back, trying to take in the strange yet beautiful environment. A beautiful blue light bathed the city in its evening-rich hues.

  The doors were massive, and the height of the mountain still raised another three stories. They were covered in elaborate carvings, some images and some abstract. Hashmore wondered how he would open the doors, but they opened upon his approach. Inside, the brilliance of the design’s beauty was incredible, with large spires of diamond, gold, platinum, and more rising throughout the cathedral like a forest. The branches veered off, revealing an immaculately carved ceiling. Hundreds of thousands of Tilotins were individually enshrined together as one. In the wider view, it was clear that they formed a cross.

  Along the wall, hundreds of green-laced perches spread equal distance throughout gave it a feeling of both uniformity and life. The smell of the gem forest permeated his nose and mixed with a warm gentle breeze, giving the cavern a most majestic feel.

  Light crowing summoned Hashmore as a soothing voice again spoke in his head. “Come in, my brother. Please don’t be nervous. Please call me Mother Titlion. I am the current holder of this house. Under my leadership, I have granted four races the privilege of earning their place here in the ark. Perhaps I may also grant your race that privilege, but that is still to be determined.”

  Mardoxx bowed and closed the door behind him as the Great Mother stepped out.

  Mother Titlion bounced as softly as a bird—not the same as Mardoxx, but Hashmore concluded that it might be a symptom of her age. As she came closer, the frailness of her skin and body became more apparent. “The test has been administered, and your race has demonstrated an ability to feel compassion. And even if it’s not to our liking, it was agreed upon that your moral code is designed more for good than for evil. Yet that alone doesn’t guarantee acceptance, and the report came with a warning. So tell me, should I fear you?”

  Hashmore cursed a little under his breath. “Oh, God. I am not your enemy, nor do I wish to conflict with any of your ark’s species, but this new world is still very strange to us, with much for us to learn. My people are strong and capable. We will use force to defend ourselves. From my answer, you may choose for yourself the appropriate answer to your question.”

  Hashmore always hated politics, but he had been around enough of it to know it when he saw it. Mother Titlion’s facial expression gave away the deep thought before her next response. “And what of your race’s history? We have seen the scares of many wars on your planet. Are you not an aggressive, territorial race who will surely return to old habits after your adjustments to your new world?”

  Again Hashmore spoke under his breath, cursing politics. “My people have an immense capacity for both evil and good. But given the truth and information, we always choose good. The problems with our history come from the corruptions of our societies, through lies from its own leaders’ greed and deception, failing to properly distribute resources. Yet a mass of an informed group of humans is to have a powerful and versatile ally for what we would define as good, for I can make no judgments as to knowing your sense of morality.”

  “You speak like a politician except for one thing—your words have meaning.” The body of the Great Mother shook gently as she laughed at her own joke. “I know our time presses against us urgently, but I hope that we can now put down our shields
and speak not as politicians but as people. Will you now join me for a short sip of tea? I believe that is what your people call it. It’s amazing how universal this drink is. Nearly every world in the ark has a drink born out of warm water and plant life.” The Great Mother hopped gently before expanding her wings and taking flight.

  She flew gracefully, taking as few strokes as possible, gliding with the unseen currents of this massive hall, and landed in the center, on a pillar unnoticed until now. A lighted walkway extended its way toward Mr. Hashmore. From the heights of the walkway, it became clear that the cavern reached dozens of stories deep into the mountain. Each spire began to branch out as it neared the ceiling. Each knob of the spire was decorated with the most intricate weaving and sculpting of diamonds, platinum, gold, silver, and some unknown materials of amazing beauty.

  Hashmore approached the Great Mother as she rested near a simple plot of dirt. A small table hovered nearby, with steam rising from two small cups. “How many races are there in your ark? Do any of them pose a threat to us? You were the one to bring the subject up, after all.”

  The Great Mother grabbed one cup off the hovering table and, with a swipe of her hand, sent it scurrying over to Hashmore with the other. “Yes, there are thirteen races left on the Arkapeligo. I’m not sure of the total number of races that have spent time aboard the ark, but its history is vast. We are a unified society in this sense. Each race will have autonomy but must provide economic, technical, or military support to the ark as rent. They may not develop any military gear outside the ark’s oversight. There are no contracts. So if we encounter a planet that you wish to inhabit, you may do so provided no senior race wants the planet. We are all committed to the mission of the ark, so posing a threat to another race within the ranks would be counterproductive.”

  “And just what is the mission of this ark?”

  The Great Mother’s smile was unmistakable. “To save life from the darkness. Our mandate is not to cure the universe of disease, war, or poverty. It is only to save life so that it may have a chance to prosper.”

  Hashmore could feel the genuine nature of the Great Mother as both her words and feelings were translated into his mind. “What is the darkness you speak of?”

  The Great Mother sipped her tea before speaking again in her gentle crows. “Darkness is physical in what is commonly known as the Wilde. Yet darkness is more than just a physical foe—it is a most destructive force that corrupts from within, unseen. We call it . . .”

  Hashmore could feel the back part of his brain warm slightly as the stone searched his mind.

  “Sin.”

  For all the magnificence of this cathedral, it was clear that the central focus was solely along this point. Inside the dirt was a simple symbol, one that he recognized very well. Hashmore felt his heart lighten and his mind rejoice at the symbol. “This symbol is of great meaning to me, and to many of my people. Please tell me, what meaning does it hold for your people?”

