Earth To Nole: Return of the Prince

by Lomash, Kumar

  “A simplistic democracy is not designed to elect the best at all, it promotes the popular over the meritorious. It is impossible to make hard choices in a democracy. A democratic governance is a governance of appeasement at best. You need to add the notion of quality to a democratic framework in order to make it effective. Democracy needs to account for merit too apart from popularity. The people deserve to be ruled by themselves, I agree, but they need a leader who is better than the most. What you need is a meritocracy with a democratic failsafe.” Keele put it very nicely for Kevin to understand.

  “Why assume that the royal family has the most merit?”, Kevin understood the argument about meritocracy but then why always the royal family? He was not sure.

  ‘You remember what Boris told you earlier about the scale of time?”

  “Yes, I do.”, Kevin said.

  “Hums with the royal gene live longer, almost twice as long as non royal hums. You may call this unfair but that is the way it is. If the scale of time makes all the difference then surviving longer is definitely an edge. Once you understand how the scale of time works you will also understand why the species with the longest life is the most smart and wise.”

  “So, you are saying that no one among hums can be smarter or wiser than the royal descendants. That is a bit prejudiced, don’t you think?”, Kevin was still finding it difficult to comprehend.

  “A longer living individual is not necessarily the wisest, you are right about that. But a long line of individuals who all have lived much longer than the rest is a different scenario altogether. Think of them as a different species or a different race. Many attributes of a good leader, like patience and long term thinking comes naturally to them. It is rooted in their instincts due to the experiences their ancestors had over thousands of centuries. Do you believe Boris is wiser or smarter than any human just because he is 800 years old or because he was born to a species which had that kind of life span?”, Keele paused for Kevin to answer.

  “No.”, Kevin knew there was more to Boris than his age.

  “Similarly, royal descendants are wiser not because they are older but because of the instincts and aptitudes they are born with.”, Keele finished.

  “So, how does it all work? How do you conduct elections?”, Kevin wanted to know the details.

  “We have elections every 25 years. In that election, it is decided if the next 25 years would be a democracy or a monarchy. If democracy is elected, a panel of ministers are chosen separately in panel elections. A new panel is elected every 5 years.”, Keele explained.

  “Somehow, it doesn’t seem as bad as it sounded when you first started describing it. You should call it meritocracy to avoid confusion.”, Kevin said honestly.

  Keele leaned back on his chair and smiled. He had made his point.

  “You said Boris went to the Earth many times, when was the second time he went there?”, Kevin was onto his next question now.

  “As I said, his research and that of a few others showed that king’s rule was needed to bring back the hum society on the track to its past glory. This opinion was becoming popular by the day. It was evident that Soboro would win the next elections but then something happened that we had never anticipated. Soboro died under suspicious circumstances without an heir. It was a tragedy that we were not prepared for. It was clear that the next election and the elections after that were pointless as nobody was alive to compete as a monarch. Democracy won unanimously and that is how it has been since then. We just have panel elections now to select prime minister and his panel.”

  “So, did he come to earth in search of a new king?”, Kevin asked.

  “Yes, that is what they decided.”, Keele confirmed.

  “Who is they?”, Kevin asked again.

  “Boris and his few colleagues who believe in monarchy, Kevin. They decided that he was the best person to go back to earth. So he went back exactly 341 years ago in search of the royal bloodline. This is how he ended up on earth the second time. After that he has been to earth many times. He has been looking for a royal descendant who could come to Peele and help us break the monarchy of democracy.”

  “I never thought such a thing could exist. ‘The monarchy of democracy’.”, Kevin said, amazed at how nothing can ever be perfect. He never imagined someone like Boris would ever argue in favour of monarchy over democracy.

