Noah fell silent at that point, allowing them to digest his words. “And?” Nori prompted him finally.
“And then two astonishing things happened,” Noah explained thoughtfully. “First, our data records show that someone from Earth transmitted a request to the Proteus galaxy, searching for our language files. Specifically, they wanted language data currently in use by the Middle-Eastern cultures living in the Anno Domini era. By your modern calendar, this happened during A.D. 27, meaning someone on Earth during that time possessed OUR equipment. Since all protocols and most of the security codes checked out, my ancestors allowed the request to process. They were very curious, and it was blatantly obvious that it was our technology submitting the request.”
“Whoa,” said Glen Fredericks, his eyes widening slightly. “That must have come as a bit of a shocker.”
“No doubt,” continued Noah. “The second thing that happened was that the facilities preparing to launch the mission team to Earth unexpectedly lost all power for over a month.” He looked directly at Kaufield. “Mr. President, you’ve been to my world, on occasion, so you know just how long a month there lasts.”
“Indeed I do. So the scientists of that time approved the transfer of the language files, probably out of sheer curiosity, and then lost all power to their transit systems when they attempted to investigate further.”
“Yes. We could only interpret that as a message from the entity on Earth… a clear message NOT to interfere with the events transpiring there. After much additional discussion, my ancestors decided to cancel the planned mission.” He glanced down at the metal deck plating beneath their feet for a moment. “Perhaps you can see now why we are so interested in that particular time on Earth. My people have patiently waited more than two thousand years, uncertain as to when we would encounter humans from Earth but knowing that – at some point – we almost certainly would. That single transmission from your world allowed us to deduce that we would meet your people, become friends and eventually end up working together on some sort of time travel effort. That made it easy to be patient.”
“What about the security and authorization codes on those implants?” asked Mary Fredericks. “I’ve assisted Thomas with the programming on a number of occasions. Each of them has unique identification protocols built into the software and electronics. There is also an ID number physically stamped on the interior of the hardware casing.” Her head cocked slightly to one side as she watched his reaction. “Did your people know that it was Adam or Thomas who sent that signal?”
“Yes,” admitted Noah. “When we first began preparations for Adam’s outing into the Wasteland, one of our scientists noticed that Thomas’ implant codes matched the ones included in the Earth transmission from A.D. 27.” He chuckled slightly, remembering. “Her husband was a historian, eager for details about your people ever since the Pathfinder showed up in the Proteus galaxy. He suspected that the time was nearing for us to assist your people in solving that mystery from so long ago.”
“But you’re only telling us this… now,” observed Kaufield. “That could be interpreted as a violation of our shared information agreement.”
“Mr. President, to be perfectly frank, my people and yours have bonded and established a great deal of trust over the past fifteen years. We simply weren’t prepared to risk the future of your planet because of hasty actions on our part.” Noah was not even remotely defensive in his response. Indeed his confidence only seemed to be increasing now that all previously unshared information was finally ‘on the table’ for discussion. “It is unclear to me at this point whether others in my government knew about the implant identification codes when the devices were first authorized for members of your crew, but once the scientist and her historian husband pointed out the oddity it seemed reasonable to allow the process to continue. To do otherwise might interfere with the natural flow of time. But please understand, we had no idea when your people would begin experimenting with time travel or at what point events here would scoop up Thomas Roh and place him in the Anno Domini era. Now that he most likely is indeed there, you can see why my government would be a bit excited about what we may finally be able to learn from his presence there.”
“Everyone wants to touch the face of their Creator,” said Noriana Roh softly. “Everyone wants to learn about their God, to see him and talk to him.”
“And that era is precisely when Jesus the Christ was walking the Earth,” nodded Noah in response. “Don’t you see? We have been waiting for more than two millennia so that we could explore this matter more thoroughly WITH you! If Thomas and Adam are indeed there, they now possess a unique opportunity to observe… perhaps even talk to him. Wouldn’t that be another wonder for your history books?”
