by Don Cook
“157 days ago,” Khraa/Astra’s message continued, “the planet Rubiaar IV was brutally attacked without warning or provocation by robot-forces of the Shrion Intergalactic Empire under the command of the archenemy of all humanity, Mephistula.”
Gasps of fear and alarm arose from everyone in the cavernous room.
Khraa/Astra’s message continued, “Most of the Expeditionnaires, including my husband, my children, and my brother were slaughtered by Mephistula’s flying marauders who swooped down from the stars and decimated centuries of historical ruins, as well as annihilating most of the Expedition’s members, their families, their animal-friends and Expeditionary buildings and other materiel.”
More gasps of revulsion arose.
“Our Expedition Defense Forces retaliated in kind, with my brother and metallurgist Lieutenant-Commander/Dr. Yesh-Veh destroying all enemy fighters with his KF-18 Stingfly space-fighter Blue 4 before he bailed out, only to land in a thorn-tree and die in its spiked branches.
“When Mephistula’s star travel-capable spacecraft headed starward, I pursued her fighter into space in my own sublight KF-18 Stingfly fighter Blue 1, and latched onto it with my fighter’s grapple-beams before Mephistula activated her fighter’s stardrive. We ended up orbiting a life-supporting planet with an oversized moon, the third major planet in a star system of eight major planets and numerous minor worlds.
“The planet we ended up orbiting is known as Earth. Its astrographical location, as per standard procedure, along with an exhaustive ongoing sociocultural study I have undertaken of this planet, is contained within the rescue profile of this signal.
“To blend in with the humans for the sake of personal safety and to keep my non-Earthly origins a total secret, my fighter’s sensors detected a dying woman named Astra Ruth Downey, an independent journalist that these Earthers call a ‘truther.’ I took on her full range of life experiences and her entire bio-identity, including an absence of surgically-removed bowel tissue and appendix due to severe digestive tract disease, and certain teeth that contain metallic fillings, which is common, routine dental treatment among Earth’s better-off regions.
“I must also report that Mephistula, utilizing her spacecraft’s time travel mechanisms, had travelled back into Earth’s past where she had taken on the human form of an Earthwoman named Mallory Ignacia Stanton. Stanton is currently a prominent politician well-poised to be elected as the next President of the nation-state known as the United States of America, a parallel nation-of-scale strikingly similar to the United Star-systems of Amkeria.”
Gasps of incredulous disbelief mixed with awe again filled the cavernous Strategic Monitoring Center.
“As I internalized Astra Downey’s total psycho-bio-identity, I learned more about Earth, Mallory Stanton, the threat she would pose if she was elected President of the Earth’s USA, and how her methodology strongly parallels that utilized in one of Earth’s classic political fiction thriller-books, The Manchurian Candidate. The text of this book is contained within this beacon.
“Stanton’s dishonest style of electoral conquest is in keeping with Mephistula’s operational methodology. It is apparent that due to Mephistula’s high-profile intrusion into Earthly affairs, the Known Universe’s laws and treaties on first contact with similar techno-lesser worlds do not apply to this situation. And since Stanton is Mephistula, I have no alternative but to find some way to stop Mallory Stanton/Mephistula once and for all. This is easier said than done because this might involve political assassination.
“This matter is further complicated by the fact that I have fallen deeply in love with an Earthman who happens to be a law-knight with the Federal Bureau of Investigation of Earth’s USA. I take my romantic relationship with this Earthman as proof positive that our humankind and Earth’s humans are descended from the same Adam and Aevaa as we are — or, as their all-time bestselling book, the Holy Bible, calls them, Adam and Eve. If he was not a human, no love relationship would have happened. Enslaved scientists among our shared ancient ancestors proved long ago that a creature of any species can only have romantic or sexual relations with their own kind.
“Since you have received this transmission, I urge you to use the astrographical location given, to send a combination rescue party and small combat taskforce to liberate Earth from Mephistula/Stanton and bring me back to Known Universal space. That is all. Thank you.”
As Khraa/Astra’s transmission looped back to its start with a quick flash of blue slate and began to repeat itself, a human hush blended with the muted yet anxious buzz of inquiring conversation befell the cavernous room, everyone pondered the gravity of Khraa/Astra’s message.
In that moment, Greeze realized exactly what he had to do.
“That’s Khraavie alright” Greeze said to Kreen while the message repeated itself. “I’d know her long-winded style anywhere. Get me the President yesterday!”
“Yes, sir!” Kreen said with a salute, and contacted —
THE OVAL CHAMBER, CRYSTAL CASTLE
VAXERTHONY, KOLBIKA SECTOR, UNITED STAR-SYSTEMS OF AMKERIA
2 EARTH-MINUTES LATER
“She’s alive?!” shouted orange-haired Donald Trump-like Amkerian President Konnall-Trombart at Greeze’s image on the Oval Chamber’s large flatscreen-com.
“Yes, Lord President,” Greeze said. “And what’s more, she has discovered Earth.”
Trombart’s jaw dropped at the news of Earth’s discovery.
“Admiral,” Trombart stammered, which was very rare for him to do, “did you say, Khraa-Veh has discovered Earth?! That lost world? But…”
“Lord President, it’s nonetheless true. She sent a very complex and large-sized distress-beacon —”
“Then beam it into my office now!”
“But Lord President, the signal’s file size is rather large —”
“DAMNIT, GENERAL, I DON’T CARE IF THE FILE SIZE OF KHRAA-VEH’S TRANSMISSION OUT-SIZES THE ENTIRE CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY-WORLD!” shouted Trombart. “JUST BEAM THE SIGNAL OVER TO MY OFFICE NOW!”
“Yes, Lord President,” said Greeze.
“We’ve been at this Khraa-Veh affair for sixteen days and have gotten nowhere!” shouted President Trombart at his squabbling mostly male Advisory Council 17 Earth-days later (June 22nd, Earth-time), when it was morning in Vaxerthony Prime City. “Talk-time’s done! I want reasons for AND against a rescue-combat taskforce NOW, five apiece!”
AMKEXPRA/Sixth Starfleet Gold-Class Admiral Patt-Makarrth, a gutsy, intelligent, mildly graying man of honor and integrity who seemed to be 55, raised his right hand, and said, “Lord President, I’ve got at least five —”
“I only want five for now, Patty,” Trombart said. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you, Lord President.”
Makarrth stood, and began stating his case. “First, the signal in question checks out as a genuine distress-signal. It is of a non-standard configuration, but it is still of an KERC/IDRC-approved format, and non-standard is how Captain/Dr. Khraa-Veh ven-Elheem has often operated in the past.
“Secondly, Khraa-Veh has clearly stated her ardent disapproval of the present Trudierre Kannatikan regime even before its election and would most likely accept, if offered, political refugee status and citizenship in the United Star-systems.
“Thirdly, the vast quantity of knowledge on this alien planet Earth would save our scientists and scholars thousands of standard-years. Yes, Lord President, several millennia of research that would otherwise be unattainable on what many consider as the Mother-world of humanity. It would also prove the Earth-mother-world theory based on the God-Book and Veh’s own theory on the matter. And only Khraa-Veh and any Earthlings we interview about their planet, albeit clandestinely, could give such a reliable context that would be otherwise out of reach.
“Fourth: Mephistula, as stated in the data embedded within Captain Veh’s distress-beacon, is on Earth as Mallory Ignacia Stanton and has plotted to conquer and/or destroy the Earth by seeking its highest e
lected leadership-office, the Presidency of the United States of America. Both the United States and its Presidency parallel the United Star-systems of Amkeria and the very office you hold, Lord President, respectively, on an Earth that strikingly appears to be a parallel-civilization-of-scale to our Known Universe.
“And fifth, and for now, the most important reason in this matter, countless reliable legends from all faiths across our section of space throughout our shared history, and numerous others that our explorers have encountered, have stated time and again that whoever controls humankind’s homeworld controls the destiny of the entire Universe. Lord President and fellow Advisory Councilors, if we are to keep Earth out of Shrion hands, or rescue it from them, then we must — yes, must mount an effective rescue-and-combat taskforce not only to save the life of the highly renowned and much-beloved Captain/Dr. Khraa-Veh ven-Elheem — but also for the sake of pan-Universal safety and security. Even the very safety and security of the countless quadrillions of inhabited planets still unknown to us. We owe it to the entire Universe and the god.”
Makarrth sat down. Everyone was profoundly moved by Makarrth’s speech, especially Trombart.
“If any of you have any counter-reasons,” Trombart said, “speak them now.”
Combined Staff-Chiefs Supreme Commander-Platinum-Class Admiral Montt-Kamblynn, a former gung-ho military man-turned-wimpish-gray-haired-liberal weasel-like bureaucratic type who looked to be in his early 60s, raised his hand.
Trombart, usually less-than-impressed with the war hero-turned bureaucratic-cowardly Neville Chamberlain-like Admiral, acknowledged the Admiral who outranked Makarrth.
“Yes, Monty,” said Trombart, with a cynically bitter, heavy sigh.
Kamblynn stood and said, “Lord President, there are several reasons against a rescue-combat force, and I can think of five right now.
“Firstly, although I greatly admire Khraa-Veh ven-Elheem’s work to no end, and how she’s also roundly defeated Mephistula in the past, Captain Veh is a Kannatikan, not an Amkerian. Diplomatically speaking, Lord President, our hands are cuffed. There’s more to this than Captain Veh’s life, as iconic as she is.
