by Dale Musser
“Once the interview is over, how long will it be before we can speak with Asalott?”
“Almost immediately,” Lood answered. “Asalott is waiting here in the Haljmat to speak with you.”
I was about to ask if we would be able to make it back to the second continent and my ship that night, when two monks dressed in black silk-like uniforms entered the garden and took up station on each side of the throne. A moment later, an older man entered. He was dressed in garb similar to that of all the monks, only the fabric was an ivory colored silk material embroidered with gold thread patterns. Immediately, all those in the garden bowed their heads. As he passed each of us, he blessed us in the fashion that Lood had described. When I raised my head, I noticed that two more monks dressed in black had entered the garden and taken up station just inside the gate.
“Welcome to Eh-Netta, First Citizen Tibby, or do you prefer I address you as Admiral?”
“If you do not mind, your Holiness, I would prefer to simply be called Tibby.”
“Ah, yes. Of course, Tibby,” the Gom-Pasha replied. I noticed that his face glistened with perspiration and his eyes glanced rapidly around those in the garden.
“So you wish to speak with one of our neophytes about his knowledge of the planet Domagota. Is that correct?”
The Gom-Pasha tried to maintain his composure, but his eyes darted around once more as he licked his lip nervously. The expression on his face reminded me of the shock on the faces of the monks we encountered early in our trek up the mountainside. I wondered again what the reason was for this unusual reaction to our presence.
“Yes, your Holiness, it is.”
“How will you use this knowledge once you have it?”
“I’ll use it to find Ming, leader of the Brotherhood of Light, and bring an end to his organization’s aggression and oppression of those in the universe,” I answered.
By now, the Gom Pahsa was sweating heavily. He seemed to have a great deal of trouble focusing on me as we spoke. His gaze seemed to fall more and more on the monk in the gray uniform, who was still pruning the vegetation with loving care.
“Excuse me, your Holiness,” I said as I turned my back on the man seated on the throne to walk toward the monk in gray. When I reached his side, I bowed and said, “If you will give me your blessing, your Holiness, I would like to know why you have brought us here.”
The old monk didn’t look at me immediately. As he reached up to prune one last leaf from the tree in front of him, I noticed a slight smile on his lips. He grasped quickly at the falling leaf before it reached the ground, then turned to me with an outstretched hand to touch my head and say, “May the blessings of the universe be with you always.” He gently placed the leaves in the pouch of his smock before continuing. “How did you know that I am the Gom-Pasha and not the one seated on the throne? Many men have come to see me over the years and none has ever recognized me before.”
“Because he doesn’t act like a spiritual leader,” I answered.
“Oh? And what makes you believe then that I must be the Gom-Pasha? Why not Lood? He might just as easily have been the Gom-Pasha. In fact, I have at times used Lood’s position to meet and escort people here.”
“I’m not sure I can explain,” I answered as I realized I really didn’t know how exactly I knew he was the Gom-Pasha.
The Gom-Pasha turned to the monks in black and nodded. They bowed before turning away to depart from the garden, leaving only Padaran and Lood with us.
“Come. Sit with me on the bench over there,” he said, indicating a location by a small garden pool. Padaran remained at my side until we reached the seating area, then stood at the ready a short distance away while the Gom-Pasha and I spoke.
“First, Tibby, I ask that you forgive the ruse. Our Order is dedicated to truth and transparency in all things; however, we also recognize in these times that we must take protective measures to ensure our way of life and protect the Order’s leadership.”
“Now, to the matters at hand,” he continued, as he motioned for me to sit with him. “Tibby, The Order of Neovian Universalists has been waiting for you for a very long time, though the exact time of your arrival has never been known. To be honest; I never anticipated that I would be the Gom-Pasha to greet you. You see, Tibby, your role in the universe has been a prophecy in our religion for more than a thousand years.”
“I don’t understand. I only arrived in the Federation a little over twenty years ago. Your home is far outside the central part of the Federation, so news of my existence could not have reached you until recent years.”
“True,” The Gom-Pasha replied. “Nevertheless, our legends spoke of your coming and have been passed on through the Order for centuries. Come with me and let me show you,” he said as he rose to his feet and walked to the gap between the cliff and his throne. “Follow me. It will be a tight squeeze for you, as you are large men; but you will be able to make it, I assure you. With that, he disappeared behind the throne. Padaran and I looked at each other in bewilderment. We walked behind the throne to find a narrow space that opened into a dark tunnel that retreated into the rock. It was becoming clear that there was more to this small garden area than met the eye.
I turned my body and carefully squeezed into the space, sliding along the cliff face wall until I too, disappeared into the dark tunnel. I could feel cool air rushing at me from the darkness, so I knew it had to lead to a larger ventilated space somewhere deeper inside the mountain.
From the darkness ahead of me I heard the Gom-Pasha’s voice. “Please, follow me. There will be light shortly and you will be able to see.”
I moved forward, tracing the wall of the tunnel with one hand to guide my way, as Padaran and Lood quietly made their way inside and trailed a short distance behind me. I had only gone a short distance when the tunnel turned abruptly to the right. Not far ahead of me I could see light reflecting off the walls and ceiling of the passageway.
I moved on, eventually arriving at a large chamber that resembled some kind of ceremonial area. In the center of the space stood the Gom-Pasha in a ray of light that came from an opening in the rock far above. The walls of the chamber were adorned with paintings, depicting scenes that I assumed represented significant events in their religion.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“I have brought you to the Hall of Prophecy, Tibby. It is said that more than ten centuries ago a young artist came to Eh-Netta to join the Order of Neovian Universalists. It was soon discovered that he had a phenomenal gift of prophecy and that the images he painted of his dreams represented events that began to come true. Our priests discovered that he could be asked questions about the future when placed into a deep sleep using certain meditation techniques. In this state he would accurately describe what was to come.
“As his fame grew, people came from all over the galaxy to hear of his dreams. It was only a matter of time before our priests began to ponder what the more distant future would hold. They posed their questions to this young prophet, who then began to experience consecutive nights filled with dreams about a future period of time in the galaxy, all of which involved the same group of individuals.
“Our priests were shocked by the things he related. They recorded the prophet’s descriptions in great detail. This prophet, whose name was Migallie, is today considered the greatest prophet of our religion. A large part of our monastic lives and rituals are centered around him and the things he related to us from his dreams. Many of the events Migallie shared were staggering, not to mention frightening. Migallie did not know an exact timeframe for the events, but he was certain that they would transpire far in the future. Because of the young prophet’s reputation for exceptional accuracy in his predictions, our priests decided that the prophecies must be preserved for the time to come. So, it was decided that Migallie must dedicate his priesthood to applying his artistic talents to depict his dreams in vast murals that would survive the millennia until the prophecies came to pass.
This temple in the rocks is the result of his labors.”
As my eyes continued to adjust to the diffuse lighting, I gazed more closely at the craftsmanship that surrounded me in this elaborately designed room. Positioned throughout the temple were detailed depictions of people in paintings, relief carvings and sculptures – presumably people from centuries past. On the far wall of the chamber were a series of frescoes too dimly lit to see clearly.
The Gom-Pasha continued, “Migallie’s major prophecy consisted of a world he dreamed of, a world on which all life was destroyed. From this world escaped a few men and women. Among those who survived the disaster was one man who was the servant of goodness and virtue, while the other represented all that was evil. Both men were very powerful. The two fought over the fate of the universe in a battle that lasted several decades.
“All of this Migallie laid out in his art, right here in this chamber. Come, I would most like you to see the frescoes. They represent a time near the end of Migallie’s prophecies.”
The Gom-Pasha turned from his place in the beam of light and led us to the far end of the chamber. The distance across the chamber was far greater than I realized and the frescoes were much larger than I had first perceived.
As we drew nearer to the first painting, I heard Padaran gasp. “Tibby, it’s you!”
I stared at the fresco and my jaw dropped, for indeed the image in the painting was me in every detail, including my Admiral’s uniform. My eyes passed quickly over other images on the wall. There was Ming in all his vile detail. Roritat was there as well. I saw images of Admiral Regeny, A’Lappe, and Kala, scenes from the jungle world of Alle Bamma, and images that clearly represented the channel-webbed planet of Goo’Waddle with a young Padaran and Jenira standing before it.
Interspersed with these images were scenes of warships battling in space, depictions of the Senate Hall and the stage floor where Regeny and I lay bleeding. Further along the wall were scenes of the events at Epsirt, where Lunnie and Reide became trapped inside the water spheres hovering over the anti-gravity stage, including a perfect interpretation of Tot acting to save them. I found myself walking along the wall with my mouth agape, trying to grasp that Migallie had painted these scenes at least a thousand years before I was born.
I moved hastily toward the dimly lit end of the series of frescoes, hoping to glean some kind of information as to how the prophecy said the war would conclude. Near the end of the wall I could make out some sort of cryptic depiction of me standing before the Senate, and on the adjacent wall I came to a panel that showed a vast and beautiful nebula illuminated by three stars blazing within it.
“What is this scene?” I asked to myself more than anyone else.
“We were hoping that you might be able to tell us, Tibby,” replied the Gom-Pasha. “It was the last fresco painted by Migallie in his long life. He explained enigmatically that it represented the end and the beginning. Our astronomers and priests have searched the skies; but nowhere have we found this nebula or these stars. Migallie seemed to be in awe of this part of his prophecy. He spent hours just sitting before it. It is said that, of all the images he created, he spoke of this one the least; and when he did speak of it, it is said that he wept.”
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He said it was the birthplace for immortality and the deathplace for tyranny.”
I turned my upward gaze to look behind me at the Gom-Pasha, only to find my view obstructed by three life-sized statues that stood between us. I froze before them and blinked my eyes in disbelief. There in the center was a perfectly posed sculpture of Kala, detailed as only a master artist who had seen her would have been able to produce. Next to her I saw my own face staring back at me. Standing at the other side of my effigy was A’Lappe. It seemed as though all three statues were staring at something in wonder and amazement. I turned my head to follow the direction of their collective gaze and saw that they were staring directly at the elaborate fresco of the nebula.
“What does all this mean?” I asked as I looked at the Gom-Pasha.
“For us it means that the Great Prophecy is about to be fulfilled.”
“Yes, but what does it mean for Kala, A’Lappe and me?”
“We’re not certain, Tibby. All that Migallie would say was that the three of you were favored by the immortals and that you would never die. One of the greatest lessons taught in the Order come from the words he spoke of you. He said that the greatest sacrifices hold the greatest rewards.”
“Favored by the immortals? I don’t understand. Who are the immortals?” I asked.
“The immortals are simply that. They are life forms that change from time to time but never die. Some think of them as gods and others think of them as spirits, while most people throughout the galaxy don’t believe they exist at all. According to Migallie’s prophecies, you should have already met one of the immortals.”
“Thumumba,” I muttered, as I realized what he was describing fit Thumumba’s description of himself.
“I’m sorry,” the Gom-Pasha said, “I don’t understand.”
“Thumumba,” I repeated. “He’s one of these immortals.”
“Ah, I see. So you have met one. Then it is as Migallie prophesied. To be honest, we know very little of the immortals. A previous Gom-Pasha, who presided nearly three thousand years ago, is said to have communicated with one such immortal and it is claimed that several other monks saw him on two occasions. However, most of that have been dismissed as a fable and today very few of the Neovian Universalists believe the story. Our Order believes in reincarnation and the cycling of souls through many lives. We teach that we are all part of a greater universal consciousness. That in itself is a form of immortality. Our theologians are unable to integrate the concept of these immortals with the whole of our belief system in a way that is acceptable. Now that your presence verifies the prophecies you see here, perhaps they will look on the immortals in a new light and finally define their place in our religion.”
“Where is the panel that displays events that are happening now?” I asked as the realization struck me that I might perhaps find a clue to tip the scales against Ming, if these prophecies were true.”
“I regret that a large portion of that fresco is lost,” said the Gom-Pasha. He pointed to a section of the wall where the rocks had collapsed, destroying most of the fresco that represented the current time period. All that remained were images of dozens of ships engaged in battle in a huge field of debris that seemed to originate somewhere in the space where the fresco was damaged.
While we discussed the lost fresco and the scenes that followed, monks arrived with lamps to bring more light to the chamber. It was then that I realized the natural light coming in from the opening above was beginning to fade.
The Gom-Pasha gazed at Padaran and me silently, as we tried to absorb the images around us and decipher the final fresco depicting the nebula and three stars. Finally, he said, “It is time for you to meet with Asalott. Soon it will be dark and we will need to return you to your ship on the other continent. Please, follow me and I will take you to Asalott.”
The meeting with Asalott didn’t last long. He turned out to be a man of small stature, but he appeared to be in excellent physical health. He wore his dark brown hair short on the sides and longer on the top. A long lock of hair kept falling over his eyes and he had a habit of constantly sweeping it back with his fingers.
I brought with me a number of copies of the images he had taken of the area around Ming's compound. Asalott had a great deal to say about the images, and I was curious as to how he had collected so much detailed information. He explained he had once been a part of the military intelligence unit on the planet before Ming arrived and that he had sources and contacts that were quite willing to help him, if it meant getting rid of Ming. There was no doubt in my mind that Asalott truly hated Ming and wanted him eliminated.
“If I weren’t restricted by my vows, I’d go back to Domagota with you to f
ight Ming,” said Asalott. “But until my training has been completed, I cannot leave.”
“That is not completely true,” interjected the Gom-Pasha. He stayed after introducing us to Asalott. “Because Tibby’s presence confirms Migallie's prophecy is now unfolding, your direct presence as a witness to its fulfillment could be construed as a part of your religious training, your duties and, Asalott, your purpose. I believe in this case it is to the benefit of all creation that we send you on this mission; that is, if Tibby is willing to take you.
“I would be most pleased if Asalott would join us,” I said. “Asalott, your help would provide us with invaluable guidance.”
“Good, then it is settled. Asalott, gather the belongings that you may need during your travels and meet us at the gondola. We will depart for the hangar in thirty minutes. I fear it is getting quite late and I know that Tibby needs to be on his way.”
“Tibby, I regret that I am unable to spend more time with you. I would have liked very much to extend your visit long enough to dine with us this evening; but, alas, the time is too short. I will see to it that the transport is well stocked with food for you to enjoy on your trip back to the second continent. I regret you will be traveling back in the night and that there will be nothing for you to see in transit; but perhaps you will use the time to avail yourselves of the transport’s guest quarters to rest and sleep. Please know, Tibby, that I would greatly enjoy your company during a second visit, if you can spare the time to return after your battles. There are so many things I wish to discuss with you. I would be particularly interested in hearing more about this immortal… Thumumba, I believe you called him.”
Twenty minutes later we convened with Asalott at a cave mouth high up on the cliff face. The clothing we wore on arrival was returned to us and we changed before boarding the gondola, which waited to take us down the mountain to the transport.
“The gondola will expedite your journey down the mountainside,” explained the Gom-Pasha before he again blessed and prayed for the success of our mission. Then Padaran, Asalott, Lood and I said our goodbyes and stepped into an open, basket-like gondola. We traveled in silence – and for good reason. What our visit had given us to ponder gave rise to reflection, awe, and even fear.
