“What’s going on?” Elena asked. The frown on her face showed her bewilderment. “Why are you doing this?” she asked them, using the English language in the hope that there might be some understanding.
“They are worshipping you,” said a strange voice, also using the English language.
Barrow turned abruptly. He had some knowledge of English, and recognised the words that the man used.
But Elena, who was almost fluent in English, was the one who spoke. “Who are you?” she asked.
The man wore a uniform consisting of a khaki suit, and had a revolver in a holster at his hip. Unlike Jesse and the gang, he was clean-shaven and his neat sandy-coloured hair had been cropped short.
“My name is Donohue. I am a Ranger.”
Donohue did not draw his weapon, and was alone, so Elena did not feel threatened. She knew that Barrow could take the man down in an instant.
“Please speak more slowly. I am familiar with your language, but you are speaking too fast. What is a Ranger?”
“I come from Washington. On the instructions of President Kowalski, we, the Rangers, keep watch over the Prehistorics, the Ancients, the Cowboys and the Indians. We don’t want any of them causing us problems in the city. But, more to the point, who are you?” he asked, “and what weapon did you use against these savages?”
“My name is Elena, and this is Barrow, Great Savant of the Karavec.”
“The Karavec?”
“We are a different race. We come from the planet Hikon.” She raised her finger, pointing upwards.
“Hikon?”
“Hikon is the third planet of this solar system. This planet, Ziemia, is the fourth.”
“Oh, so you are talking about the planet we know as Odbijanie.”
“Does it not surprise you that we are from a different planet?”
“No, since the arrival of KEO 3 we are well aware of the possibilities of interplanetary travel, and the existence of species on other planets. Our astronauts have even travelled to the larger of the two moons.”
“What is KEO 3?”
“I think you had better come with me so that my boss can explain everything to you.”
Barrow, who had understood some of the conversation, said to Elena, “Ask him if his boss is President Kowalski.”
“Yes,” Donohue replied.
“Can you take us to him?” Elena translated.
“Yes, I have a vehicle standing by, at the top of that slope.” Donohue pointed towards a low hilltop to the west.
“I have one more question before we leave,” said Elena. “Why are those savages worshipping us?”
“They heard you speak the name of your leader, the Savant. What did you say his name was?”
“Barrow, his name is Barrow.”
“They thought you said Bardzo. These people have an ancient legend that speaks of the god Bardzo who they believe was both the creator of Ziemia, and the first man. The legend tells of a beautiful young girl named Zona who came paddling down the First River and caught the eye of Bardzo. The pair fell in love. Zona threw herself into the still waters, and invited Bardzo to jump in after her. But when he hit the water, the placid current turned into raging rapids, which pulled Zona under the water and she drowned. Bardzo searched for Zona’s body, but he never found it. They say the sounds of the rapids are Bardzo’s cries for his lost love.”
“So these people think Barrow is Bardzo?”
“Yes, and that you are the reincarnation of Zona. They are very uneducated people, and believe in many different gods and heroes from the spoken legends of their ancestors. Wait, I will speak with them in their own language, and send them on their way. But, I ask you again, what weapon did you use against them?”
“Not a weapon,” replied Elena. “The Great Savant, Barrow, has powers that he can use against even you, if you try to cross us.”
“Powers? Like in the movies?”
“What’s a movie.”
“Never mind; it’s not important and only make-believe. I can see that your leader’s powers are real, and I certainly won’t be crossing you.”
After Donohue had spoken with the three savages, they picked up their weapons and left. While they retreated up the eastern bank of the river, they looked back many times as if they wanted one last glimpse of Bardzo and Zona.
Donahue turned to the two Karavec. “Follow me,” he said. “I’ll take you to the helicopter.”
“What is a helicopter?”
“It is a flying machine.”
When they reached the crest of the hill, Barrow could not believe his eyes.
“That is a flying machine!” he said to Elena. “It looks more like one of those giant flying insects from Arion. How can such a thing fly?”
Elena thought of Forster and his encounter with a whirlybird when she showed him around Arion city. I hope he’s alright, she thought.
Elena asked Donohue about the helicopter, and translated for Barrow: “The blades on top are called rotor blades. When they spin rapidly, air flows more quickly over the tops of the blades than it does below the blades and this creates enough lift to make the machine rise in the air and fly.”
“What a rudimentary form of flying machine! I hope it will get us there in one piece.”
At that moment, Barrow felt a surge of power being drawn upon his gnaris.
It must have shown in his face because Elena asked him, “What is wrong, Great Savant?”
“It is Lolena. She has called upon the power of my gnaris.”
“Lolena, where is she? Is Jim Forster with her?”
Barrow couldn’t help but recognise Elena’s excitement and anticipation. “I do not know whether or not Captain Forster is with her, but she has drawn upon my power to overcome the guards to gain entry to the city.”
“Is it the same city, Washington, where we are headed?”
“I think so. It’s in the same direction, towards the east.”