“What we need is proof,” growled Kaufield irritably. “They may or may not be in A.D. 27, despite the fact they probably are. We know from the Proteus history books that Thomas will end up there at some point. Is this when he visits?” He held up both hands helplessly. “It seems very likely to me, but we really do need to know for certain.”
Fortunately they didn’t have long to wait. Noah and President Kaufield continued to visit in one of the few quiet spots in the cargo bay. Glen and Mary Fredericks joined the Science Lab staff, having already worked with them on a continual basis since they boarded the Lexington. Dr. Simmons departed for other endeavors, leaving everyone else to continue their analysis of the now infamous transit that went wrong. Kaufield was noticeably impatient, knowing that once again his people were out in the field without him. This wasn’t a repeat of the Wasteland incident – without a direct connection to the Lab’s communications hub there was no way to supply the Roh brothers with the energy they would need to properly defend themselves in an emergency. True, they strongly suspected where the pair of siblings had ended up, but there was no confirmation of what Kaufield considered at this point to be mostly theory.
The wait for something more to surface was maddening.
Less than thirty minutes later one of the lab technicians uttered a triumphant cry of delight and began to jump up and down. He was tall and thin and wearing the gray robe of a Proteus alien, quickly waving Glen over to join him. The two of them studied the newest telemetry, analyzing the data carefully before announcing anything substantive. It was easy to want to give in to the emotions of the moment, but everyone working on the project was experienced enough to maintain at least some semblance of a professional demeanor even in life or death situations. Fortunately, this was turning out to be something much more positive. Given the situation, the scientist’s initial outburst was completely understandable.
“We just received an audio message from Thomas,” announced Glen finally. In the background, dozens of people took a brief break and applauded approvingly. President Kaufield and Noah were already standing behind him, waiting patiently. “That kid amazes me every single day I work with him – he’s limited to the portable setup he took with him, yet somehow managed to reprogram it to reconnect with us from a destination more than two thousand years in our history.” Fredericks nodded enthusiastically, turning to face them. “They were indeed somehow transited to the year A.D. 27. This message proves it.”
“Play the message,” suggested Noah with a relieved smile. Glen nodded in agreement and the Lab specialist touched a keypad.
“This is Thomas Roh,” crackled the familiar voice, barely audible through what sounded like the most electronic distortion Kaufield had ever heard. “Adam and I are both fine, we’re hoping the President is too. He didn’t arrive here in A.D. 27, so you should still be searching for him even if you’ve figured out our particular piece of this puzzle.” He paused, and Fredericks imagined the youthful looking scientist grinning. “Noah probably told you about our request for language files by now.”
“He certainly has,” commented Kaufield softly in response.
“I don’t have a lot of time, so please listen closely,” continued Thomas Roh. “Adam and I suspect that
David is behind our alternate destination… the silver watch he gave Adam keeps behaving oddly, switching from his pocket to mine and vice versa. The image on the inside of its cover also has changed to an image of Earth. From our perspective, there’s only one reason why we ended up here in the time of Christ – obviously we’re supposed to visit with him or something similar before completing the other mission into Earth’s past. Or maybe this effort will trump the other mission completely… it’s very difficult to tell for certain when alien entities choose to communicate with us in so vague a manner. Nonetheless, we’re going to attempt contact with the Christ, satisfy our curiosity and then see what happens.”
“Tell them we think the watch is a talisman of some sort.” Adam’s voice in the distant background was immediately recognizable, and Nori perked up noticeably upon hearing it.
“It’s NOT a talisman!” responded Thomas insistently. “It’s some sort of control mechanism running an unknown program. As we reach each expected benchmark, such as time travel, preprogrammed functions are kicking in and guiding us toward the next waypoint. I’m sorry we’re only contacting you with audio only, but we have to hurry. We’re hiding in a friendly farmer’s barn near a small town called Bethany and he wants us gone by morning. But it’s important to make certain that we send you at least one message within a reasonable time after our original departure so that you won’t worry. Both of us are fine, but it’s going to take me a couple of days to complete the necessary programming and parameter changes to reconnect our implants to the Lexington’s communications hub. From this end, we need a lot of energy to do that across the span of two thousand years… it’s kind of a chicken or the egg thing. If I can connect to you even briefly, I’m considering hooking one of our implants directly to the output of the Lexington’s CAS drive. The connection is easy, but preventing the bearer’s implant from overloading isn’t. Take note… whether or not we’re connected via the communications link, most things will happen in regular time from this point on. If it takes two days on our end, it will most likely take two days on yours. Should anything go wrong or assistance is required, I’ll send you another audio message with specific details as soon as possible. We’re cautiously optimistic from this location… the thought that a higher power of some sort might be interested in helping us solve Earth’s problems is mighty reassuring. Stay safe on your end… Thomas out.”
“Thank God they’re all right,” sighed Kaufield optimistically. “And right on top of things, as usual.”
“Can we send them help?” Nori wondered curiously. “You or I could take more equipment…”
“…and what?” The President chuckled with amusement. “Even if we could time travel back that far, I wouldn’t authorize a person to go through until we conducted about a hundred stress tests. There is a reason that I was denied transit, and I believe it was a signal from our mysterious third party not to interfere.”
“You’re just guessing,” Glen Fredericks observed cautiously. “You can’t know that for certain.”
“Oh I’m pretty sure,” responded Kaufield with a much heartier laugh this time. He reached into the pocket of his white tunic and pulled out a very familiar looking silver watch and chain… astonishingly it looked exactly like the one Adam had taken with him during transit. “It would seem that this David entity is very good at letting us know what to do even when he’s not physically present… I’m taking this as a clear-cut sign to stay out of things and mind our own business.”
“I’m getting a headache,” groaned Glen. He ran his fingers through his graying hair, smiling wryly as Kaufield reached over and handed him the bottle of aspirin. “So what do we do now… wait for another message from Thomas?” He shook his head with mild dismay. “You heard him. It could be days.”
“No,” decided the President suddenly, his dark brown eyes flashing fiercely. “We’re not going to just sit here and wait. We’ve got an entire command center here aboard a powerful, highly sophisticated Earth warship with a fully active CAS drive. I think we should activate our Sentinels and initiate a new mission.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for the outcome of the Roh brothers’ mission, even if it’s been altered, before rushing ahead and implementing another?” asked Mary in her gentle, polite manner. She was a short and slender brunette, her much taller husband seeming to tower over her. And yet she was as experienced and competent a professional as the rest of them.
“That makes sense,” ventured Nori. “Their time travel mission could end up overlapping yours.”
“I’m not talking about time travel this time,” the President pointed out, hefting the watch’s weight in his left hand. “I think part of this latest message is a caution against attempting another incursion.”
“Then what are you planning to do?” All three of them looked at him expectantly.
“I’m going to Earth right here, in this time… present day,” decided Kaufield there on the spot. “We’re going to move the Lexington into close orbit, and then I’m going to go down there and dethrone the Brotherhood’s ruling Triumvirate with brute force – using the same methods that Adam employed during his effort to liberate the Wasteland. One way or another, regardless of what we choose to do in the future, the Brotherhood’s rule over planet Earth, along with their continued use of nuclear weapons, ends here and now.”
He enjoyed watching the astonished reactions in each of their expressions.
PROJECT EARTH
Pathfinder Series: Book Three
Chapter IV: Crossing The Jordan
Planet Earth, Emirate of Ghuitan, present day
Valiana 001, the first clone of her line, walked along the top of the stone wall surrounding the governing Triumvirate’s primary command center in the very center of what remained of the former Emirate of Ghuitan. Ash and dark black grime coated most of the rocky barricade that reached almost ninety meters in height. Although the wall had been repaired many times, entire sections of it – especially near the main entrance gate – were beginning to crumble away and would soon require major repair. Fortunately, the majority of the Brotherhood’s fortress was concealed deep underground, parts of it nearly four stories beneath the Earth’s surface. Even so, one could not stay down there forever without getting at least somewhat claustrophobic. These days, Valiana found herself spending more time than ever above ground, even knowing the risks involved.
There was radiation to be found up top, and a lot of it. Having full access to much of the Brotherhood’s medical facilities and anti-radiation treatments, Valiana didn’t exactly care much. Even with proper medication and swift attention to her repeated exposure to the toxic levels, she estimated that her natural life expectancy was now less than seventy years. This was almost twenty years less than the expected duration present among Earth’s population prior to the war, even when taking into consideration that she was a genetically enhanced humanoid… the first female of her kind. The normal humans that the Brotherhood of the Dragon ruled over were barely surviving to age fifty, even though the majority of their lives had been lived before the war.
Ruled over.
Valiana mulled that phrase over in her mind and almost laughed acidly. Technically the new, great society that they once planned to build had never come to fruition. Most of Earth’s population lived in the Proteus galaxy now, on Tranquility or one of its sister worlds. The strange, armored aliens who guarded the Person-to-Point transit portals leading from Earth to Tranquility were not to be messed with – the Brotherhood had tested them on multiple occasions and lost every encounter. They possessed some sort of protective shielding that deflected any attack – even the highest caliber bullets and explosives failed to penetrate the Proteus defenses. For a time soon after the war, the Brotherhood tried everything they could think of – even improvised explosive devises around areas where the transit portals were known to appear.
All efforts were wasted… the aliens survived every attack and – in the cases where humans were killed – they
launched counterattacks into Brotherhood-controlled territory and captured as many of the Triumvirate’s soldiers as they could find. These were whisked away, via the portals, to some kind of rumored ‘prison’ in the Proteus galaxy. Since details were unavailable, those abductions provided a truly chilling effect on the ruling Earth clones. The more they tried to fight the ‘truce’ that was meticulously enforced by the alien army, the more their numbers decreased. Faced with the inescapable realization that the Brotherhood’s numbers were steadily dwindling away, all attacks on the aliens ceased less than a year after the conclusion of the nuclear war.
For fifteen long years now, the portals remained open. At any given time, the survivors on Earth, including some of the Brotherhood’s own members, were free to leave at any time and dwell in the Proteus galaxy. The message received by the Triumvirate was non-verbal but unmistakably clear – treat those who were faithful to their home planet too poorly and they would throw up their hands and leave. Since most of the Brotherhood’s members governed rather than worked, this meant that they were reliant on what amounted to slave labor for their welfare. And the longer this went on, the less effective it was. Non-enhanced human females were almost non-existent on the planet, uprooted by the sheer desire of the conquered humans to repopulate their numbers on Tranquility. The men who stayed behind did so out of some sort of puzzling loyalty to their home world, and – the Brotherhood suspected – to make certain that spies were in place all over the globe. The ‘new Earth’ living on Tranquility wanted to monitor their home world, after all, because Valiana never doubted for an instant that someday they would want it back.
After more than a decade and a half, she strongly suspected that the time for humanity to return to its home was drawing near. There were rumors that one of Earth’s warships had returned to the Sol system, cloaked in some kind of invisibility screen. Most of the time it was completely undetectable, but some of the Brotherhood fighter pilots had spotted it on more than one occasion. Briefly it would appear in front of them, fully lit and formidable, before vanishing back behind its stealth screen. Some sort of high powered transmissions occasionally emanated from it too, disrupting some of the communication links between patrolling Brotherhood vessels. The biggest sign that something major was in the works came right after the Earth ship was first observed. Suddenly, after fifteen years of constantly active transit portals, the Proteus alien soldiers all mysteriously withdrew back to their own worlds and closed down the PTP gateways… every last one of them.
The Pathfinder Trilogy Page 89
