by JB Penrose
DAYSTAR
Immortals Among Us
By JB Penrose
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 23, 2044
The Light shown down like a galactic flashlight, not a quarter-size of the evening’s full moon but twice as bright. In the daylight it beamed like a small sun, and was now referred to as the DayStar. It never moved in the sky, and against all physics the rest of the galaxy rotated past it.
Since its first appearance in the glorious dawn of an early April morning, the world had continued to speculate on its purpose and origin; ideas ranged from salvation to destruction. Not even the most advanced equipment or the sharpest minds had a working theory as to what it was that hung above them in the sky, but the DayStar hung above everyone in the world just the same. Religious sects created churches overnight, and the military of every country was brought to high alert.
Nine months had passed, and astronomers were still unable to determine a source or substance. Satellites didn’t register any sense of it, and probes flew by into eternity without noting even particles of dust to justify the brightness. There was no denying the Light in the sky had changed the world, but it called to the Aurora’s crew like a beacon to come home.
Peter down-shifted the Pisces and climbed the hill at full throttle; the momentary slip on the ice just added to the thrill. It was the last time he would drive this track, yet leaving was something he’d been able to put it out of his mind until this moment.
Originally the road was a scratched out path that ran the boundaries of the Gemini Estate, twisting through thickets and crossing multiple tributaries of a rainwater creek. Over the centuries it graduated from dirt to rock, and finally it was paved into a private racetrack.
Peter spun the car through a hairpin curve and managed to hug the side of the road at full speed. He clutched again, revving the engine like a lion and screeching the tires in a fast sprint on the last piece of pavement before he braked hard, sliding sideways into the protruding boulder. It looked like solid rock, but felt like going through a field of magnetic energy. Peter held his breath as he transitioned through the artificial wall, a natural reaction even after all these years.
Andrew watched the red Pisces spin 180 degrees and brake to slam the boulder broadside. Interesting maneuver, he thought. The course was designed for a vehicle to run through the wall head-on and complete the spin-turn on the inside track. His brother had improvised; he must be feeling anxious.
Andrew focused on his own reflection in the mirror and continued shaving, but even with the razor scraping his cheek his attention was repeatedly drawn to the bank of video screens tuned to monitored Peter’s arrival. It had been decades since they were all together; centuries since they’d crashed to Earth in the Orygin. In days, they would all be returning home. Well, almost all of them would be returning, and home would come after they’d done a proper investigation of the DayStar’s source. Andrew had his curiosity as well.
On the monitors he saw when his brother stepped into the hall from the secured doorway that connected the house to the tunneled entry. Andrew rinsed and dried his face, wrapped the towel around his waist and headed to the closet. The tuxedo for tonight’s party was hanging on the hook; Andrew was dressed and fastening his cufflinks when the monitors showed Peter at the bedroom door.
He opened it just as Peter raised his hand to knock.
“I’m glad you’re finally here.” Andrew pulled his brother into the room with glee, alternately hugging, and then looking him over. “It’s been much too long.”
“You’ll be tired of my company soon enough,” Peter replied. “Let’s hope Mother Nature is in a better mood by the launch date. That storm dumped snow faster than ground crews could clear. I waited at Heathrow for two days.”
“Don’t worry; everything is right on schedule for the launch,” Andrew assured him, “even Mother Nature. Tonight’s celebration and the OneWorld Conference are the last things we have to do, and then we are outta here!”
Peter tossed his worn valise on the bed and sat down to kick off his shoes. The Aurora’s launch was ten days away; after that there would be little he needed of this world. But he did need something to wear tonight. “Mind if I borrow a tuxedo? I left mine in Pu Tuo Shan.”
“Take what you need. It’s obvious you didn’t bother to pack anything.” Andrew moved the leather valise to a dressing table.
“I carry what I’ve always needed.”
Peter contained his amusement at his brother’s closet; the suits rotated past him like a history lesson, brummel hats and spats, ruffled shirts with lace. Andrew was always a dapper dresser. Peter randomly selected a shirt and pants from his brother’s closet. Although he needed something to wear, the party was not what was on Peter’s mind.
“You know, Andrew, I’ve been thinking. It’ll be strange there, now, after all this time.” He pulled a jacket and pants from the rail. “And I’ve been having these dreams...”
Andrew dismissed his worry with a wave. “I know. We’re all having them. It’s kind of exciting. We haven’t had dreams since we crashed on this planet.”
The knock at the door was barely a warning before John Reider burst in the room. “Kerroon! I wasn’t sure you’d get here in time for the party.”
As his old friend hugged him, John reached into his pocket and tossed Andrew a coin.
Andrew caught the prize easily, and bit it gently for testing. “Liberty gold - how quaint. I think I’ll carry it for luck.”
“You bet against me, John?” Peter pretended shock as plucked the coin from his brother’s hand. “Even after I promised to be here?”
“I wasn’t sure how much our friendship meant” John told him. “It is a party, after all.”
Peter rolled his wrist and came up empty-palmed with a mischievous smile when the coin disappeared. “I can’t believe you thought I’d miss your big celebration.”
