Project Earth I: Origin

by Lidier Fernandez

  According to Jon, this ship also uses energy from the sun or any light emanating stars. It has an energy storage unit, which allows her to continue to be fully operational for hours. That energy storage unit has been depleted for a long time.

  “I don’t see how this thing can be repaired,” I think to myself.

  “Of course it can be repaired,” says Jon, having picked up my loud thought. “You’ve got to be more positive Lee.”

  “Sorry! I forgot we already had a plan. You will have another ship come from the Base and drop off the necessary parts.”

  He smiles and nods at me.

  “So we’ve got to establish communication with them and let them know,” I suggest.

  “Yes! We need to give them a list of the parts of BZ-2 that are not in working order and they will drop off what we need.”

  “Alright. It looks like I better get busy building that circuit so we can power-up the communication system and talk to them.”

  “That’s right Lee. It’s all up to you now.”

  I go off and make a sketch of an electronic circuit—a variable frequency oscillator that would produce a square wave. We can adjust its frequency anywhere from 60 to 100 Hertz.

  I get a power supply and a bunch of old electronic parts, which I had in the garage. They are nothing fancy, just something that works.

  I show up an hour later with something that would make anybody doubt its workability. An old circuit board with many solder spots, old components, cables going in all directions, all connected to a power supply that is hooked up to a long extension cord, already plugged into an electrical outlet. They look at me very…doubtfully.

  “Sorry it isn’t pretty guys. But hook it up, it will work,” I tell them

  They unplug the energy conversion unit and plug my ‘gadget’ into it. Leo powers up the communication system and…bingo!

  Our faces brighten-up when we see all kinds of lights and the main screen come on. We cheer and high-five.

  They both start pushing buttons and “playing” with the controls. Many lights and noises are now present.

  Soon after, one of the screens in the front of the cockpit is showing some images of…people from the Base—that’s my guess.

  “We’ve got a connection,” says Leo. “Routing communication to Reko’s office,” he adds.

  “Can he see us?” I ask.

  “He sure can, as clear as we see him,” Leo explains. “Reko will show up soon.”

  “He is our boss. The External Operations Chief,” says Jon.

  “What do we do or say?” Gina inquires.

  “Nothing,” says Jon. “Just be yourselves. He already knows about all of you…there he is!”

  “Hello to all. Hi Jon and Leo…good to see you alive both,” says Reko, surprising us by speaking English, though broken and with a heavy accent.

  “Yes, we are still here thanks to Lee and his… girls,” says Jon.

  “I can’t believe you also speak our language, Sir,” I say amazed.

  “Yes, it took me almost a week to learn it in my free time. Very proud of you I am, Lee and your… girls. Very cute creature, Sarah is,” I notice a strange, harsh, sort of Russian sounding accent. “And you must be Gina, the mama girl. Very good team you are, or family, that is.”

  “Thank you, Sir. Nice to meet you,” says Gina.

  “Now, let’s see what we have here. The main computer from BZ-2 sent report of damaged parts…very many bad parts,” Reko adds.

  I immediately feel compelled to apologize about what happened to this ship, and their other ships that had been destroyed. “Sir! I must apologize for the people of Earth, my people, attacking your ships…”

  He does not let me finish my sentence. “Nonsense, Lee. Not your fault, not directly. Nothing can be solved by being sorry. Just help us fix things on Earth, your Earth, and you can make up for damage. Come up with good plan to fix planet before your people ruin it.” He sounds a bit rough and maybe heartless, but he is speaking the truth, no need to embellish that kind of truth. His broken English also makes it sound harsh, but I can perceive how much he really cares about us. He really wants us to fix things here on Earth.

  I realize that he could just call Jon and Leo back home and not worry about the state of affairs on Earth and mankind ruining our planet, but had not done so. I see that there is much for us to learn from them.

  “I know, Sir. During the past few weeks we have become very aware of the fact that we are not in good shape, and are perhaps getting worse,” I agree with him.

  He gets up from his chair and walks closer to the camera. He wants to make a point. He looks at us directly and says, “All of you have your hands full of work. Get together and make project that will change things before too late. I shall schedule delivery of parts for ship. In meantime, work as team and keep me informed of new project.” He then directs his attention to Jon and Leo’s bodies. “I see your bodies are adapting quite well to oxygen and food.”

  “More than well, Sir!” says Jon in a very proper way.

  “Bye guys, bye Sarah…very cute creature,” says Reko as he slowly walks away from the camera.

  Chapter 24

  Energized

  Jon and Leo are brighter than ever after talking to one of their own people. I can feel the space around them change even more. It now feels even better than when we first felt their presence in the lake. It feels so good to be around them. I am sure they feel a huge relief to be back in communication with their world.

  I start to feel loaded with energy and my mind feels fresh and clear. And I feel it is my responsibility to take charge of this new project, so I begin another speech, “Very good. I feel we have achieved a lot in the past few weeks and yet, it is just the beginning of a long journey. We are now confronted with what I feel is the biggest project I have ever embarked upon. There will be bigger ones in the future, of that I’m sure.”