  “Please sit down.” As if on cue, a chair now hovered up and landed on the outside of the dirt patch still several feet away. “Please remain seated. There are a few security systems in place. I’m sure you understand. This is the most important place in all of the ark. Each race considers it a privilege to be alive in the ark, and each race has lost a huge majority of its heritage. Historical achievement, religious wonder, beauties of the natural world, all of them gone, so we realize just how amazing it was for us to have our most sacred sight saved with us.

  “The contrast of this plot serves as a reminder to all of my kind. That the greatest of feats is possible with the power of the Lord, but the humblest of prayers is his greatest gift. Here on this spot is where our Lord made his covenant with the Tilotin people. Tilotins are by our very nature a pragmatic and cautious people. Some would say that it comes from our prey background, but most Tilotins believe that it is our Lord who has provided us with relative safety. True, we lost our home world, but the ark, the Lord’s people, came and saved not only us but our covenant too. We worship a Lord who is both powerful and just. By doing our best to honor the covenant our Lord has laid down before us, we find ourselves here, alive and safe. Now I wish to know of your people’s Lord.”

  The words of the Great Mother came as both a big surprise and a huge relief to Hashmore, and he couldn’t help but smile some. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that question. I can only tell you of my Lord, for my people hotly contest both the message and the messengers of the Lord. I spoke earlier of the corrupt nature of our leaders causing wars, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say that our history was full of wars over both doctrine and substance of a religious nature.”

  The Great Mother and her tiny, frail body shook again in laughter. “Well thank you for the honest answer. Perhaps you will find that your history is not so unique in these matters. How is it that for so many beings, a message so simple becomes twisted and distorted for evil? Perhaps, then, we were fortunate that our Lord made a most simple covenant—‘Find God, find good, be good.’”

  Hashmore thought it sounded like a marketing slogan, not the words of an impenitent being. His face gave away more than he had intended, and the Great Mother elaborated. Tracing with her hand, she spoke with a new level of authority “The pillar of height tells us that the foundation of good is never out of balance. The cross of solidarity, only together with our Lord can we raise the cross to the top. Together they form the symbol for the God of good.”

  Hashmore said, “We believe the Lord created a limited universe, infinite to our perspective but limited by boundaries you might know as physics, biology, and chemistry—all to test each individual’s free will for morality and intent. We believe in a God who knows all the possible choices and consequences but relinquished the right to choose. So it was with this intention that our Lord made us our covenant and with this intention that we work to save life and pursue the moral choice as best we can.

  “For me, this symbol is also used to represent a covenant our Lord made with my people, but for us, it represents a great sacrifice. Our Lord had grown tired of our wicked ways, and instead of destroying his creation, he rescued it with a miracle. His greatest angel, his family relation, took our form and became the son of the Lord. It was on that cross that we tortured and killed him. But his love for his torturers was his biggest victory, and through his death, our Lord forgave our wicked ways and allowed us to continue and even join him in his kingdom.”

  The Great Mother’s jaw dropped, and the expression was unmistakable despite the physical differences. “Am I to understand that your people have actually met the son of the Lord? Am I to understand that your race is God’s chosen people? The stories of the Lord’s son are known throughout the galaxy, but to meet the race that bore his death and were responsible for his torture, that is more than I can bear.”

  Hashmore asked, “Please tell me, what of the Lord’s son have you heard? I desperately desire to know if the same Lord I’ve worshiped my whole life is the same God as yours.”

  The Great Mother turned and coughed. When she returned, she looked significantly older. “Please don’t tell that story to any of the other races, yet. Your people are extremely hated by most of the universe. As for your inquiry, there would be a great deal to discuss.” The Great Mother took another sip of tea and patted her lips. “Let me just say that God was displeased with many of his children. So the Lord bore unto the most impoverished, decadent, and disgraceful of his children the greatest of his miracles, an incarnation of perfection.”

  Hashmore started to feel more and more uncomfortable. His faith had never felt stronger, but his self-image and worth were taking a hit.

  The Great Mother continued. “Of course, many will understand that it wasn’t your generation personally that did this awful thing, yet there will be several whose anger will be mighty. There must be a way to verify this is true.”

  It was the first time that Hashmore could sense any emotion from the Great Mother. Until now, she had
been very calm, yet now a strong sense of worry was washing over him, as did her words on his brain. “You claim that your world was inhabited by the messiah. Do you have any proof of this claim? Is it possible to get a DNA sample? What have your people done to memorialize the events? Are there only two kinds of humans? Is there prophecy of further prophets to come?” The Great Mother flapped her wings and closed in toward Hashmore.

  The near proximity of the Great Mother, plus the order not to leave the chair, put Hashmore in a most uncomfortable position, as if he was suddenly the one being interrogated after the crime. “We, eh, eh, um, we are not exactly sure where. We have guessed, but our Lord came to us at a time before we had the written word. Most of our text comes from generations later. The story goes that after his death, Jesus’s body was placed in a nearby cave. Three days later, he appeared again, alive, out of that cave.”

  The Great Mother hopped back, and suddenly a flying, buzzing machine approached and transformed as she grabbed hold of it. It was an interface pad, and the Great Mother was feverishly interacting with it. Suddenly the area surrounding the covenant turned into a view screen, and while it was black, the edges were clearly visible.

  The view screen now displayed a 2-D map of Earth. “No need to stand, please point to the area where the cave might be found.” Hashmore found it fairly intuitive. A laser point now beamed from his finger, despite an absence of visible equipment. He pointed to the Middle East, and the map zoomed in further and further until the greater Jerusalem was on display. The Great Mother looked over Hashmore to confirm that this was as close as he was going to get it. Then she began filtering through various overlays. The information it was able to display was incredible. An entire labyrinth of aged cities buried on top of each other. Cycling through the overlays, the Great Mother again turned her attention to her interface pad.