  “It's the scale of time, Kevin. Once you live long enough, you realize that nothing is perfect. Democracy is not perfect, not nearly close to it. But those who have suffered dictatorship see it as the only solution. A person who has been burnt by hot milk will temporarily resolve to drinking only cold water but in a long life he will get burnt by many things. He would realise that every hot object burns if you are not careful. Then and only then would he attempt to fix the real problem, which is his own carelessness. Once he is over his fear of water or milk, he is truly free to use them to their true potential. This is what we call wisdom.”, Keele finished his answer. He now waited for Kevin to ask his next question.

  Kevin wondered for a moment on all that was disclosed by Keele. He got up to put his plates in the dishwasher. He was silent throughout, trying to make sense of all of this.

  “It has been a couple of hours since Boris left. He must be arriving anytime now.”, Keele said.

  “He told me he needed to talk to me, I will wait for him.”, Kevin said.

  “I will leave you to your thoughts then. Let me know if you need anything, including answers.”, Keele smiled as he walked away.

  Kevin looked around the house trying to understand the gadgets and artifacts kept there. It was not his first day in the house but he was too preoccupied earlier to have appreciated any of those. He stopped at a collection of photographs. Boris was in most of them. In one of the photographs he was standing with someone his own age. They both looked young in the photograph, it must be an old one thought Kevin.

  “That is a very old picture of me. I was 22.”, Boris said. He was back.

  “Just 22! It is hard to imagine that you started at 0.”, Kevin joked.

  “Haha, yes, it seems like another life altogether. Just imagine trying to remember something from 800 years ago.”, Boris explained.

  “Who is the other young man?”, Kevin asked.

  “My friend, Soboro.”, Boris said.

  “The last prince!”, Kevin recalled.

  “I was supposed to leave for earth in a week. Soboro wanted me to report everything, especially on the downsides of democracy.”, Boris said.

  “The-downside-of-democracy, I know all about it now. I must confess it was a lot for me to process but Keele explained it nicely.”, Kevin said.

  “Oh, good that you know. I hope you understand that there can be no solution which fits all, Kevin. While I believe that a king’s rule is essential for hums, I am not sure if humans are ready for it. But, let's keep that discussion for another time.”

  “Who is this beautiful girl, with you and Soboro?”, Kevin moved onto the next picture now.

  “Moriti, the third of our group. We three were really close.”, Boris replied with a smile.

  “Where is she now?”, Kevin asked.

  “She lives on Mone.”, Boris conveyed casually.

  Kevin continued looking at the pictures but Boris had some news he wanted to share.

  “I have something important to discuss. It is not good news I am afraid.”, Boris clarified.

  “What is it Boris?”, Kevin asked.

  “Igogo is going to propose a preemptive seize on Nole soon. If the proposal is passed by the panel, humans might have a tough time settling there.”, Boris was concerned.

  “What can we do to stop him?”, Kevin asked calmly, he expected Boris to have a plan. With so much going around him lately, there was less and less everyday that shocked him.

  “Frankly, I did not see this coming. I knew he had reasons to go after you but I don’t understand why he still wants to control the humans.”, Boris confessed.

 
; “But hums in general don’t see humans as a threat, right? Would Igogo still be able to convince the panel?”, Kevin asked anxiously.

  “It is his panel after all, Kevin. The panel members rarely reject what their leader proposes.”, Boris explained.

  “What can we do Boris? Is this going to be the end of humans?’, Kevin asked, he looked concerned.

  “Oh no silly. Even if a sieze is authorized, Igogo can only deploy the bots there, he cannot attack humans. No one is going to get hurt, trust me.”, Boris tried assuring Kevin that the strike is not as bad as it sounds.

  “And what if the humans don’t like the bots? What if they try to fight them? I know Joti and Gollow would fight back for sure.”, Kevin was concerned.

  “Until you replace Igogo in the government we have no choice but to let him have whatever he wants.”, Boris said.

  Kevin didn’t know what to say. He wanted humans to be safe and knew that fighting back was not an option right now. Above all, he trusted Boris.

