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The Chronicles of Syra Omnibus

Page 10

by Carolyn Davidson Hicks


  Most of the doctor’s patients were a good distance away and this method of getting to them in a hurry sure made a difference.

  The doctor was excited because it was his pride to deliver a baby and then one day that baby’s child. He had once delivered three generations in one family and it was his plan to live to see the fourth generation if he could live long enough.

  James was pacing the floor waiting on the doctor. This was an important birth not just because it was his child, it was also because it was the first birth between someone from another planet and a human.

  Even though his baby’s parents would be pretty much the same other than the genetic advancement Syra’s race had gone through. He knew it was very possible that the people of Earth would eventually do the same if they had not already done so and the change be unnoticed.

  The sound of the helicopter broke James’ deep thoughts and he instructed Syra to not move and do not give birth until he got back! That was the moment he felt like an idiot and then ran out the door in a total panic.

  Ohtron was watching the skies for the helicopter and would open the shields allowing the helicopter to land without any issues. But the shield would close immediately once it was inside the Caldiron Ranch.

  James met Dr. Ferguson in the field not far from his ranch house and James was impressed at how fast the doctor ran and he was having a difficult time keeping up with the old man.

  Once they made it back inside his ranch home, James was completely out of breath, but the doctor went straight to work and appreciated having everything already set up for him. He had no time to ask James who had prepped his patient so well but went straight to work.

  James paced the floor and the moment he heard a baby’s cry he ran to his Syra as the doctor lifted a baby boy high in the air and immediately James said, “That’s my son Zachary, I’m going to call him Zach!”

  “Don’t be in such a hurry now, you still got one more baby to name son,” the doctor said.

  Time stood still for James and he could literally hear his heart beating in his chest as the doctor lifted another baby and said, “It’s a girl!”

  James answered, “Zoey oh my, my daughter is beautiful!”

  Dr. Ferguson noted the date and time Zachary and Zoey were born, logged their weight, length, heart rate, body temperature, and so on. This information would be logged in to the health department as soon as he returned to his office.

  When Dr. Ferguson filled out the birth forms for his new patients, Syra’s maiden name was given as Zhian. When the doctor asked what country that name originated, Syra answered, it’s Canadian.

  Dr. Ferguson congratulated his patient and her husband for the successful births, and for the delivery of such beautiful twins. The doctor left the ranch and joined the pilot waiting outside in the open field.

  Troxien came back into the room. He had been monitoring the whole birth and had given his approval to Syra and James. The council had witnessed the birth and so had all the citizens on James’ ranch.

  For the next few months, all anyone could do was marvel at the twins. They, of course, were only allowed to see them through the visual monitor but that was understood and agreed by all.

  Since Dr. Ferguson said the twins were in perfect health, this was all Syra and James had hoped for.

  But as their twins started to grow, crawl and walk there became striking differences compared to ordinary Earthling babies, and Troxien would be assigned to them and would never leave their side.

  With James home settled down now and Syra busy with her twins, James had a lot to do for her people.

  He had decided that her people would need to learn how to survive off the land and not from those artificial means which required no thought at all. This was not Zhian and Earth did not have an unlimited supply of those crystals he knew they would eventually need.

  All extra crystals hoarded by Zee10 had been dedicated to the Zhian Sphere in behalf of its protection. To see to it that the sphere would have an unlimited supply of resources.

  Zhian Sphere would need to survive for eons on Earth or be able to travel trillions and trillions of miles in search of a new Earth, should it be desired or needed.

  Today’s learning would be the plow and how to till the Earth in large quantities and grow food. They would learn from the old ways of performing this task and then move on to farming equipment that could speed the process up and cover a larger area faster.

  James explained about the seeds he had and that he believed that most Earths seeds had been genetically altered to resist pests, which they would need.

  But his gardens had suffered greatly over the years from many different types of crop failures, most, not weather- related. This year, they would need a large crop in abundance to feed the new residents of Caldiron Ranch.

  James wanted them to understand the different types of heirloom seeds, organic, open-pollinated, hybrid, rare and hard to find vegetable and herb seeds and those that were not and why. James began struggling with that part of the lesson and it was obvious.

  The Zhian botanist bot working alongside James took over the educational part about seeds while James taught them the ways of farming as Earthlings had done since farming began and when to plant and grow food and when not to.

  At the time James was not aware of the special seeds the botanist bot which Zhians called Coriyan had modified and stored inside his frame that had the capabilities of saving a world from famine. He had been working on Earth’s seeds studying them for some time now. When he perfected them, he kept them for himself for the appropriate time before dispersing them. His counterpart bot was always inside the Zhian Sphere assigned to await a new Earth but was still in standby mode.

  For several weeks they plowed the land; each couple had their own garden and could learn to grow food and be responsible for its success or failure. But his time they needed to grow their gardens much larger than before.