  “By now I understand much better how things work when you achieve things in life. You set a small goal, like a game, as we did when we first felt that nice sensation by the lake and decided to get equipment to do some diving.”

  “Then it grew into a bigger goal of digging and finding your ship, then a bigger goal of trying to get it out, and then we changed plans and had to build this garage, which showed us that we also have to be willing to change things sometimes.”

  “And finally we advanced to the ability of doing things I never conceived I was capable of doing. Here on Earth we say ‘the sky is the limit’. I honestly don’t see a limit. There is no real limit, not when you really want to accomplish something. I have learned that from you.”

  “I think you’ve got the big picture there, fellow,” says Jon. “And yes, there is a lot more to come, if you wish to undertake bigger projects, but let’s take it step by step and handle Earth right now.”

  Gina turns to Jon and Leo, “Have you experienced anything similar to what is going on here on Earth, anywhere else?”

  “Yes,” says Jon, “maybe slightly different problems, but problems nonetheless. You have got to keep in mind that there are millions of planets and stars. There is life out there.” He leans forward to get closer to us, as if trying to tell us a secret. “There is lots of life out there, my fellows.”

  Leo nods in agreement and Jon goes on, “But there is always a common denominator, power, driven by crooked minds. There are many beings out there trying to find ways to manipulate others and gain more of that power.”

  “I don’t understand something…let’s say someone gets to have all the power he can get, what’s the purpose? Security?” I had to ask.

  “Maybe!” says Jon. “But it is mainly an aberration.”

  “A what?” I ask.

  “An aberration: ‘A departure from the normal, or a disorder or abnormal alteration in one’s mental state’,” Jon defines.

  “That makes sense. I can name a few fellows in Earth’s history, who killed thous
ands and even millions because of some stupid racial or religious ideas. Others just do it to steal territory or gain more power. They could even die or be killed in the attempt you know.” I shake my head.

  “I do know. That makes it even more of an aberration, doesn’t it?”

  “It sure does,” Gina mutters. “Well, we have done a great job of cleaning this ship. It is time we walk back to the house and have some lunch,” she suggests.

  I point to the tunnel and we start to walk home. “We have been affected by those in power long enough. Let’s start planning ‘Project Earth’ right now,” I suggest.

  “Project Earth?” Gina halts in the tunnel in front of us and turns around. “That sounds great, Lee. How did you come up with that?”

  “I don’t know, I just…said it, I guess.”

  Chapter 25

  A Visit from Grant

  We hear the phone ring as we walk into the house. “That’s Grant calling!” says Gina.

  “Let’s see what he has to say,” I voice as I pick up the phone. “Hey Grant, how is it going?”

  “Not bad at all mate! I am on my way to visit you. I hope you have some time. I’ve got a check that I want to deliver personally, and…that second book you sent me is amazing, man! I also want to pick up the third book, if you have it ready.”

  “Well…I am...I have some things to take care of, but I don’t want to stop you if you are already on your way. How long do you think it will take you to get here?”

  “Half an hour, I reckon.”

  “Okay, no problem, I will see you in about half an hour, Grant.” We hang up.

  I turn around to face everyone at the kitchen table. “Okay guys, we have time to have some lunch and then I will meet up with Grant, who is on his way. He is a nice guy and is bringing some money. I will also give him the third book. Leo already gave it to me, but I haven’t had a chance to read it, so please brief me about it during lunch just in case Grant starts asking questions about the book’s content. I must ask you, Jon and Leo, to stay back there in the garage while Grant is here. I will let you know when he is gone.” They nod.

  Gina finishes warming up some food and we eat while Leo tells us about the contents of the third book: his own stories about space travel and lots of amazing stuff.

  Grant shows up half an hour later, just as he predicted.

  “Hello and good to see you, Mr. Writer,” he says with a big smile on his face, the kind of smile that can’t be taken away with a sledge hammer.

  We get inside the house and get comfortable.

  “I really appreciate your help Grant, and I hope this is helping you as well,” I mention, knowing he is probably not sleeping much these days, working on getting my books out as soon as he lays his hands on them.

  “It sure is helping me,” he responds. “Keep in mind my offer about opening up our own publishing business. By the way, are you planning to write a fourth book?”

  “I am going to take a little break from writing at the moment. I need to allow some more ideas and stories to form in my head.” We both chuckle. I go on, “I may even take a vacation with my family. I will keep you posted though.”

  “Yes, please keep me updated. You will be consistently getting more money from the first book. I heard it is selling quite well. Do you want us to keep sending the checks to your house?”

  “Yes, that will work for me.”

  “Checks might not be big at the beginning, but they will grow as time goes on. As your books become more and more popular, and as you become more famous. All these things increase your royalties and I have no doubt you are going to be very popular, I mean…I recognize a good book when I see one!” He seems quite excited and looks like he is actually restraining himself from jumping up and down. He sees a better future for all of us! “Oh, and I almost forgot. I want to ask your permission to publish a digital version of your books. Books sell so fast digitally, as people just download them onto their tablets, computers, and phones. They sell for less, but they are still very profitable.”

  “Definitely, this is a digital era. You have my permission to do that and whatever you think is right Grant. Whatever helps us both.”