  ###

  Completely oblivious to the impending siege of Nole, Gollow and Joti sat in the meeting room waiting for the meeting to start. The room was filled with officers of the Union. Gollow and Joti couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of people in the room whom they have never seen in Union meetings before. They both made gestures to each other trying to understand if either of them knew what was up but they both had no clue.

  Francis walked inside the room with Foss. They were followed by Inca, Illard, Feli, Gollard and Hobi.

  “Ladies and gentlemen”, Francis started. He seemed to be in control and enjoyed being the centre of attention. He continued, “We have arrived on Nole. And while it is a great achievement on our part, our troubles have not ended yet. Difficult times lie ahead of us. The Union must prepare for these challenges. I and the rest of the ministers have come up with a restructuring of the Union which should help us execute better in the future.”

  Francis went ahead and announced all the changes to the Union. He began by banishing Holum and Ibu from the Union and its meetings. He went ahead and declared them traitors which came as a shock to Joti and Gollow. Joti felt that it was a bit too harsh. Francis completely restructured the security and planning offices. Security was still under Gollard and planning under Hobi but most of the high ranking officers were replaced. Francis finished the meeting by stressing that they still needed the level 2 emergency and that armbots would be on guard everywhere.

  After the meeting, Joti and Gollow sat in the canteen and reviewed the decisions made by Francis. They both looked unhappy about how things were being handled by Francis.

  “That was a short meeting.”, Joti said, she looked confused and angry. “I don’t understand at all, he didn’t make any of the scheduled changes which were to happen in stage 12 but instead made changes which were not required at all.”

  “I told you he is a bad leader.”, Gollow was frustrated. He never thought Francis could replace Holum as the president of the Union.

  “This is not the Francis I knew. He is a completely different man now. I even tried talking to him a couple of times recently but he ignored me.”, Joti sounded worried.

  “I think he is a fool, if not then he must be an agent of the hums.”, Gollow’s instincts were right, as always.

  “Everyone cannot be a hum agent, Gollow.”, Joti was too afraid to accept this. She said, “Holum, Ibu and now Francis too? I highly doubt that so many people would be hum agents. If hums have so many people doing their job here then they might even consider coming here and taking us all prisoners.”, Joti was trying to assure herself more than she was trying to convince Gollow. She was not prepared to indulge in the possibility that everyone she trusted were falling for the wrong side. It started with Holum, then Kevin and now Francis. She was prepared to take Francis for a fool but not a hum agent.

  “What now?”, Gollow asked.

  “I will try to talk to him tonight, after dinner.”, Joti replied. She believed she could talk Francis into making the right decisions.

  “Would you like to come with me?”, she asked Gollow.

  “I have other plans.”, Gollow replied.

  “What other plans? I thought you were genuinely concerned about today’s meeting. What could be more important?”, Joti asked.

  “I am meeting Holum and Ibu tonight.”, Gollow said hesitatingly.

  “After all that they have done?”, Joti asked.

  “Do you really believe Holum sold us out? I don’t. I saw them today, talking by the lake. They seemed concerned for the humans. I believe they understand what troubles lie ahead of us. It would be wise to consult them, don’t you think?”, Gollow tried convincing Joti.

  “They have kept secrets from us all along, why would they divulge any information now?”, Joti asked, she wasn’t fully convinced yet.

  “I believe they told us at the right time. You wouldn’t have discovered it on your own without Garry putting you to it that night. Holum and Ibu are both wise men. Tell me Joti, did you ever question their loyalty or their wisdom before?”, Gollow argued.

  “But, that could also mean that they are clever and cunning. They hid their evil plan up until the last moment. They disclosed it only when they knew we could do nothing to escape.”, Joti was adamant. She now knew better than to trust anyone easily.

  Gollow looked at her in despair. He knew in his gut that Francis was bad for the Union but he needed Joti’s help to fix it. She had been in the Union for a long time and knew many people here. He agreed to go with her to Francis one more time. He said, “Okay, count me in for tonight. But if Francis turns out to be an idiot, or an agent then we do what I say.”.