  James had stepped back and let them work his land as if it were theirs and he was well pleased with their progress.

  Whenever James got an opportunity to check on them, they were always out in the fields working the gardens. The hard work had bulked up the men and they looked much healthier than when James had first seen them. Back then they were pale and thinly framed men.

  Finally, James felt that his land had become something useful for a change. Once his parents passed, he had no desire to do anything with his cattle and they roam his land. He had virtually given up on his soil or seeds for gardening.

  At least with his new residents, they would be taking care of his father’s precious property.

  The gardens began to grow, and it was not like anything James had ever seen before.

  The corn was taller than usual, larger ears of corn than he had ever seen before. The stalks and leaves were a beautiful healthy green and the plants were thriving. This was a first because his land had never been all that healthy for gardening, but he had tried every suggestion known to mankind to produce and failed more than he succeeded.

  All year he watched every vegetable grow. There were no bugs to eat them, no diseases to destroy them before they ever got a chance to produce, and James was amazed.

  What had they done to the Earth beneath his feet that would cause those gardens to grow the way they were, he had thought to himself that day?

  Little did James know that there would be many more days of amazement ahead.

  As time went on, the gardens were growing in abundance. The crops would be wasted if they did not figure out how to store much of it for their consumption and then share the rest with those that lived in the area.

  When it came time for harvest, James remembered the farmers market not more than 30 miles west of his ranch.

  Each day they loaded up a truck filled with bushel baskets of freshly picked produce. James had gotten the baskets from several local farmers and so James headed to the market day after day and week after week selling his crop. It would be no time until h
is crop was at someone’s table for dinner or farmers seeding for the next year. Whatever luck James was having, they wanted it too!

  The next year was a repeat of last year. Each farmer that had seeds from the crop they got from James yielded the same success without doing anything to the soil or the seeds. With so many farmers now harvesting the same success as James, no one could remember where the first batch came from.

  Syra’s people seem to work magic at anything they touched. It was difficult to tell if they were changing things or things were changing them. But one way or the other they were Earthlings now, and one could tell the difference between them and anyone else.

  Their children were growing and now had play areas for all of them to meet. Homeschooling was always the first thing they did in the day then off to learn something hands-on and then finally it would be play time.

  Syra’s twins were growing and filled James’ ranch home with laughter every day. Often James was amazed at how fast his twins were learning; it was usually when it was presented to them without repeating and they absorbed information and processed it in their minds faster than James could explain.

  With each couple out on their own section of James’ land, he would only see them at each gathering Syra had arranged for once each seven Earth days.

  It had been three years since Syra’s people had moved on the ranch and they had no doubt settled in. There were hardly any reminders of the technologies they once relied on. Much of it was now stored on the Zhian Sphere which still rested in a remote area of Caldiron Ranch.

  Zee10 had been working continuously on Zhian Sphere keeping things working smoothly. The best he could tell was the environment around the sphere could be part of the cause of the issues he was finding. Also, the continuous running of systems they were not using was causing problems but shutting the sphere it down in its present location was risky, to say the least.

  The council had noticed this problem a while back but had been busy monitoring it to see if things worsened and they had. This was certainly not what the council wanted nor planned on but without the Zhian Sphere, they would be non-existent themselves.

  It had become clear that the Zhian Sphere would need relocation and as soon as possible. If the sphere could be placed somewhere that did not have seasonal changes as often as it did in its present location many resources could be temporarily shut down or made idle.

  Several locations were under consideration and Zee10 would take an exploration pod to visit these areas for closer inspection. Once Zee10 returned, he had his recommendation and presented it to the council.

  The council had accepted Zee10’s recommendation that they store it somewhere near the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station and that would be the best place since it was on stable land and the North Pole was not. It was agreed it must be in a very remote area of the Earth, and the South Pole was perfect. It would not be too close to the station but would be close enough so the Zhians could easily find it should there be any issues.

  This station would have Earths scientists there year-round and it was risky for Zhian Sphere to be discovered, but the sphere had the capabilities to exist nearly next door and go undetected.

  The sphere had many capabilities far exceeding the station. It could adjust its elevation as snow is accumulated and still be above it and not get buried in it. Because it was a sphere, it could handle the strong winds.

  The long arctic winters would serve the sphere well.

  The dark skies and freezing temperatures would keep it mostly isolated and the sphere’s shields would protect it. It would be running on minimal power and can be called upon by the Zhians at any time and the sphere would only take a short time to be ready for flight.

  Zee10 offered to transfer his memory to his backup that he had replicated when they first arrived on Earth. This way, he could be in constant contact with it from the ranch. But as they tested the download to the replicant, many issues arose, and it took some adjustments to perfect it. Zee10’s emotions programming could not be transferred, which created problems they quickly solved.

  It took a few tries, but it was a success at last and Zee-uV was up and running. Zee10 found it entertaining that very little was changed about Zee-uV’s programming other than he had no emotions whatsoever. He had become a state-of-the-art bot Zee10 was proud of.

