A Paradox in Retrograde

by Faherty, John

  "Ananda I ask only because I know Landaus. He is very suspicious of you. I would not put anything past him. For that reason it may be wise to lay your cards upon the table."

  "I'm sure your right about Landaus he should be weary of me. That is his job after all. Let us finish our meal and go straight down there to meet him and see what he has to say for all I know he could have already made contact with these creatures. If that is true they may be ready to hear what I have to say." Xora had arranged for a fine robe of purple silk to be brought to his dressing room. She had hoped this would help him to appear to others as princely as she saw him. He dressed and stood again before the mirror. He was impressed with the image he saw there before him. Xora walked in the room and slipped into the image behind him. She smiled at him and put her hands firmly around his waist. "You make a fine looking king, Hector. It is a pity we should not have found you under more peaceful circumstances." He responded to the image in the mirror. "It is exactly here that I was meant to be. Then you will see that my presence here is as much a curse as it is a blessing." She stared into his eyes for a glimpse of the softness she had seen the day before. It seemed it was all gone. He had awoken as hardened as the day he had arrived. She let go of his waist and stared at his image studying this man she hardly knew yet to whose future she would be invariably tied.

  Again they rode down along the edge of the cliff by means of the pilot less conveyance and soon found themselves within the citadel. There they entered beneath the heavy doors of the great hall to find a platoon of royal guards standing in wait.

  The captain of the guard sent word to one of his juniors to inform Landaus that their guests had arrived. The officer found Landaus and Grunhuf deep in discussion and so begged their pardon. "Forgive me Colonel, I was told to inform you that your guests had arrived."

  "Well then, show them in."

  "Yes sir." He trotted off and a moment later he returned with Ananda and Xora behind him. "Your guest's sir" "Thank you, you are dismissed. Landaus wasted little time and approached Ananda immediately. He presented him his hand and they exchanged their obligatory greetings. "Good day to you traveler, I hope all is well."

  "I cannot recall being the recipient of any hospitality that could rival the graciousness that has been offered to me here in Baldur. I am forever in your debt."

  Landaus responded with all sincerity, and then as was his nature he got right down to the brass tacks of his purpose there. "It is our honor to extend to you this hospitality. However there is a growing mystery within this realm, to which the timing of your arrival here must be more than a coincidence." Ananda responded patiently to this assertion knowing full well that Landaus had hit the nail right on his head. "My gracious Landaus There is much I have discovered about myself in the last two days since my arrival here among your people. Part of which would answer this question to the affirmative. However if I was to tell you the purpose for my arrival you may think them the mad ravings of a lunatic. So for the time being until we can determine the nature of this mystery to which you have eluded, you must be satisfied only to know that your assertion is true. It is by no coincidence that I find myself in the here and now."

  Landaus and the other were shocked by this forthright admission. For a moment Landaus was at a loss for words.Grunhuf spoke up feeling the need to fill the void left by his comment. "My dear Ananda, You forget who is holding the cards here. You are our guest as long as we see fit to have you as such. You could just as easily be our prisoner."

  "Dear friends there is no need to resort to threats, I am here to help you. There soon will come the day where you shall thank your lucky stars that I did come as I did. So if you would indulge me, we may help each other. You spoke of a mystery? Once this has been revealed I feel my purpose here will become self-evident."

  Landaus then spoke. "Alright we can play it your way. Ananda why don't you take a look around here and tell you what you make of it?"

  With the contingent of guards looking on Ananda made his way around the room. There presented before him on long wooden tables were the hundred or so artifacts. These artifacts he could immediately tell were not a product of this culture. However he did recognize a good many of them as remnants of his own technological past. He ran his hand along the items as he walked. As he did he experienced a feeling of nostalgia. He thought to himself that surely these had been excavated nearby or washed upon the shore as he had been. This feeling remained there just under the surface. Then he came upon something that did not fit. He lifted up to the light a rather ungainly metallic object. It was round and hollow and its surface made a perfect reflection. It took him a moment to recall from the dark recesses of his mind, a jagged memory. In the process he came to recognize that which he was looking upon was a battle helmet of his enemy. He lifted it again up to the light and its shining metallic surface gleamed as if it were made yesterday. He realized that this was no relic of an ancient battle. This realization sent a familiar shiver down his spine. He turned toward Landaus and asked him. "Did you find the owner of this helmet?" Landaus lifted from the table a box and placed it on the table before him. Then he said, "As a matter of fact I have. If you would be so kind, please take a glance of the contents of that box." Ananda unlatched the hasp and slowly began to lift open the lid. There within was the sight he had most dreaded. This was confirmation of what he had hoped not to see. His face grew somber and he spoke out to those assembled there in a most serious tone.

  "They are here among you. Even as we speak our time is quickly running out" He closed the lid and turned to Landaus. "When and where did you find this helmet?"

  Landaus by the look upon Ananda's face had almost given in to this demand. However he instead soberly gathered his thoughts and refused to take the bait. Landaus was looking for answers and he would not be denied. So he stood his ground. This had the effect on his guest that he had anticipated. Ananda's voice rose louder and more demanding as he again spoke. "Did you hear me man? There is little time to waste we must act accordingly." As they had been instructed no one there responded. To this he reacted with a disagreeable demeanor. He continued on heedless with what developed into a condescending rant. "You small people have no idea to what dangers are in store for you. Will you stand there and stare at me like children? Unless you begin to follow my advice all will perish." Landaus could now speak freely as his guest had broken all decorum in his outburst. A weight had been lifted off his chest as the rules of hospitality had been broken. Now as he stared upon his guest the look upon his face contained a devilish smile. "My dear guest, you seem tohave forgotten that you are not a prince in this land and you have no say over the doings of its people. Also your words taken in a certain context could be construed as an unambiguous threat. We are a civilized people Ananda. However there are limits to the amount of abuse that we will tolerate. You sir have come awfully close to reaching that limit. It is time now that you tell us what you know so that you can stay within our good graces."

  At this point a group of several guards came forth from their ranks and assembled there with weapons ready. Their sharp threatening pikes now stood but a short distance from him. He was not unaccustomed to threats of personal danger so he was not hastened to give up so easily. He did however respect the point of a spear and admired their pluck in presenting such a show of force. He again spoke this time his voice was tempered with some humility. "Dear Sirs I assure you that this show of force is unnecessary." He touched the gleaming tip of the spear closest to him and said, "However I do get your point." Lady Xora having seen all she cared to from both sides was now intent on doing something. She stepped from her place through the crowd toward them. She placed her body between Ananda and the guard's weapons. Landaus had not anticipated such a move and so was not prepared for what happened next. In a loud and commanding voice she spoke in a voice loud enough for all there to hear. "My dear gentlemen as the keeper of the books, within these doors I am the highest ranking official present. You must by law and tra
dition defer to my wishes. You must lay down your weapons for there is important news that Ananda must share. And as for you princes of Baldur you should not be so dense as to bite the hand that feeds you." She turned to Ananda and said, "Your way has not worked well at all. You are no longer a king here or anywhere. This you must accept. There is a common goal here which is being lost within the intrigue that is being played out. So please lay out to these men what you know. They will listen, I promise."

  Landaus nodded to the guards assembled there and they stood down accordingly. "Ok Xora we'll do it your way, but he had better start talking and soon or things may get ugly." There was logic to her words. He was no longer king, and his kingdom no longer existed. And he was certain he could not wage this war alone. "Alright I shall tell you what I know."

  "What know you of the song of Hector? A child's song perhaps, how does it go again?" He looked around the room to see only the look of confusion. "Those enemies in their silver ships that came to make war in ancient times, these are your enemies. What you have stumbled upon is most likely one of their advance scouts. You were lucky to capture it."

  "We did not capture it, it crashed. We found the remains of the ship in the high mountains." "We must return there and scour the mountain. There may be more ships and more of these creatures. We have to stop them from reporting back to their planet before we have had a chance to prepare."

  "Their planet, what can that mean?" asked Grunhuf. Ananda responded, "It is the newest star in your sky. Surely your astronomers have noticed it by now." To this Landaus only nodded to the affirmative. "My friends, that which you have all by now seen, is the planet Nibaru. It is an intermittent visitor to this region of space. Every 13,000 years this wayward planets orbit brings it within the range of its space fleet." In unison a look of disbelief came upon the faces of those assembled there. Sensing this rising rumble of discord, he wasted no time in correcting their ignorance. "Surely you must be aware of the histories regarding manned space flight? In my time we frequently traveled about the planets. Long ago we had colonies on Mars and the moon. These too were wiped out to a man by these invaders."

  "What is it that they want?" One in the crowd asked. Ananda stood there with a sober look of anguish on his face, as he told them what they wanted to know. "They are here to take your lives. It is their way. It is their nature. As surely are the comings of the seasons on the Earth, so comes the season of the blood ritual."

  Chapter 6

  Having finally completed its solar year, from across the gulf of space Nibaru had like in ages past, emerged from the icy embrace of the nether regions. This wandering planet having completed an orbit that comprised its great ellipsoid arc, was closer now to the sun than it had been in nearly 13000 years. In doing so it had come again into the realm of the inner planets. Having long slumbered, with the light of this new dawn, this ice world would transform itself as it had so many times before. Across the face of the world these changes came rapidly. Its glistening surface had begun again to become flush with a ruddy glow of the season. Soon below all manner of life designed by nature to endure such conditions would again burst forth from their long hibernations.

  Due to the length of its orbital track around the sun, Nibaru's year was equivalent in time to many thousands of those on Earth. The harsh reality of life on such a world was that though its winter journey had been long and arduous, the coming warm season would be comparatively brief. Therefore the period during which these inhabitants could live and breathe as men of Earth do would last for only several short months. For this reason there would be little time to waste. To those who had survived the long winter's journey and its icy hibernation out of night, their awakening would soon begin.

  Within the shadow of the crater the enduring darkness had been until now reluctant to release its grip. Looking down into the lonely crater from the palace walls one could see, the rising sun beginning to illuminate the metallic hulls of the dormant space fleet parked there below in great long rows. The silvery gleam cast up through the darkness seemed to paint every shuttered window and locked door with its warm light. This dappled reflection seemed to grow brighter with each passing minute. This rare light of the sun due to its proximity now radiated unhindered onto the barren landscape. Dormant gasses released from their frozen state began again to expand into the thin atmosphere. Powered by slow but dramatic shift in ambient temperature, this pace of change would increase. Soon the ground shook as concentrated gases that had previously been trapped deep within the permafrost, began to rise up from the frozen ground in great plumes. There high into the razor thin atmosphere these plumes swirled about in great tempests.

  Within the great halls of the crystal palace there too the rising sun cast its light. Its rays shone brightly between the colonnades and illuminated the white limestone walls. Here within these walls lay alongside one another in patient slumber the great king Aaralaat, and his consort Nivia. There beneath their crystalline sarcophagi they have remained still and unchanged these many centuries awaiting the arrival of these first glimmering rays. Slowly the stark veil of light that separated the shadows began to diffuse the darkness. As if responding to some ancient signal their bodies on cue began to respond to the life giving light. It began to warm their frozen cores. Through the mottled view of Aaralaat's sarcophagus the ball of the sun now glowed brightly. The effects of the fluid that sustained then during their long dark night had worn off. Aaralaat though still semi-conscious, could feel its warmth coursing through his body as the temperature rose higher within. In his first awkward movement, He lifted his pale translucent hand up to the dim light and for the first time inages, he felt the movement of his sinewy hand. It would take several more hours for the effects of atrophy to subside. During this time he lay agonizingly still as the engines within his dormant cells fired one by one back to life.

  Still groggy Aaralaat's senses were startled when he heard a wrapping sound coming from outside the sarcophagi. His eyes still blurry he squinted to see through the milky haze before him. He carefully opened the lid to his sarcophagus which hung on heavy spring loaded hinges. As the opaque crystal rose upward there he found standing his son Leif. The image of Leif's face there before him, brought a smile to his face. Leif who was only a small boy when he had gone to hibernation had grown taller and more manlike. This much pleased the king for Leif would stand in his shoes one day and he would need to be strong as well as wise. He reached his hand out toward him and caressed his cheek. The boy reached inside and embraced his father. The father responded heartily and said,

  "It is so good to see you again my young prince. It is truly a great day." "Yes father has my mother yet awoken?" He peered over his shoulder to see his still sleeping queen. It appears she has yet to awaken." A look of concern was on young Leif's face as he processed the possibilities. He knew that each year some did not wake from their hibernation. Aaralaat was quick to sooth his boy's emotions by allaying his fears. "Your mother is young and strong and it will be many years before she is claimed by the sleep. You my son will be an old man for a long time before that time come. Now don't you waste another moment with worry; for before you know it I promise you she will be here among us."

  This promise seemed to do the trick. There was however no way to make such promises because any other form of natural death was a truly rare event. The chances were high however that she would awaken just as she had for the last thirty eight previous years. It was not an untruth for it was mostly theold and very young who succumb to the ravages of the sleep. The melancholy that had seemed to possess the boy had now passed and he was anxious to run about the palace. Leif's youthful energy was difficult to resist as he urged his aged father to rise and join him. Aaralaat tried but could not rise as quickly as hisson would have liked, so he urged him to go along without him. "My prince, I will be along presently" He watched as the boy disappeared, scampering along down the corridor. He sat up straight by lowering his legs over the edge of the stone platform. He now fe
lt every bit of his fifty nine years. As part of the hibernation process his nervous system that had long ago been blunted, now shot back to life. In a surge of neural activity, each and every ache and wound that he had ever suffered screamed for his attention. He could recall each insult and misstep that he had taken over his long life. This was a common experience for his kind. Though these effects were intense it would be short lived and as was expected by those of his office, he bore it well.

  He let his legs slip to the floor. His hyper sensitive nerves sent lightning bolts of pain through his body when his bare feet contacted the cold marble floor below him. He nearly fell, but righted himself with his hand against the sarcophagi. He placed one foot in front of the other and soon he had made it to one of the columns where he stopped to rest a moment. He breatheddeeply and counted to ten and again began to walk. After several minutes of walking, these effects had begun to subside. Soon he made it to a court yard that opened up to the sky above him.

  He stood there a good long moment searching the daylight heavens for the unique blue star. Soon enough as he gained his bearings he was able to find what he had been looking for. With his head pointed upward he did not see his young prince come along side of him. In a soft voice he asked of his father. "What are you looking for father? Looking down at him he spoke, "I am looking for the life giving Earth." Leif's expression looked puzzled, so the king elaborated. "Each year as we awaken preparations begin for the harvest. Some say it is the home of our origin, as no life could have naturally evolved here. And so it is to here we return in the great ships to wage war with its savage inhabitants for domination of this world. For many thousand seasons we have so returned. During the harvest we pay homage to its life giving power. It is through the grace of its divine power that we must perform the rituals to prove that we a worthy of the boon it may bestow. And if we prove worthy we may have earned the right to feed and refresh our stocks." "Father, is Earth not a paradise?" "No son far from it. Though it is a sacred place considered by