  “Wow! Just like that?”

  “Yep! Just like that. I have known you long enough to trust you with my work. And you are helping me quite a lot, I have to say. I trust you.”

  He is even more excited. His eyes ignite, revealing a torrent of thoughts and ideas—thoughts and ideas he now knows he can put into reality, as I am empowering him with my work.

  “Well, thanks again, Lee. You are a kind man.” He takes a deep breath and goes on, “I won’t let you down, man.”

  “I know you won’t.” We smile.

  Gina shows up holding a tray with two cups and a coffee pot. “Would you like some coffee, gentlemen?”

  “Mint! Thanks Gina,” says Grant, grabbing a cup and pouring some coffee in it, and continues to talk, “I also meant to ask you, what you are building back there? I saw some dirt piled up. Is that some kind of renovations?”

  “Well, it is a test project. An underground garage I am trying to build.”

  “An underground what?” he asks surprised.

  “Garage…I know it is kind of crazy, but I have these kind of ideas, you know…crazy ones.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t think it is crazy.” He drinks some of the coffee and goes on, “I know there must be a purpose behind that underground garage.”

  “There is always a purpose behind everything, Grant,” I say, pointing at him with my finger. “An underground garage keeps vehicles and things at a good temperature. No need to have an AC running. It is also soundproof. I can do a lot of my handyman work and repair and build things there at any time and no one hears anything.”

  “What a cool concept,” he says. “I knew there was a purpose behind it. Now I think you are less crazy,” he says laughing and reaching for his cup of coffee.

  He wants to see the underground garage, but I tell him how it is still under construction and structurally not safe to enter yet. I promise to let him know when it is completed, so I can really impress him. He is cool with that.

  “I just hope you are not hiding one of those aliens in there that you wrote about in your first and second books,” he jokes, smiling.

  “Well, that I can’t promise that I am not doing.” We laugh.

  “I really like it here Lee. This might not be a fancy new house, but it sure is pleasant to be in and…with all the money you are going to be getting, you can do all sorts of upgrades too.”

  “Well, I am glad you feel comfortable here. We like it, too. I am sure we will do well with the books, and we will have plenty of money to achieve our dreams.”

  I can tell Grant is comfortable here, so comfortable he doesn’t want to leave. But I think he notices that I am growing restless. He also knows I have things to do.

  “I won’t take more of your time Lee. I know you are a busy man. Thanks for the coffee, and please say goodbye to Gina and Sarah.”

  “I will. Thanks for your help again. Oh! By the way, here is the third book.” I hand him a tiny memory stick containing a copy of Space Travel, my third book.

  “Right on. Oh! I almost forgot to give you the check. I guess we were so into it that we went out of it.” We laugh again. He is still looking at the memory stick in his hand. “Boy, I bet this book is as good as the other two.” He finally puts it in his pocket, turns around and walks to his car. He waves as he drives away. I can tell he is heading home to his computer and will probably be reading all night.

  Chapter 26

  Increasing One’s Certainties

  “That was a good break,” I say to Gina, who had been doing some laundry and cleaning around the house. “Back to work now.”

  “I guess Grant already left?” she asks.

  “Yes, he just left. He is such a cool guy. I made sure he knows that’s the way we feel about him. He has taken quite a big load off our shoulde
rs.

  “I am sure it takes a lot of work to do what he does—get a book, read it, edit it, and finally get it published. But he knows his business. And he knows we flow power to him and he flows power back to us. It is one of those mysterious laws of this universe.” I smile.

  “Yes, and yet he doesn’t know the big project behind all this,” Gina points out. “He doesn’t know how much good he is doing. By helping us, he is helping everyone without even knowing it.”

  “Boy! I never looked at it from that viewpoint. He is doing so much good. Maybe we will let him in on this someday.

  Is Sarah still sleeping?” I ask.

  Gina smiles and says, “She slept for fifteen minutes and then she was wide awake. Jon and Leo came and took her. They said they were getting bored and wanted to play with her—I trust them.”

  I laugh.

  “What?” Gina asks.

  “I just think it’s so funny. They must be having so much fun with her. Let’s see what kind of mischievous things they are up to.”

  We walk into the garage and find all three of them floating about four feet above the ground. “Hi guys!” says Leo.

  “Hope you don’t mind us working with Sarah,” says Jon.

  “That doesn’t look like much work to me, but I am sure it is fun,” I comment.

  “I guess it is time to do some real work,” Says Jon.

  “Yep! Did you guys establish what the status of BZ-2 is?” I ask.

  “Yes Sir!” says Leo.

  “Okay, boys. That’s it! Let’s put the ‘yes sir’ and ‘aye aye, sir’ in the trashcan over there,” I tell them.

  “But it sounds cool, Sir! And we got it from you,” says Leo. They all laugh.

  They really make a point of being funny and having fun! They seem to know that seriousness doesn’t get you very far. As a matter of fact, “have fun, no matter what”, seems to be one of the main rules we are going by these days.

  “Okay, as you please. Now…” I inquire about the ship’s status again.

  “This is what she needs,” says Jon as he pulls out a piece of paper with a list he wrote: