Orion's Children

by Rohan Moorthy

  The two suns named Cleo and Erethen were located at opposite ends of the Holarid solar system, which initially had led Earth scientists to proclaim (when the initial discovery was made in 2050), that these were two separate solar systems that existed side by side. However, after six years of further research, it was finally understood that both the suns should be categorised to be a part of the same solar system. The determining factor being how all fourteen of the large planets moved from one Sun to the other to complete a single orbit. Though explaining how the two didn’t conflict with each other or adversely affect the gravitational pull of the planets, was still a mystery.

  Only Greenleaf did not follow the path of its giant brother. Rather it circled only around Cleo. More interestingly, between the two Suns lay what appeared to be a giant cloud formulation, which prevented the rays of one Sun from shining beyond it. Hence, when Greenleaf in its annual orbit circled and reached its position between Cleo and Erethen, the rays of the latter never reached it, nor was its shape visible. More perplexing to scientists was that from the ground on Greenleaf, the cloud formation was also not visible in the sky during the day and at night an uninterrupted view of star clusters as well as Greenleaf’s single moon could be seen.

  The on-board computer system on Wildlife One, began sequencing the awakening procedure for the crew. For the past six months the auto pilot had engaged the hyperspace mode and had steered the spacecraft without the slightest incident, to their final destination. As the brilliant sun Greenleaf revolved around came into view at the observation deck, Ali Mehdi walked slowly toward the screened window to gaze upon it. Being the first to be awakened, he had ensured that he was mission-ready before he began the procedures for the rest of the crew. Now, as they began to rise one by one, he had run a systems check on everything on-board and had also tasted his first black coffee in six months. The personal triangle shaped pod that hovered near his left shoulder began to talk to him about the Holarid Solar System and mentioned that that one of the key aspects observed by the Greenleaf TASNSA division was that the Holarid suns were estimated to be a billion years younger than the Sun Earth revolved around. More so, being younger, these suns were able to provide more energy with much less harmful radiation throughout the solar system. He stood there for another 20 minutes before checking the time.

  Wildlife One by this this point was 5 hours away from Greenleaf and Ali tapped his armlet to check the climate conditions surrounding the human-inhabited island city of Alita. Seeing the weather was all clear, he smiled and turned back towards the living quarters to check on everyone. He saw the sleeping pods disappear into the ground and watched as the hovering robots flew around and into different revitalisation chambers where the crew members were getting ready. “A good day for living!” he said softly and turned towards the cafeteria.

  An hour later he was with his second mug of coffee and staring out at the observation deck and from time to time kept peering over at the holographic display pointing out information about the neighbouring planets, as well as, showing information about how much closer they were getting to Greenleaf. “Awesome sight, ain’t it!” said Nigel. Ali turned and smiled. “Yes it is and pretty soon we’ll be docking at a new world,” he said. “Yup, I reckon it won’t be long before we’re chasing some fair game across the savannah,” said Nigel sipping his coffee. “You mean animals, don’t you, Nigel?” said Ali with a wink. “Ha! Of course mate, but don’t get me wrong, I do intend to meet some interesting women folk while we’re here,” said Nigel slapping Ali on the back. Ali nearly spilt his coffee but managed to steady himself. He laughed back at Nigel and said, “Well, good will hunting, my friend. Good will hunting to you indeed.

  ◆◆◆

  The Arrival

  Wildlife One Spacecraft

  Akira Kyoko and Raveena Singh entered the cockpit and took their places on either side of the enormous dashboard, while placing their armlets on. “Everything looks in order,” said Akira as she ran her fingers over the interface screens to check the health status of their craft. “Seems that way. I’m checking through the details for our descent and we should be entering Greenleaf’s atmosphere in just under 20 minutes,” said Raveena as she moved her palm over several knobs in front of her and tapped at a few icons on the control panel. She paused for a moment and then tapped the assistant icon. “Good day to you Akira and Raveena. I trust your sleep was a pleasant one?” said the on-board computer. “Yes Mabel, it was. Now could you give us the reading of the atmospheric pressure and changes over the point of entry?” said Raveena. “Yes, of course and might I add that the weather is picture perfect. I have notified the control tower at the Axedon International Spaceport. They have given us the go ahead to make our landing along runway 1A,” said Mabel. “Excellent. So let’s have the crew strap in and circle around towards Axedon’s coordinates then,” said Akira as she placed a curved metal ring around her right ear. Within a few seconds, a bright blue holographic helmet appeared and covered the top half of her head. Raveena did the same and had an emerald green one appear over her own head and saw a series of icons appear in front of her eyes, which served to guide her as she manoeuvred Wildlife One’s descent.

  Greenleaf

  The image of Greenleaf grew ever larger till it covered the entire windshield of Wildlife One. Akira turned to Raveena and said, “Ready darling?” “Oh you bet. I’ve been waiting for this all my life,” said Raveena smiling as they both pressed their respective joysticks forward. Wildlife One entered the stratosphere smoothly and as it lowered itself it encountered a large bank of cloud clusters. Outside the windows, the image was a mix of grey and white. The craft pushed forward and after about eight minutes the skies cleared and they could see the sun shining brightly over the horizon and reflecting off the surface of the Sertius Ocean beneath. The crew gazed outside of their windows and spoke briefly about how beautiful the ocean and sky looked. Wildlife One headed in a north-west direction and after a further 10 minutes, the internal communication systems came alive with instructions from the Axedon International Spaceport control tower guiding them to the landing zone. Then, just over the horizon Raveena and Akira could see the outline of Alita Island. As they moved closer they noted how the ocean ended abruptly against the gigantic, dark grey cliff faces of the island. More interesting, were the massive stone faces carved into the rock, which were a tribute to the first human space pioneers, who visited Greenleaf back in 2064. There was one of Kenneth Anderson as well. “Wow would you look at that,” said Akira. Raveena nodded her head as she watched the cliff face disappear and give way to an expansive green pasture, followed by a pine forest underneath.

  What amazed all of them were the vivid colours of everything around them. Alita truly looked like a new found paradise and one that promised more tantalising surprises further on. Just then a fleet of military jets emerged and flew alongside Wildlife One and accompanied it towards its final destination. “Good grief! You’d think we were some kind of criminals needing that kind of escort,” said Nigel pointing to one of the jets he could see on his side. “Yeah, well don’t worry about it, Nigel. I don’t think they want to arrest you just yet,” said Mike with a burst of laughter. “Oh, off with you, you idiot!” said Nigel smiling back. Soon, the airfield appeared and the jets flew ahead, while Wildlife One slowed its progress and started to hover gently towards one of the large landing spaces near a fleet of parked space crafts along runway 1A. Akira and Raveena slowed the craft’s movement and in a few minutes had Wildlife One gently touch down. “Well, I guess that’s that,” said Raveena. “Oh yes! Now for the fun ahead!” said Akira as she tapped her earpiece and the display helmet vanished.

  After 12 minutes from landing, the crew disembarked and were greeted by several men and women in Axedon military uniforms. “Mr. Stroff. I welcome you and your team to Greenleaf, Sir,” said Khalid Ansari, General of Greenleaf’s military division. “It’s a pleasure General Ansari. We certainly are looking forward to our visit here,” s
aid Stroff shaking Khalid’s hand. Nigel looked around and noticed one of the women officers near him. “Hello, love. How are you today? The name’s Nigel Greenback and I’d love for you to join me later. Haven’t been out in months. Care for some dinner?” The women turned to look at him and then turned back. “Oh, come on then?” said Nigel moving towards her. “Oh please excuse this young rascal, he’s always trying to get himself into trouble,” said Raveena grabbing Nigel by the hand and leading him away. “I’ll see you later then, yeah?” said Nigel winking at the woman officer. The lady watched him walking away and then smiled. Nigel saw it and shouted out, “Yes I knew it. Call me love. Remember Nigel Greenback, yeah!” “Really Nigel, you are impossible,” said Raveena in an irritated tone as they followed the rest of the crew to a fleet of hover cars that were waiting for them. “Can’t help myself, darling. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do,” said Nigel laughing. Raveena didn’t say anything.

  The convoy drove out and headed down the runway to the main spaceport building where the disembarkation formalities needed to be completed. To everyone’s amazement, it was twice as large as the one in South Africa, which was the biggest one on Earth. Further, the building design was considerably far more futuristic with features that appeared to be more advanced such as its A.I. pods and baggage teleportation devices. “So, General Ansari, how long will it be till we reach Timber Wood Drive?” asked Stroff. “Oh, it shouldn’t be more than 20 minutes from here. And please, do call me Khalid,” said the General as he removed his hat. “Of course, but only if you call me, John,” said Stroff as he smiled. “Of course,” Khalid smiled back. After 15 minutes, the formalities and body scans were completed and the crew were back into the cars, which soon sped along the freeway leading to Axedon city. As the skyline came into view, everyone began to peer out the window. It amazed them in every way. “It’s just like being back on Earth but only 10 times better, eh chaps?” asked Adrian as he watched a fleet of space trucks whizz past towards a harbour area on their left. “Indeed, it’s pretty cool,” said Ali as he turned to take in the view of the main skyline ahead.

  Temple of the Sun

  After navigating through the city’s downtown area, they soon reached Timber Wood Drive and stopped outside the central government building called the Temple of the Sun. “Strange name these guys have got for things,” said Mike as he stepped out of his car with Adrian. “Indeed, but nonetheless you can’t deny what a grand looking piece of architecture this really is,” said Adrian as he took in the various lines of the tall tower that resembled an arrow head, which ascended high into the clear blue sky. Truly simple yet effective designing, he thought. As they entered the building, the crew were spellbound by the grandeur of the lobby area and the white marble flooring. A fleet of hover robots appeared and glided near them, offering to carry any personal luggage they would like to hand over. Only Nigel refused to hand over his tranquiliser gun. “Hey, no mate you can’t have that now” he said as he pushed away a pair of metal arms that were stretched out towards him. They ascended a grand staircase that led to the first floor, where they were guided to enter the main dining area. “Your equipment will be taken to the hotel. At 2:00 p.m. you’ll be meeting with President Anderson and at 4:00 p.m. is your live telecast back to Earth, along with a press conference to address the citizens of Alita. Any questions?” asked Khalid. “Not one, Khalid and thank you very much for taking care of things for us,” said John shaking Khalid’s hand once again. “Not at all, John. My pleasure.”

  Nigel and Mike rushed over to the buffet spread near the right side of the room and marvelled at the delicacies placed before them. “Ah! Crikey this here looks so good I think I could swipe the whole lot, eh, Mike!” said Nigel “Well, you better not my friend, for I wouldn’t want to be stuck taking care of you, while you’re in the sick bay due to stuffing yourself a bit too much,” said Paulo coming up from behind him. “Ah, don’t you worry about me brother Paulo, I can handle me self just fine thank you!” said Nigel as he grabbed a plate and began to pile on some succulent pieces of Chicken. “Mmmmm that tastes so good,” said Mike chewing on a piece of steak. “Wow, the food here is amazing,” he added and took a sip from a glass of chilled grape juice placed on a side tray. “Wow man. These guys got it good here. Hey Raveena, Akira you gotta try this stuff out. The food and drink here are heavenly,” said Mike. “Boys will be boys!” said Akira as she walked toward them along with Raveena.

  A short while later, as the crew dined and went over their personal communications in the hall below, the offices above in the Temple of the Sun were alive with activity. Barbara Winters walked rapidly past the main conference area, which was being prepared for the media event to be held later that evening. She spoke with the event organisers briefly and then proceeded towards the elevator and asked for the top floor. As the doors opened she checked through her itinerary being displayed on her eyewear. She strode across the main hallway and past the set of desks, where several government employees worked away at their cyber terminals. Barbara headed straight to the main door of the office of Kenneth Anderson. She paused and stood for a moment while the door scanner emitted a green light over her, after which, there was a click and the door opened to let her in.

  As she walked into the well laid-out office of Greenleaf’s president, she stopped and saw Kenneth staring out through the windows that lay behind his desk. “Good day to you Barbara. You must be quite busy, I imagine,” said Kenneth, not turning around. “Good day to you as well, Mr. President. I just wanted to inform you that Team Air Hawk from Earth have arrived and are at our dining area below,” said Barbara. “Good. I’m glad to hear that,” said Kenneth. He turned slowly. His persona and his look always reminded everyone of a wise, old sage. His neatly trimmed white hair and beard along with his Axedon uniform only added to this overall appeal. “So, the day has come and here we are,” he said. He moved away from the window and sat down on his chair. “You know Barbara, when I first arrived at Greenleaf in ‘64, I truly hoped that this new world would be respected by all of humanity and that the same mistakes made on Earth would not be repeated here. That being said, I’ve thought about this initiative by TASNSA many times over and I’ve asked myself if my hopes will be realised,” said Kenneth. “I believe they will be sir. I feel that the people of Earth do understand that,” said Barbara. “I hope so to,” said Kenneth and he swivelled his chair around so he could look out the window once again. She watched him for a moment and then spoke. “We are ready to begin at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon sir. Is there anything you require of me till that time?” said Barbara. Kenneth turned back. “No of course not. Thank you very much Barbara. I’m sorry for being so distracted today. I will meet the crew at that time. Please don’t let me keep you any longer. I know you already have your hands full,” he said. “Thank you Mr. President,” she said with a smile.

  As the doors closed behind her, Kenneth reflected upon all the apprehension he had had about this mission. The one saving grace was knowing that Stroff was leading it. “He’s a good man. Perhaps, he’ll understand when the time comes for the revelation,” said Kenneth to himself. He stood up and looked one last time out the window. In the distance, he could see the bay area with its white crescent waves crashing against the golden sands. He caught sight of and watched a pair of sea gulls flying above the waves.

  Kenneth had supported the whole wildlife extraction program with the sole condition that no unwarranted damage be done that would adversely affect the natural ecosystem on any part Greenleaf. More so, he had stressed that everything to do with the mission be documented down to the last detail. However, what concerned him at this point was the Alita Island state secret that had never been shared with the governments and TASNSA council on Earth. He bit his lip slightly as he reflected on this thought and then began to think of the time that was fast approaching when it would have to be declassified. “A second chance for Earth, but the final battle of our lives. We’re going to need every person and most
definitely every prayer to save our race. I hope the Assiross are right,” he thought to himself. Finally, he turned, sipped some water and then proceeded to the door.

  ◆◆◆

  The Council

  Temple of the Sun

  Adrian and Mike surveyed the elegantly styled conference room that they and the rest of the crew were seated in. Adrian marvelled at the way the windows curved near the ceiling as well as at the floor, to give one the impression that the room was suspended in mid-air. The glass ran across all three sides and the view was stunning, displaying a vibrant and futuristic metropolis that was alive with activity.

  Mike walked around and stared at the various portraits of Axedon’s pioneers, which were displayed in 3D animation. He then cast his gaze upon larger frames that displayed images of areas around Alita Island. He stopped before one particular display that showed an aerial view of the city. After staring it for a moment, he could not help but notice that its layout resembled the shape of a giant Sting Ray. “Wow, a Sting Ray! That’s weird guys,” said Mike. He then waved his hand to the others and began tracing the outline of the city. “From the way this is, it kind of reminds me almost of the same type of animal designs the ancient Mayans used in their cities on Earth,” he added. “Indeed, what you say is very true,” said Kenneth as he entered the room followed by two armed personnel. Everyone in the room stood up. “We have always believed that by keeping our architecture in perfect rhythm with the designs of nature, it would be very beneficial and so far that has proven to be correct,” said Kenneth extending his hand to Mike. Mike shook Kenneth’s hand firmly, while bowing ever so slightly to him. “No, please let’s not have those formalities here. Come, do have a seat and let me welcome all of you to our beloved planet of Greenleaf. We are indeed highly honoured to have you with us,” said Kenneth gesturing to the crew to take their seats.