“How did you know?”
“Son, ever since you met Celeste, anyone can tell that she is all you think about.”
Jake tried to hide the shy smile that spread across his face, but he couldn’t. “Um … I … don’t know what to think. She is so beautiful. I’ve had girlfriends, but never have I had a woman on my mind so much. But …”
Jake stopped, stood up, and began to pace around his room.
“But what, son?” Adrian asked.
Jake stopped pacing and looked at his father. “But how can I be with a Gnol? How do the Gnols fit into the picture of other worlds that God has created? Aren’t God’s children on Earth and other worlds created in his image?”
Adrian nodded. “Yes, we are. But don’t you think God would have the same if not more of the abilities as the Gnols?”
“So, you’re telling me the Gnols are gods,” Jake said.
“No, I’m not saying that. … Son, sit down.”
Jake sat on his bed, and Adrian stood. He turned and looked at his son.
“Jake, I had those same questions when the Gnols first attacked Terrest. I asked the Lord so many times how the Gnols fit into God’s plan. After all, the Gnols have abilities, powers, and strength so much greater than any of God’s other children. So, logically, I wondered if the Gnols were even his children at all.
“I think I asked each day for nearly a year after the initial attacks. Yet, there was no answer. Finally, one day I knelt down to pray. Before I even got the words out of my mouth, a vision was opened up to me.”
Jake felt his mouth drop. His mind was finding it hard to believe that his own dad would be a prophet of God on another world. He knew his father’s weaknesses and he had always imagined a prophet being perfect.
Adrian continued. “The vision took me to another world thousands of years ago. An angel was with me. In fact, the angel revealed to me that these people were so righteous and willing to obey the Lord’s commandments that the Lord could not withhold any blessing from them, including God Himself walking and talking amongst them.”
Jake’s face quickly turned from a look of shock to a look of confusion. “Wa … Wait a minute. God lived with the Gnols … but … how can that be? Most Gnols seem to be evil.”
Adrian quickly opened the scriptures he had brought in with him. “Here it is,” he said as he gave the scriptures to Jake. “Read Moses, chapter 1, verse 11.”
Jake looked at the verse and commenced to read:
“But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.”
After reading the verse, Jake looked up with a look that told Adrian his son was more confused than ever.
Adrian smiled and said, “Think about it. Since the Gnols were in God’s presence, they had to be changed.”
“You mean transfigured,” replied Jake.
“Yes, transfigured. The angel showed me that the Gnols were changed. Their bodies were changed with more strength to withstand the presence of the Lord. Their minds were open to one another, and they could move objects just by pure thought.”
Jake shook his head. “Well then, if the Gnols were blessed by God, how come they are here on Terrest and have killed and enslaved most of the Terrestrian people?”
Adrian sat next to his son. “The angel also revealed to me that the Gnols eventually forgot about the Lord. They had become so prideful and arrogant in their abilities that they began to use them against each other. Rather than the Lord taking their abilities away, they became a curse.
“After a few generations, the Gnols lost most of the technology they had created and began to live in warlike tribes. The Gnol people weren’t able to advance because they could read each other’s thoughts and use those thoughts against each other. Eventually, the Lord withdrew his presence and allowed nature to destroy Gnolom. But somehow the Gnols were able to escape their dying world.”
Jake was captivated. “Did the angel reveal how the Gnols were able to develop the technology again to leave Gnolom?”
Adrian shook his head. “The angel did not reveal that information to me. I asked, but he said that I needed to discover that on my own. Once I did, that information would help us defeat the Gnols and lead some of them back to believing in the true and living God once more.”
Jake smiled at his dad. He could see the mantle his father carried and the burden that went with it. “So, have you discovered that information yet?”
Adrian shook his head in frustration. “No, not yet. But …” Adrian paused as he sat next to his son.
“But what, Dad?”
Adrian sighed. “I don’t know, Jake. For some reason, I feel responsible for the Gnols being here.”
“Dad, how could you possibly be responsible for them being here? You had no idea that the Gnols even existed when you first arrived on Terrest.”
“I know. It’s just—”
Adrian’s communicator beeped before he could finish his sentence. He reached down, pulled the communicator from his belt, and flipped it open. “This is General Palmer.”
“Adrian, this is Sean. We have an emergency.”
“What is it, Sean?”
“Do you remember those emergency distress beacons I gave to Celeste and her agents to use if they were ever in danger?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Celeste’s beacon has been activated about five miles southeast of the base.”
“Five miles southeast? I thought she was in Chast?”
“Me too, but that’s where her signal is originating from.”
“Okay, Sean. Contact Doc and have him meet me and Jake in the hangar.”
“You got it.”
Adrian flipped his communicator shut, looked at Jake, and the two ran out of the room together.
**********
Five minutes later, Doc came running into the vehicle wing of the underground base. He was pulling on his black jacket and had his medical supply bag in his left hand. “What’s going on, Adrian? I was having a great dream about two gorgeous Polynesian women from Hawaii, and then I get a call from Sean. He just told me to meet you here. Well, here I am. What’s going on?”
Adrian ignored Doc’s obvious aggravation about being awakened from his dream. “Jake, you drive. Doc, I’ll prep you with details on our way. We’ve got to go now!”
“Hold on,” said Doc, still trying to pull his jacket over his massive frame.
Once the three men were inside the hover vehicle, Jake in the center driver’s seat and the other two men in the seats behind him, Jake slowly maneuvered the craft out of the vehicle wing bay doors that opened two hundred yards above into the star-filled night of Terrest.
The vehicle was similar to the one that Jake had taken from the two Gnols he and Skip had encountered when they first crashed on Terrest. This one had some differences, however. This hover vehicle had the capability to camouflage itself according to the time of day. Jake reached down to his control panel and pressed the night camouflage button. The vehicle morphed from a pure white snow color, for which it had been used previously, to a color black as midnight.
“So, what’s going on?” Doc asked, just as Jake sped off toward Celeste’s supposed position.
“Celeste is in trouble,” Adrian said.
“What kind of trouble?”
“Do you remember those distress beacons that Sean gave to Celeste and her people to use if they were ever in trouble?”
“Yeah.”
“Celeste activated hers about twenty minutes ago. She hasn’t moved from her location, so I’m assuming that she is either injured or …” Adrian paused and looked at his son just as Jake glanced back at him, “… or she’s dead.”
Doc grabbed his medical bag and quickly began making preparations for what they would find.
Adrian grabbed Jake’s shoulder. “
Is the satellite readout clear?”
“Yeah, we’re about two miles away from Celeste’s beacon … wait a minute.”
“What?” asked Adrian as he glanced at the monitor.
Jake pointed to just above Celeste’s location. “It looks like we’re going to have some company.”
Adrian looked a little closer at the monitor. “It looks like a squadron of about twenty ground-assault vehicles, fifty Chaties, and one hundred aircraft.”
“How long before they reach Celeste’s position?” Doc asked.
“I’m guessing another ten minutes. We’ve got to act fast,” Adrian replied.
“Dad, how many people do those ground-assault vehicles carry?” Jake asked, slowing down as they neared Celeste’s position.
“They carry about fifty soldiers each …” Adrian stopped and shot a look directly at Doc, “ … You don’t think they …”
Doc nodded his head. “Why else would they bring a battalion of that many soldiers to our position?”
Adrian quickly grabbed his communicator and flipped it open. “Sean, this is Adrian!”
“You’re clear, General,” Sean replied.
“Code red! I repeat! Code red! Get three pilots to the civilian shuttles! Load them up with as many civilians as they will hold! Women and children first! Warn Scott and Petey at base two to be prepared for the shuttles. Get each team to their battle stations now!”
Sean hesitated. “Why? What’s going on, Adrian?”
“Don’t ask questions! Just do as you’re ordered, General! You’re in charge until I get back. Also, warn Skip’s team at the temple ruins that the base is going to be under attack and not to return.”
Adrian heard Sean curse. “Yes, General.”
“I’ll notify you as soon as we have Celeste and are prepared to return to base.” Adrian flipped his communicator shut and looked at Doc, who was frantically putting together a plasma IV.
“Dad … look,” Jake said, pointing directly ahead.
Adrian looked and saw what the vehicle’s lights had rested upon. About twenty feet ahead, Celeste's body lay motionless. She was sitting upright, resting against a large boulder. She looked dead.
Jake stopped the vehicle and was the first one to Celeste while Adrian and Doc grabbed the stretcher from the rear of the craft. Jake skidded to a halt and knelt down next to Celeste. She was unconscious and covered in blood. He could see the wound that caused her blood loss.
Celeste opened her eyes and looked at Jake just as Doc and Adrian arrived with the medical supplies and stretcher. She forced a smile, reached up, and slid the back of her hand along Jake’s cheek. “Well …” She coughed. “… How are you, handsome?”
Jake returned her smile and moved out of the way, so Doc could get to work.
“She’s lost too much blood,” Doc said. “She’s going to need a blood transfusion when we get back to base.”
While the three men placed Celeste onto the stretcher, she flickered in and out of consciousness. They loaded Celeste into the back of the vehicle. Doc crawled in and began to monitor her vital signs. Jake and Adrian ran to the other side of the vehicle and were about to climb in. “Shh … Dad. Listen,” Jake said.
Adrian stopped just as he was about to open his door. Sure enough, he heard the rumble of engines in the distance. Both of the men looked straight ahead and saw the lights of a massive number of attack vehicles making their way over a hill. Jake heard what sounded like a small blast emit from the massive army that was about to overtake them, and then … an explosion.
The blast didn’t damage the hovercraft, but it threw Jake and Adrian back about seventeen feet from where they stood. After Adrian regained his wind, he rolled over and saw that Jake was all right. Both men jumped to their feet and sprinted toward the hovercraft. Jake jumped into the passenger seat behind his father, who had secured himself into the driver’s seat.
“Now, you get to see your old man in action,” Adrian said as he fired up the craft and sped off. “Doc, do you have Celeste and yourself buckled in?”
“Yes!”
“Good, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride!” Adrian yelled as he sped off back to the base.
Jake glanced behind and saw that four small lights had broken off from the large group of attack vehicles. “Dad, I think we’ve got company.”
Adrian looked at his rearview screen and saw what he was dealing with. “Attack Chaties. They’re faster, but they don’t have as much shielding.”
“How long before they catch up to us!” Doc yelled.
“I’d say about another minute or two.”
“That’s not enough time to get back to base, Adrian.”
“I know that, Doc,” Adrian said as he put his headset on. “General Gibson. Come in, Sean.”
“Go, General.”
“We have Celeste and are on our way back. E.T.A. three minutes.”
“Got it. I’ll open the bay doors precisely at your arrival.”
“Also, get four pilots to four attack Chaties and send them our way. We’ve got some unwelcome guests coming to stop us.”
“Roger that. Gibson out.”
Jake continued to watch the Chaties that were narrowing the gap. He heard Celeste say something and looked down at her. Celeste was looking at Jake and said something he couldn’t understand. He leaned down over the seat to where his face was within a few inches of hers. “My father … my father …” Celeste groaned in pain.“ … he knows where the base is.”
**********
Skip was too excited to sleep. He and his team had arrived at the temple ruins almost four hours ago and had already made surprising discoveries; discoveries that he never would have imagined even in his wildest dreams.
From the moment they had begun to decipher the writings on the walls of the temple, they had found out that the writings followed the chronology of Terrest. The hieroglyphs that had shocked Skip the most, however, were the first ones he deciphered on the left wall of the narrow hallway just inside the entrance. In English, the writing read: In the beginning, God created the heavens and Terresta.
Skip was astonished. The only word that didn’t translate was Terresta, which Skip presumed to mean the planet of Terrest. Was it possible that the writings that he was deciphering within this temple on another planet were, in fact, the Bible of Terrest?
And that wasn’t the only discovery. Skip had made it way halfway down the narrow hallway and discovered that many of the writings were similar to the Holy Bible. The only differences were the names and places. He had just made another discovery that the Tilicah tribe were the chosen people of the God of Terrest, much like the tribes of Israel being the chosen people of God on Earth, when his communicator beeped.
Skip put down the scriptures he had borrowed from Jake. He grabbed his communicator and flipped it open. “This is Colonel Hendricks.”
“Skip, this is General Gibson. Is everything all right there?”
Skip looked around. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Why?”
There was a pause. Then, Skip heard Sean sigh. “Good. Adrian, Jake, and Doc had to go and rescue Celeste. She’s been injured.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s still alive. But I have more bad news. Within minutes, the base is going to be under attack by Gnol forces.”
Skip jumped to his feet. “Do you need us to return to base?”
“Negative, Colonel. Your orders are to stay put until further notice. We are evacuating as many civilians as we can to the second base. If you need to reach us, you can send a message through the encrypted codes I gave you for the communicators.”
“Yes, General. Contact me as soon as you can.”
“I will, Skip. General Gibson out.”
Skip slowly closed his communicator. How could he stand by and let his friends fight a more powerful enemy, while he satisfied his curiosity? He had to do something.
Skip slowly bent down and opened his communicator again. “Captain Morasea.”
“You and your men come back into the temple and meet me in the temple room with the fountain in five minutes. We have an emergency.”
“Yes, sir.”
Skip flipped his communicator shut and sprinted to the temple room with the fountain; the same room he and Jake had slept in their first night on Terrest. Once inside the room, he awoke both Ariauna and Jaskead.
Jaskead, who had been sleeping on the floor with just a thin blanket for cover, rolled over groggily. “Wha … What is it, my young friend?”
Skip, unable to keep the fear from his voice, said, “Our friends are in trouble.”
**********
Adrian quickly banked the hovercraft to the right as he saw one of the Gnol Chaties fire a plasma bolt in his direction. He managed to dodge the blast, but Jake was thrown to the left of the vehicle and cracked the back of his head against the window. “You better get buckled in, son. Like I said before, this is going to be a bumpy ride.”
Jake rubbed the bump that was beginning to form on the back of his head and hurriedly buckled himself in. He glanced back and noticed that two black Chaties were within ten feet of the vehicle. The other two weren’t far behind. One of the Chaties fired. “Look out!” yelled Jake.
But it was too late. The blast hit the right end of the vehicle. Adrian lost control for a moment and almost struck a large pine tree. He managed to veer to his left. The right side of the vehicle scraped along the bark of the tree.
“Hey, can’t you hold it together up there?” Doc yelled.
“Doin’ the best I can, big guy,” Adrian replied. “Sean, where are those Chaties that I ordered you to send out?”
“They should be at your position now, General. We only had two pilots that were ready to send out immediately.”
“Well, I don’t see them. Where are they?”
“We’re here, Dad.”
Adrian looked ahead into the darkness and saw two lights approaching. “Bantyr. Is that you?”
“Yes, and Captain Shaonal … Dad … I have a lock on one of the Gnols. On my mark, bank to your right.”
“You got it.”
“Now!”
Adrian banked to his right just as Bantyr fired two hot red flashes of plasma. The bolts nailed the Gnol Chati that was closest to Adrian’s tail, and it exploded into a brilliant orange fireball.
Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1) Page 20
