“Sure, but stop using those silly expressions.”
Ruen was right. How can I expect the universal translator to convert human axioms?
We strolled through one of the large fields that grew what looked like vegetables. This field also contained tents arranged around the outside. Peering into them, I noticed they had all the facilities, though more rudimentary, for full-time living. In fact, these were outdoor—as outdoor as you could get on a spaceship—versions of the room we’d been incarcerated in.
“Karon, do you have trouble growing plants inside a spaceship?” I asked.
“We have had some. The plants often tend to evolve into different forms. Then we need to determine whether they are viable for our diet. We have a research facility in one of the schools for those investigations.”
“Why are your plants evolving?” Ruen asked.
That question had popped into my mind, but she had beaten me to it.
“Unfortunately, we have a small amount of radiation leakage from space, and it affects many things.”
What other kinds of things? I wondered, needing to think about his comment.
On another floor, Karon took us to the largest compartment we’d seen yet. “This is a popular place to relax.” He pointed to a field with a flowing creek and sandy beaches.
A sparkle caught my eye. I moved closer and saw beaches filled with shining stones much like the ones I’d gathered. Everyone watched me while I scooped up a couple.
“Yes, I noticed you already had some in your bag,” said Karon. “Did you get those on Basili, Arandis or Earth?”
“On Basili,” I said. “Ruen has taught me to meditate, and the stones help. Although our recent experiences have not helped me find the time, or inclination, for meditation.”
Karon looked away. I hoped I’d embarrassed him a little by my statements.
“Come; let us return to my office. There we can have refreshments and I will answer any questions you still have.”
We hopped back on Karon’s personal tram and journeyed in silence. Eonus and I sat together and held hands but we were too overwhelmed to discuss anything.
Questions filled my mind, one tumbling over the other until we sat down at a large conference table. Karon ordered snacks and then joined us.
“I will start by telling you who we are, and then you can ask questions. Does that meet with your approval?”
There were no objections to his plan.
“We are the ancestors of the Arandi and Basilian peoples. We are called Aran-Basi, so you can see how both the Arandi and Basilians came by their names. Many, many years ago, our home world was dangerously overcrowded, but we had a more immediate problem. We discovered our life-giving star was about to go super nova. We had previously discovered the two uninhabited M Class planets in this solar system. Our scientists devised a plan to divide our population. Everyone was given two choices. Half chose to develop new cultures on Basili and Arandis, while the rest of us set out on a generational ship to find another world where we could continue our own culture.”
Ah, I thought, my theory about a twins-separated-at-birth experiment had been remarkably accurate. “Why was it kept secret?” I interrupted. “Obviously, the religious caste knew, but why did they keep it a secret?”
“Let me finish my initial statement, and then you can ask questions,” said Karon.
Suitably chastised, I remembered he’d said that was his plan.
“We have returned twice now to monitor our children’s growth,” Karon said. “We are very pleased with the development of both cultures, particularly the Basilians. We see they are a welcoming society…” He looked directly at my Dad and me. “…as they have welcomed Earthers into their midst when the Arandi chose a different course. We are hoping you will be as welcoming to us.
“But I stray from the main story…
“Many years passed,” he continued, “and our population on the ship doubled. We are so overcrowded now that we must ration our food and water. We have devoted all the space we can to farming, but it is not enough. For years, we have depended on food generators to supplement what we grow, but less than half of them remain working, and those are nearly worn out. We cannot maintain the ship’s integrity for much longer, and we have had to ration food and water.
“We regret it has caused the formation of castes, in which the clergy, governmental employees and military receive far more benefits than the untrained lower classes who live in tent communities in the parks. The Tent People are our growers and maintenance workers. They are our lowest caste, and are in need of the most help.”
Karon stopped talking for a moment while our snacks were served. However, none of us felt much like eating. Although I’d had an inkling of what he’d been about to tell us, my mind still churned, and another thought popped into my head. “So why then do the priests believe the blown-up planet in this system is their home world, and that you’re all dead?”
Karon sighed. “It was a tactical decision; we did not want our offspring looking for us.”
We digested his words for a few moments, then Ambassador Goul asked, “What exactly is it you want from us?”
“We ask only for an area of land on which we can establish our communities. As I’ve said, our ship is overcrowded and starting to fall apart. We need a real home again and would like to rejoin our children, if they will have us.” Karon took a sip of his beverage and set the cup back down. He stared grimly down at it as he asked, “Does anyone have any other questions?”
Everything made sense to me, now. No wonder there were tents in the growing areas, and we’d gotten the general impression of overcrowding. “I do,” I said. “If you’re so overcrowded, why didn’t we run across people on the walkways during our first reconnaissance of your ship?”
“We purposely kept most of our people out of that particular tunnel as we watched you make your forays. We did not want to discourage your bravery and ingenuity.”
On a big sigh, I slid down in my chair, feeling a bit stupid now after thinking we’d been smart enough to outfox our captors. Maybe, if I wished long enough, I could shrivel up into a lump of impotent goo no one would know was there.
Eonus reached between us to take my hand. His smile did me a world of good, telling me it wasn’t such a big deal we’d been used virtually as guinea pigs. “Did well. All work out.”
I gave him a placating smile that said I was still miffed about it but knew I had to accept I wasn’t the brightest fork in the drawer after all.
“I have a question,” Dad said. “Why have you been so secretive about your situation?” He shook his head; I knew he was annoyed. “Why not just be up front about why you were here instead of spying on us and kidnapping children?”
Karon finally looked up, his eyes solely on my Dad. “We were not sure how we would be greeted, especially since the general population had not known about their common origin. I have to admit, the suppression of this information was a complete surprise. So we decided our first actions should be to monitor the populace and see if we could fit in. We chose young people first. We felt they would be the ones most amenable to upsets in their beliefs. Much to our surprise, and it was a coincidence I assure you, we found ourselves observing young ones from three different species.”
“I still don’t see why you had to kidnap us,” I said. Abduction and captivity definitely annoyed me.
“Because the situation was unbelievable. Remember, you could not even get anyone to believe your concept of our transporter,” said Karon.
He’d nailed that part correctly. “At least I now understand why you’re so similar to the Arandi and Basilians. But why do you look like albinos?” I asked.
“Do you remember that radiation problem I mentioned?” he asked. When we all nodded, he continued. “The radiation affected our skin and hair, too. It is beginning to affect our ability to reproduce as well.”
Okay, that was scientific detail we could understand.
“Why
did you kidnap ambassadors?” asked Dad.
“We needed to study more mature adults. I do not want to imply we think Ruen, Nara, and young Tata are immature, but they have not finished their education and are not working members of the populace as yet.”
He’d better not imply we’re immature, I thought. We could cause a lot of trouble.
“How could kidnapping and confining us help your understanding?” asked Barain.
“It certainly was not an ideal situation, but every time we tried to observe in a normal setting, the young people discovered us. White hair and skin do not exactly blend in.” said Karon.
“You do indeed stick out in a crowd,” I said. “You could have used makeup,” I grumbled beneath my breath.
“Yes, well, the whole situation has not gone satisfactorily for any of us. I apologize for our actions and assure you we will not take and hold anyone against their will ever again.” Leaning his elbows on the table, Karon clasped his hands in front of his face. He took a couple of deep breaths. “You now know we wish to live on Basili. We are hoping you will grant our request.”
Ambassador Goul stood up and looked around the room before zeroing in on Karon. “We need to return to our ship and take your request to the Basilian High Council. If the president and council are willing, your request will be granted. I think we would like to take High Priest Ada Chap with us, if he is willing.”
“I am certain he will agree to go with you.” Karon assured us, before asking the Basiki’s captain to lower the ship’s shields, allowing Karon’s remarkable transporter to beam us all back to the Basiki. Ada Chap joined us on the bridge moments later, and finally, the hostages we’d held were transported off our bridge to theirs. Our shields immediately went back up.
Although I could definitely become used to this mode of travel—I hoped the Aran-Basi would share it with both Arandis and Basili, not to mention Earth—Ada Chap was finding it much too alarming. In concession to his fears, the four ambassadors agreed to return to Basili via shuttlecraft to consult with planetary officials. Ruen, Eonus and I remained on the Basiki, along with Officer Kikess, to await their return with a decision on the admission of the Aran-Basi immigrants. A rather strange term, I thought, to apply to your own ancestors.
After finishing our evening meal in the dining hall, Eonus and I were both exhausted. We retired to our room. We didn’t care what anyone thought about the two of us cohabitating; we needed rest and some serious private time to decompress.
Chapter 31
The ambassadors returned the next afternoon. Karon had helped speed things up by transporting them from Basili directly to the Basiki’s bridge. Understandably, Ada Chap was not with them.
We reconvened in the dining hall, with the ambassadors all looking a little frazzled. Breaking the news to the Basilian officials and discussing what to do with the Aran-Basi must have been quite difficult.
“We have not talked to all concerned but the general consensus is to allow the immigration of our ancestors,” said Ambassador Goul.
“So, what happens next?” asked Ruen.
“The ambassadors meet with Karon and his staff. We will spend many hours planning the integration, once it has been announced to our populace. The president will have a news conference for that purpose tomorrow. After that, our next task will be to choose an area for their relocation. Some possibilities have been suggested. At least, we are not trying to make arrangements for millions of Aran-Basi.”
Ambassador Goul appeared uncomfortable with the situation.
Officer Kikess arranged the call to Karon.
“We, the ambassadors, are prepared to meet with you and present our proposal,” said Barain. “When would you wish to begin, and where would you like to meet?” This really wasn’t Dad’s problem, and I wasn’t sure they really wanted humans involved.
“Please join me in my conference room,” said Karon. “I also request the presence of Officer Kikess and the young people. This will make for a well-balanced discussion.”
Ruen, Eonus, and I received some searching looks.
Hey! It isn’t our idea! I had the urge to say. But I kept quiet.
Transporting over to Karon’s ship occurred momentarily.
Settling ourselves into his conference room, I asked, “Karon, what is the name of your ship?”
“Interesting question, child. It is the Sacred Trust. A fanciful notion when we originally left our planet. And, please forgive me for using the word child. I realize the three of you are considerably beyond that stage. Habits sometimes interfere with common sense,” said Karon.
Okay, now I’m starting to like him. And from the looks on Ruen’s and Eonus’ faces, they were in agreement.
“Karon, the people of Basili would like to welcome you to our world,” said Barain. “I have been named, the new Basilian ambassador to the Aran-Basi people for as long as one is needed. We have many arrangements to make, but we would be proud to have you join us.”
“Wonderful. Are there any questions I can answer right now?” said Karon.
His body relaxed. Karon must have been under considerable strain while waiting for the Basilians’ answer. If it had been no, what would they have done next?
“Yes. Why was that Basilian killed at The Temple of Enlightenment?” I asked. “You know the one I mean, when Eonus and I went there for the first time.”
“That was an unfortunate incident,” said Karon. “One of the alcolytes overstepped his bounds. He tried to keep the notion of our presence under wraps.”
“Will he be held accountable for this death?” I asked. Ruen and Eonus perked up.
“Yes, but I believe, it should be up to the Basilian officials to determine what censure is administered. I am certain Ada Chap will accommodate you, Officer Kikess, by turning the man over to you at the earliest possible time. I will speak with him immediately after this meeting.”
“Thank you, Karon,” Aron said.
A few more topics pertaining to the relocation were discussed, and then we returned to the Basiki.
“The next few days will be busy,” said Aron. “Many things need to be arranged. The actual transportation of people and items will not begin immediately. There are many plans to make. In the meantime, we will return to Basili and resume our lives.”
Aron looked tired. At least, his involvement in the negotiations would now cease. He had his daughter back and could go back to policing murder and mayhem on the planet, which was probably going to be quite tame after dealing with aliens.
“Aron, can you send us home, or should we ask Karon to transport us?” I asked.
He laughed. “We will be landing in about thirty minutes. Quick enough for you?”
I don’t know what came over me, but I scurried over and gave him a hug. He was as surprised as I was by my action. Ruen tried to hide a giggle.
“I will take that as a yes,” said Aron. “Now, return to your staterooms and gather up your things. so you will be able to disembark when we land.”
The mood lightened. Out of captivity, and on our way back home. What more could a person ask for?
The answer to my question turned out to be Eonus.
In the lobby of our apartment, Iseen fussed over us. “Are you okay? Do any of you need anything?”
We reassured her we were safe and sound and back permanently.
“Dad, can we have another group dinner like we did before when we were rescued? Well, before we were transported down here to the lobby,” I asked.
“I had been about to make that suggestion. There is something we need to discuss. I will call Ilandus and Tata. Perhaps you could call Ruen and Raen.”
Very subtle, Dad, I thought. He still ignored his relationship with Raen.
Everyone brought food, and we had a great dinner. Afterwards, we settled comfortably in the living room. “Now what is it you wished to discuss?” I asked my father.
The ambassadors exchanged concerned glances. As a result, Eonus, Ruen and I did also.
>
“Okay, what’s going on? We know something’s up,” I said.
“Ah, Ambassadors Scotia, Tata, and Title will be relocating to Earth,” said Dad. “A new era is beginning in our galaxy, and Earth wants to be part of it, with us at the forefront.”
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. “You’ve got to be kidding! We just got here.”
“Isn’t that what you wanted? To return home?” asked my Dad.
Unfortunately, that was what I’d told him…before I fell in love with Eonus.
Chapter 32
“Dad, Eonus and I just started school here after being jerked out of school on Arandis,” I cried. “I have friends here, very close friends. You want me to leave them behind?”
“Eonus will be joining us because Ilandus will be going to Earth, too,” said my father.
“Yeah, along with your girlfriend,” I countered back.
Although he didn’t say a word, by his expression, Dad obviously took exception to my statement. Everyone knew it to be true, but I immediately realized it wasn’t a very mature statement, on my part.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly said. “That was uncalled for. You’ve grieved a long time for Mom,” I told my Dad. “If you make each other happy, then I’m glad you found each other.”
“What about me?” shrieked Ruen. “I don’t want to go to Earth. Basali is my home.”
“Your father and I need to have a discussion with you,” said Raen. “Nothing has been decided yet about which one of us you should live with.”
“My place should be where I decide it is,” said Ruen. “I am an adult now, and can make my own decisions.”
No one knew how to respond to Ruen. She was a tiny bit of a thing and we all, even me, kept thinking of her as a child.
“When are you leaving?” I asked.
“Very soon. There’s much to organize here and on Earth,” said Dad.
I just bet there is! “Has anyone told Karon? I’m sure he thinks you’ll be around to help sort out any difficulties during the integration of his people into Basilian society.”
Sacred Trust Page 18