“So Lolena has made it to the city,” Elena said. “I’m so glad she’s safe.” She tried not to betray her emotions to Barrow that she was glad to learn that Forster was probably also safe.
Barrow took the seat next to Donohue, and Elena sat in the rear. After they had buckled themselves into their seats, the Ranger turned a key, and the helicopter’s engine burst into life. Donohue engaged some levers, and the machine rose vertically. Barrow marvelled at the versatility of the machine when it hovered above the treetops, before banking and heading off towards the east.
The vehicle made slow progress, but Barrow and Elena enjoyed the spectacle of watching the landscape pass by beneath the craft. They were used to travelling fast, very fast, and had never before experienced the thrill of a slow moving aircraft. Below they saw a terrain consisting of rocky outcrops, clumps of tree-like plants, and rivers meandering through narrow valleys and plains, and bordered by small fertile areas of grassland.
“Look,” said Elena. “That looks like the cave where the Prehistorics held us prisoner.”
Donohue didn’t understand what Elena had said to Barrow, but he did recognise the word ‘Prehistorics’, for which Elena had no translation.
“What did you say about the Prehistorics?” he asked.
“I just pointed out to Barrow that the Prehistorics kept us prisoner in that cave.”
“You were prisoners of the Prehistorics?”
“Yes.”
“How did you escape?”
“Barrow used the same power that you saw him use against the savages.”
After they had been flying for about three hours, Donohue pointed towards the east. “That’s Washington,” he said. “We’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
The helicopter swooped low over the city. From above it looked much like any other city on any of the planets that the Great Savant had visited, but Barrow was surprised at how spread out the city was, how most of the roads appeared straight and often intersected at right angles, and that there didn’t appear to be any tall building
s. They passed over a river spanned by five bridges.
Barrow became alarmed when the aircraft began to slow down and then appeared to hover motionless above a grassed area to the rear of a large white building with a flat roof. He noticed men in uniform on the roof, holding weapons similar to those used by Jesse and his men, but much larger and more sophisticated. Donohue waved to them and, recognising the Ranger, they waved back.
“Why do those men keep watch on the rooftop?” Elena asked.
“They are members of the Secret Service that are specially trained to protect the president. They have high-powered weapons and other equipment.”
“Why is this necessary? Does someone threaten the president?” Such a notion was alien to Elena who was used to the ultimate power wielded by the Great Savant. She could not imagine any Karavec wanting to harm Barrow.
“Yes, there are foreign powers that threaten the life of the president and the stability of the union.”
Elena translated for Barrow, who said, “What a strange race of people these are. No one threatens the Great Savant, not even the members of the Council.”
But Elena seemed less sure. “Let me remind you, Lord Barrow, why we are here on Ziemia. There may not be a threat to you directly, but the murder of so many Karavec embryos is a threat to the future of the Karavec race, maybe even to the stability of your hold on power.”
Barrow conceded with a nod.
By this time the helicopter had landed, gently lowered onto the soft green grass of the White House South Lawn by Donohue. The rotating blades continued to spin, then slowed down until they finally came to a halt.
Evening was setting in.
“Follow me,” said Donohue. “The president is waiting for you.”
He led them onto the South Portico and through the Blue Room into the Cross Hall. He took them towards the right where the grand staircase led to the first floor.
“This floor is the president’s residential area,” said Donohue.
They passed some bedrooms, and then Donohue stopped outside an unmarked storage closet, which he opened, and ushered them to follow him inside. It appeared to be a secret passage.
The passage leads to the president’s office,” Donohue explained. “The president uses it to access his office from his residence.”
When they passed through the door at the far end of the tunnel, they entered a spacious oval-shaped office. A large intricately-carved desk occupied the area adjacent to the window. Curtains divided the window into three parts, and two unfurled flags stood in front of the dividing curtains. One of them was the same flag that fluttered from every government building in Washington. The other was a flag with a blue background, a circle of white stars and a large bird holding what appeared to be a branch in one of its talons and some kind of sheaf in the other.
A man with silver-grey hair, clean-shaven and smartly dressed in a dark suit, sat at the desk writing some notes. He rose when they entered. He was tall and stooped slightly when he approached his visitors.
“Mr. President,” said Donohue. “These are our guests from the planet Odbijanie, the Great Savant of the Karavec, Barrow, and his assistant Elena.
President Kowalski approached them with a little apprehension. He had been warned by his aides who had received messages from Donohue that these strange aliens must be treated with caution as well as respect. The Great Savant, who wore brown leather body armour and thigh length brown boots, portrayed a strange sight for the president. His olive-green face was lined and wrinkled, his head was bald, and goggles protected his widely-spaced eyes. The other Karavec, who appeared much younger, had removed her goggles. She possessed a certain attraction despite being also hairless.
President Kowalski extended his hand to Barrow who wrapped his three fingers around the president’s four and performed the strange custom that Forster had warned him about; the custom used by humans when greeting each other, by shaking the other’s hand up and down a few times.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” the president said, using English.
“May you always find favour from the gods, and prosper,” Barrow said in response.