  Each day Zee10 worked closely with Zee-uV and with each test he gave him, Zee-uV scored high and with zero failures. Zee10 would soon recommend him to pilot, protect and preserve Zhian Sphere for eons if necessary.

  One day, the Zhians may choose to leave Earth or they may be discovered and need to leave in a hurry, thought Zee10, so he might as well plan for the worst-case scenario.

  Either way, Zee-uV was ready.

  It was decided that Zee10 would keep the exploration pod hidden somewhere on the Caldiron Ranch and at the ready should it be needed in a hurry. Since it could carry up to 50 individuals it could transport quickly and return to the Zhian Sphere in a rush if needed!

  The emergency pod was used mostly for short trips but could be useful and it would be kept alongside the emergency pod.

  It was decided that Ohtron was just too helpful to send him back to the sphere and he too would stay on the ranch. Most days, Ohtron would basically have flown over or touched down on every square foot of Caldiron Ranch and knew the land better than James Caldiron himself.

  The goal of Syra and James was for her people to become as self-reliant as possible, but to always have Zhian technology present or reachable should they need it.

  With a special stash of Zhian technologies hidden on the ranch, it would soon be time for the launch of Zhian Sphere. Syra’s people were sad it would not be present all the time. They had gotten accustomed to its presence, knowing it was not very far away.

  But all of them knew there were many good reasons why the sphere should be stored in its chosen spot. Everyone at this point was simply waiting for the right time in the season before Zhian Sphere would leave its current location.

  Today was the day and all gathered to watch the sphere leave. They would be able to see something no other human being had ever seen or ever hoped to see.

  With their eyes covered for protection, they would get a view like no other. All on the ranch would soon see the most spectacular launch of their sphere this day.

  Meanwhile, weather at the South Pole Station was a chilly -49 degrees Fahrenheit, some passing clouds, the wind was approximately two miles per hour and coming from the east. With seven-mile visibility on the surface, Zhian Sphere really had nothing to be concerned about. It wouldn’t take long until it would be as white as the snow beneath it once it arrived.

  Ohtron had scanned the area far and wide for prying eyes human or mechanical for Zhian Sphere’s safety. No satellites were pointed at the ranch, no one on the ground or in the air was watching; they were virtually undetectable and ready for launch!

  It was a bit of a trek to where the sphere had been resting on the ranch for almost four of Earths years. It was now firing up and Zee-uV working closely with Zee10 had the sphere rise for only a few moments and be visible to its people.

  Before Syra’s people could catch their breath, Zhian Sphere vanished into thin air. No trace the sphere had ever been there.

  As soon as the sphere had lifted, the ground was quickly searched for any signs or anomalies and the whole area was beginning to change quickly as everyone started planting, setting up a memorial that only they would know what it meant.

  It was then, that Syra’s people returned to their cabins and went about their daily lives as if nothing had ever happened.

  Zee-uV directed his crew to work diligently to oversee the landing and even the council was checking on every circuit, every part of the sphere was being scrutinized as the chosen spot became visible.

  Zee10 and Zee-uV shared visuals from the council to Syra and her com center inside the ranch house. They watched as the sphere slowly came to rest just above the snow and wa
s undetectable by any man-made systems.

  Zee-uV directed all systems to go dormant and only the area’s vital to the systems well-being should be running. This would conserve all energies for future use.

  Zee-uV, as instructed by the council and Zee10, placed himself inside the storage pod and shut himself down.

  The Zhian Sphere rested quietly on its chosen spot and would remain there for many years until called upon once again.

  A year had gone by and the sphere was still operating as planned.

  Syra and James noticed it had been a long time since any reports of sightings from unearthly beings had been reported. The following list was compiled for their records and could be used as a distraction later if they so choose.

  There had been a few crop circles appear around the world, none made any sense at all to Syra and they were quickly filed away for future reference.

  Some reports dribbled in of people who claimed to be taken aboard an unidentified flying object or what Earthlings referred to as a UFO and had gone under examinations.

  There were reports of strange lights in the skies over some small towns that moved erratically and not like any craft known to man. Syra believed there were many reasons why this phenomenon was happening, but she kept silent on her theories for now.

  Many of these sightings were typical but the details were important and would be duly noted.

  But the cylindrically-shaped ship many said had to have been an exploration ship from aliens from an unknown world was not theirs. They did send a ship much earlier when they were scouting out the planet Earth some 2,000 years earlier, but it had returned to Zhian.

  As time went on, all was forgotten about the Syra and Zee10 sightings. Other reports coming in had kept many investigators chasing down dead-end clues.

  Dr. Ferguson had been called up quite a few times over the years and a man at his age does not rat out anyone. He didn’t live this long on Earth just to end up drawing unnecessary attention to him or anyone he cared for.

 

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