  Joti agreed.

  ###

  Back on Peele, Kevin and Boris waited as Keele operated a kiosk. They were at a place called “terminal-233”, it looked like an airport.

  “We are on time, the shuttle leaves in 20 minutes.”, Boris said.

  “I hate flying.”, Kevin confessed. He looked anxious right from the moment he arrived at the terminal.

  “No shame in that, Kevin. I get anxious too when I travel.”, Boris tried easing his tension.

  “No, you don’t understand. I love travelling. Meeting new people, seeing new places, it's all good, very good. But I hate flying.”, Kevin clarified.

  “But, you flew for 300 years, although most of it in deep sleep, but still. Are you not accustomed to it yet?”, Boris was a bit surprised.

  “No, surprisingly not. I felt it during my flight to Nole and then back to the spaceship. Also, on our way to Peele.”, Kevin confessed.

  “What exactly do you feel? Do you feel you are going to die in a crash?”, Boris asked, he looked genuinely interested now.

  “No, not that. I could die in a car crash too but I am never frightened there. It happens only when I am flying. I can feel every little movement of the vehicle. Every little tilt and turn…” Kevin started to explain but someone tapped on Boris’s shoulders for his attention.

  “Boriri, is that you?”, A lady asked.

  “Moriti! What are you doing here?”, Boris recognised her. Kevin remembered the name too, she was the third person in Boris’s group.

  “I am going back to Mone. I was here for a conference. Who is the kid?”, Moriti asked.

  “Kevin.”, Boris replied. He introduced Kevin to Moriti.

  “Curious name!”, Moriti said.

  “Hi Moriti! Boris is back finally!”, Keele said as soon as he got back from the kiosk.

  “What do you mean, back finally?”, Boris asked.

  “Moriti kept asking me about your return date. Now you are here, so...”, Keele explained.

  “Did I? I am sorry, I didn’t realize I was being so interrogative”, Moriti seemed embarrassed. Boris smiled and they all started walking towards the shuttle.

  “Is Boris your new nickname?”, Moriti asked.

  “No. Just just a name I used on earth. ‘Boriri’ is not a usual earth name.”, Boriri explaine
d.

  “Wait a minute, is he Kevin from earth! Our prince?”, Moriti sounded excited.

  Other hums who were lined up to get into the shuttle started looking around on hearing the word “prince”.

  “Yes, he is.”, Boriri admitted with a confident smile. He was not trying to hide the fact, not even in the public.

  “Kevin, I have so much to talk to you. Let’s all sit together.”, Moriti proposed.

  Kevin entered the shuttle which looked very similar to the spacecraft on which he came to Peele, although a lot bigger. On the inside, there were 3 levels, all of which were being occupied by the passengers. Keele realised that Kevin was new to the shuttle so he started explaining the boarding procedure and the seating arrangements.

  “There are 6 gates, two on each levels. Passengers are being boarded from all of them. The top level has no seating, it is for passengers who wish to sleep throughout the way. It is hardly 3 hours of flight but some people do love their sleep.”, Keele said.

  “We are on the middle level. It is a single hall with seating for groups of two, four, six and eight. If you are lucky we would find a seat near a window. We would reach terminal M-12, which means 12th terminal on Mone, during its night. So, the view should be interesting for you.”, Keele said.

  “How long are days and nights on Mone? Are they of same length as on Peele?”, Kevin wondered.

  “No, that would have been fantastic. Peele’s days and nights are 14 hours long each. Mone’s are 7 hours each. It's not the same but we got them to align properly.”, Keele replied.

  “You mean, you moved Mone around to get the days and nights aligned?”, Kevin was surprised, he knew something like this is not very difficult for an advanced civilization but still it was all very fascinating.

  “Yes, we expanded to Mone about 400,000 years ago. At that time we tweaked its orbit, its rotation, its gravity and its atmosphere to suit us.”, Keele replied.