The president invited them to sit on a couch on one side of the room, and sat down on another couch facing them. A small coffee table separated them. Between the table and the president’s desk lay a circular rug. It had a navy blue background and a tan border, adorned with the image of a golden eagle holding an olive branch in its right talon, a bundle of thirteen arrows in its left talon, and a white scroll in its beak.
“Can I interest you in some coffee or tea?”
Barrow looked puzzled, so Elena explained to him, “It’s a custom used by some humanoids, especially those descended from the planet Earth. By the mutual sharing of coffee or tea, which are beverages, these people show hospitality to their visitors and gratitude from their hosts.”
“Another strange custom,” said Barrow, using the Karavec language. He turned to the president and said in English, “Thank you, President Kowalski, I’ll try some tea.”
The president did not fully understand, but heard the word ‘tea’ and instructed his aide to order a pot to be brought to the Oval Office.
Barrow sipped the tea, but did not savour the bitter tasting beverage. Elena, who had sampled the brew before, showed a more conciliatory attitude, and finished her tea, downing the last mouthful with a flourish.
“Now you must rest,” said the president. “We will talk further in the morning.” He opened the door to his office and called out, “James”.
A man entered the office. “Yes, Mr. President.”
President Kowalski turned towards his guests. “This is James Donahue, my Chief of Staff. He is the brother of John Donahue who brought you here. He will take you to your quarters and look after you.”
“James, can you take our guests to their accommodation in the Queen’s Bedroom and the Lincoln Bedroom.”
“Of course, Mr. President.”
* * * * *
The next morning, after they had eaten a little of the generous breakfast prepared for them, the two Karavec followed James Donahue back to the Oval office.
“Now to business,” said President Kowalski. “I know exactly why you are here.”
“You do?” Elena continued the dialogue with the president, but she stopped every now and then to translate for Barrow, and to seek his opinion.
At that moment, Barrow once again felt the sensation of Lolena calling upon his gnaris. He sensed that she and Forster must be close. They are trying to gain access to the grounds of this residence, he thought.
The president sensed Barrow’s discomfort. “Are you alright, Great Savant?” he asked.
Elena conferred with Barrow. “Yes, he is fine. Please go on,” she said.
“You are here to investigate the importation into Ziemia of the green blood.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because my agents have been keeping the offender under surveillance for several months; but, up until now, he has not committed any crime on Ziemia.”
“By the offender, you are referring to one of your own people?”
“On the contrary, I am referring to one of your people, the one they call Saviour”
“One of the Karavec is here on Ziemia?”
“He comes and goes. I do not believe he is here at the moment.”
“So that explains why you were not surprised by our coming; that is why Donohue did not show any sign of shock when he first encountered us.”
“Exactly.”
“When this Saviour does visit Ziemia, does he come here to Washington?” Elena asked.
“No, he goes to a city on a different continent of Ziemia, a city named Jerusalem. He has a large following of disciples who live there.”
At that moment, a knock at the door disturbed the conversation, and the president’s aide came inside.
“Excuse me, Mr. President, another one of these Karavec has just breached the perimeter fence of the W
hite House. He or she is accompanied by another alien who bears a resemblance to a human. They are on the South Lawn.”
“That will be Lolena and Forster,” said Elena. “They were sent ahead of us to make contact with you, but must have been delayed, and we got here first.”
“Will you accompany me to the Truman Balcony? We can give them an unexpected welcome.”
The president led Barrow and Elena back the way they had come until they reached the residential part of the White House once again. He bypassed the president’s bedroom and private sitting room, and turned right into the Yellow Oval Room that led to the balcony.
From the cover of a clump of rhododendron-like bushes, Barrow heard the familiar voice of Forster, “Don’t tell me you’re going to use the gnaris again.”
“That won’t be necessary,” said the Great Savant.
Chapter 14 – Like a Message in a Bottle
“The universe is full of mysteries, and strange creatures that do even stranger things.”
The Book of Karavec (37, 13)
Forster warmly shook the president’s hand and, after Elena explained to her the correct protocol, Lolena limply offered her own. Then the group of five made their way to the Oval Office. While they walked, Elena updated Forster and Lolena on details of their earlier conversation with the president about the Saviour.
“Who could it be?” Lolena asked.
“If he comes and goes, he must have access to a spacecraft,” replied Forster.
Forster took over the role of chief negotiator while they questioned the president further.
“Now, Mr. President,” he said, “can you tell us exactly what KEO 3 is?”
“I thought you would ask me that. It’s a long story, but I’ll try to keep it brief. As you know, up until about a hundred years ago, Ziemia still languished in the Stone Age. Then one night, somewhere not too far from here, a group of Prehistorics saw a brilliant light in the sky. It was not one of the moons, nor was it a star, for it moved rapidly through the sky and appeared to be getting closer. They didn’t take much notice because many stories from their folklore told of bright objects coming to ground. We now know most of those sightings were meteorites.
The Power of Gnaris Page 12