“I’d never bet on you making it to a party,” John confirmed, “but I appreciate that you made it for the launch.”
“I’ve been stuck at Heathrow for 2 days or I would have been earlier,” Peter defended.
“You should have taken a PROBE-Tech plane.” John selected a different shirt from the closet and passed it to Peter, urging him to continue dressing.
“That would have only increased speculation. The media is having a field day trying to guess who the crewmembers are. Thanks for keeping my name out of it.”
“The only thing confirmed is that Andrew and I are launching. There’s not even a picture of the Aurora,” John bragged. “An old Indian superstition Donnally insisted on.”
“I’ll thank Donnally when I see him, but if we’re not meant to go, even the Aurora won’t get us off the ground.” Peter grabbed a belt from a hook in the closet and began to thread his pant loops. Andrew grabbed a black belt and tossed it to his brother with a look of exasperation.
“We don’t have much of a choice about staying!” Andrew’s voice rose with real concern. “If the world finds out who we are, who we really are, then the stories of our deaths will come true. I don’t care if it is the twenty-first century!”
John might have spent time straightening his own tie in the mirror, but his eyes never left Peter’s reflection. “The appearance of that Light in the sky is as ominous as the Star was 2000 years ago. We’re doing this for the world, you know.”
“For the future,” Andrew added.
The Aurora’s crew was preparing for a galactic flight of discovery, and although it’s what they’d worked towards for 2000 years, Peter wasn’t convinced that now was the
moment, even if all the signs pointed to their inevitable departure. He took a deep breath. “I hope the future remembers to thank us when we give them the news.”
“I’m not sure we can determine the source of the DayStar,” John admitted. “Even PROBE-Tech equipment hasn’t been able to pinpoint its location, yet.” He finished checking his appearance in the mirror and turned to eye Peter’s final touches to his tuxedo. “We’ve given plenty of our time to this world, now I’ve got dreams of going home.”
“If these dreams are a sign,” Peter told him, “then I’m a little concerned. I admit I haven’t had images in my sleep for centuries, but now I think I’m having nightmares.” He put on the jacket but only looped the bow tie around his neck.
“My dreams are tantalizing memories of the Plexis moons and Algorath waterfalls,” John bragged as he knotted the tie that Peter was trying to ignore.
“What kind of nightmares, Peter?”
He dismissed his brother’s question with a wave. “I’m sure it’s just a guilty conscious in leaving before we find Roko.”
“It’s been more than a thousand years since she was kidnapped, Peter. If Iscar took her, then he’s done a good job of hiding her. And if it wasn’t Iscar, well, maybe there’s nothing to find.”
“We’ve each been divinely protected for two thousand years,” Peter said. “Wouldn’t Roko be protected as well, wherever she is? And I’m not sure leaving Iscar behind is a good idea, either.”
“Peter! Are you trying to change your mind, or ours? Iscar could find us if he’d wanted. Obviously, he’s not coming. But, you, Kerroon? Are you looking for an excuse to stay here?”
The use of his real name was his brother’s way of reminding him where they really came from, and Peter knew it. “Don’t worry” he reassured them. “I’ll be the first on the ship.”
They had discussed as a group, and agreed, that if one stayed on Earth they would all remain behind. Peter knew he’d be condemning the Aurora’s crew to a sure death even after an eternity of protection.
“Just how much confidence do you have in that power source you’ve replicated, John? Especially since you’re not able to test it?”
“It’s an exact copy of the tasht’s dimensions and the poly-xenite we’ve mined on Mars should amplify the folded space by ten-square. It won’t instantly transport us to Biatra-IV, but it will cut our time by half.”
“Doesn’t that go against everything you’ve ever taught in physics?”
“Our arrival here goes against all known physics as well,” John confirmed. “And so does being here for 2000 years, but this is our chance, Kerroon, and it may be our last one.”
He was right. John had dedicated his lifetime on Earth to finding a way home - first building the industry, then advancing the technology to achieve their goal. PROBE-Tech, Private Research of Objects Beyond Earth, had been a long time from conception to construction.
Their last obligation to this world was the upcoming OneWorld Conference on the day after Christmas. PROBE-Tech would release its wealth of technology to the world at one momentous event, and after that, John Reider and his crew would launch on the galactic exploration for the source of the DayStar. But the crew had an alternate purpose for launching the world was unaware of, and never planned to return.
“How is Mags doing?” Peter had to ask. For her sake he had continued the search for Roko.
“Not as good as she pretends to James. It’s not easy for any of us. This has been our home for two thousand years, yet I feel like we’re running out of time.” Andrew faced him squarely, his dark eyes beseeching. Peter also felt like time was running out. But as brothers, they had different goals.
Peter shrugged; he wouldn’t be the one to stop things now. He sat on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on.
“So, do you want to talk about these attempts to break into the PROBE-Tech data base?” he asked his brother. “Could someone really get past your firewall?”
PROBE-Tech was famous for its security and Andrew’s role as Security Director was his excuse for access to the latest equipment. Andrew patented most of it himself, under pseudonyms of course, and used it to protect the massive technological center of information working in a vault several hundred feet below them. The PROBE-Tech legacy they were leaving behind would take world citizens decades to comprehend.
The crew of the Aurora had achieved much in their lifetime, and witnessed events of immense proportion. Although they kept the secret of their eternal life span, many of their accomplishments were history. It was time to leave.
“The launch is New Year’s Day. Now that it’s a reality, I don’t think even Jesus would begrudge us finally finding our own ride home.”
“It’s not Jesus trying to stop us.”
* * *
Fashion was Rachel’s one indulgence through the centuries. Trunks of clothes were stacked one against another around the walls of her dressing room, some opened, and some closed; a few were locked. Rachel Bolton still had her memories – and nightmares. Her fingers lingered over the hangers. I should never have agreed to go to this party.
She finally chose the blue silk brocade, a sleeveless, oriental-style with a short collar. The slim-fitting gown was slit high on the side for easy movement, and revealed bare skin in tantalizing glimpses when she moved - not that she expected to be dancing tonight; but it was a celebration.
Rachel pinned her long dark hair loosely at the nape of her neck with a delicate haircomb she chose from a box on the bureau. The antique crafted with gold-inlay characters that spelled her nickname, Meimei, was a gift for her when it wasn’t an antique. For a moment it was as if Sun Liu were pinning up her hair again, brushing back the loose strands. Sun Lui was the only mother she remembered, but remembering was harder year after year.
Rachel let her mind drift through the cherished memories until she felt the nudge of Li’Ana’s excitement as the limousine pulled up in front of her brownstone. Rachel was sensitive to the emotions of those around her, and the fact that Li’Ana’s excitement was strong enough to touch her thoughts from the street indicated how strongly she would have to shield herself tonight. It was difficult being empathic, painfully receptive, actually. Happy or sad, thoughtful or cruel, the feelings of every stranger or friend washed over her in waves. Rachel stifled a yawn and slipped her feet into gown-matching shoes just as the doorbell rang.
“What’s wrong with you?” her friend asked as soon as Rachel was in the car. “You look as though you haven’t slept for days.”
“Don’t worry,” Rachel lied. “I just woke from a nap.” A nap was what she really needed. In truth, she hadn’t slept well since the DayStar appeared. She looked up, confirming the light above her as though surprised it hadn’t moved; the DayStar hadn’t moved in nine months. She was as curious as the world to what the Aurora’s crew would find.
“You’ll be glad you napped,” Li’Ana assured her. “Even Cinderella would want to stay late at this ball.”
“Hey, we promised each other an early night,” Nathan reached for his wife’s hands and gave a big wink to Rachel.
“No we didn’t,” Li’Ana corrected. “We said a reasonable hour. And tomorrow we can sleep on the plane.”
Rachel smiled at her friends. “You’re the President, now. Sleeping will be a thing of the past.” Four years ago, Rachel made an appearance at a fundraiser for her favorite children’s charity. “Let me introduce you to a fabulous couple,” her agent insisted. Nathan and Li’Ana Young turned out to be just that - a fabulous couple. At that time Nathan was the first senator from the 53rd state of the Bahamas. His wife, Li’Ana, turned out to be Rachel’s biggest fan.
“I never knew Renata Spence was a pseudonym. I’ve read all of your books, and I’ve seen The Sight and the Silence a dozen times.” Li’Ana instantly befriended her, and Rachel found herself propelled into the political maelstrom - unwittingly, unwillingly, and yet, quite naturally.
Now, four years later, Nathan Young was
President-elect of the United States, and tonight John Reider was hosting the party of the century in his honor. Li’Ana insisted she be there, and truthfully, there was much to celebrate. Rachel sighed deeply and tried to create some excitement for the party.
The Gemini Estate was more impressive than photographs could ever convey. The colonial mansion was renovated in subtle ways to include the most advanced technology, but still maintained its 18th century charm throughout the house and grounds. The full moon was amplified by the brightness of the DayStar. Tonight had the feel of a fairy tale; Rachel closed her eyes to make a wish. Parties were always difficult for her to enjoy; maybe tonight would be different.
The gateposts were striped liked candy canes and tied at the top with big red bows. Attendants, dressed as toy soldiers, checked invitations and directed traffic, though Rachel suspected the laser rifles were real. Security would be at the highest level due to the guest list, but it would be discreet. Even the press corps was limited to twelve people and they were not allowed to use invasive equipment such as hidden cameras and microphones. She was sure John had a way to monitor that as well.
Hedges lined the drive, perfectly trimmed with colored lights dancing in patterns to guide traffic through the estate. The limousine made its way slowly to the entrance, one in a long line of identical cars. Someone had dressed the snowman in a tuxedo and carolers strolled the grounds singing lively holiday songs. Snow began to fall, a soft swirling of flakes, and Rachel had to admit it was a picture-perfect evening.
Lights on the mansion outlined each angle of the building. As doormen dressed like elves escorted their trio up the majestic steps, she realized life-size toy guards monitored them with cameras for eyes. Rachel tried to ignore the focused staring; it was a great way to hide security. She had to admit her curiosity about John Reider was growing.