“Secondly, Lord President, Captain Khraa-Veh no longer has the clout with Young Kannatika she once had, not to mention that Amkerian youth are now split-down-the-middle about her. Yes, Kannatikans and Amkerians of all ages once generally saw her as an inspiring role model, not to mention her winning a Krono News Ventures poll as ‘Amkeria’s Best Friend.’ But that was more than one standard year ago. Times change, or haven’t you all noticed?
“Thirdly, Lord President, this theory of Earth being humanity’s point of origin because of the mythological and alleged Adam and Aevaa as our first fore-parents has been discounted by many scholars and scientists. Even Earth’s scientific community refutes it as what they sneeringly, and rightly, dismiss as a myth.
“Fourthly, Lord President, the idea that whoever controls the Earth controls the stars is utter mad-being’s nonsense! Why waste time and money when our poor, our discriminated classes and our women need our help more? Captain Veh’s own views on these groups and their matters have been confusing at best, and contradictory at worst. Let her deal with Mephistula and, if predestined, die trying.
“And finally, Lord President, the Foreign Affairs Department has pointed sound diplomatic reasons that warrant us to stop any talk of rescuing Captain Veh. That impish boy-despot Trudierre’s got our youth and Kannatika’s by the spiritual gonads, as well as the youth across our Known Universe. And any action by us might cause an international incident, start an intergalactic war or even a youth-spawned armed revolt across the stars that would turn all the worlds in the Known Universe to ash-planetoids!”
Most of the Councilors looked at Kamblynn with conservative disdain. He saw their contempt, and Kamblynn, a bureaucratic holdover from the previous Baromba Administration, said with acid defensiveness, “What?! Do you all think I’ve got super-cold liquid oxygen for blood?!”
Trombart pondered both sides of the argument. He knew he had governmental support for a rescue-combat taskforce, but since Earth was too much an unknown world as well as other factors of great controversy, he realized that it might not be feasible to go to Earth with a fleet of battle-starships or even a rescue force. He then came to a decision.
“I will ponder this decision over the next ten days,” Trombart said. “From the reports embedded in her constantly updating distress-signal, Captain Veh, from a legal standpoint, is merely marooned on a planet that can sustain human life, as polluted as Earth apparently is. And Veh has stated that for the time being, she has rendered almost all of Mephistula’s powers dormant by her clever, covert respiratory usage of onion-laden breathing during her ‘interview’ with Mephistula-as-Stanton.
“I will make my final decision on how to handle the Captain Khraa-Veh Affair in no more than ten days. Until then, I will play this issue close to my chest, and if I wish to consult with any of you, I will send for you personally. Until further notice, this issue is to remain categorized as a Platinum Alph-One-Alph Level Secret matter. No one is to breathe a word about this matter outside this chamber until further notice. Is that clear?”
Each Advisor mumbled out and nodded his or her agreement.
Trombart changed the subject as he said, ‘Now, to other business.”
APARTMENT 1214, BELLA VILLA APARTMENT COMPLEX
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, USA
22 JUNE, 6 AM CENTRAL TIME
“Get Up and Boogie” sounded from Khraa/Astra’s smartphone, awakening her in a perplexed state.
“As always, before I close,” Khraa/Astra said, as she recorded another podcast of The Bull-Free Truth with Astra Downey one hour later, “I want to remind you again to pick up some Freedom Tea from Frank Ben’s Patriotic Foods among other survival stores you’ll need when the manure hits the fan with hurricane force, and it will, as well as their helping to pay the shot for these podcasts. Until next time, this is Astra Downey saying, be well, keep safe, stay free and God Bless!”
Khraa/Astra ended daily podcast of her Internet news show and uploaded it to the Internet, before she began her other daily media ritual, her survival-log entry.
“Survival log, Captain Khraa/Astra ven-Elheem recording” Khraa/Astra said. “It has been more than half a standard year since I have been marooned on Earth. And this morning, I vividly dreamt that the Amkerians had received my distress-beacon and are planning to rescue me. Yet, strangely, they were hindered by politics and bureaucracy.
“It is becoming more and more obvious day by day that this battle I have with Mephistula/Stanton is a two-woman war between her and me, but the stakes are the entire Universe. I pray that help comes and that I vanquish Mephistula, or, at least, that Mephistula is somehow vanquished. And I still hope there is a rescue in my future.
“But if people from the Known Universe do come and rescue me? How will I break the news to Mike? If the Amkerians or a rescue team from some allied star-realm does come to Earth, he must know! And I know I must break not only Mike’s heart, but also those of his kids, especially Donny. I adore that little boy as if he was my own son, and that’s what hurts! I want him to grow up as well-adjusted as possible, and growing up often includes experiences of the painful degree of the animated deer Bambi in the Disney video-play of the same name. But I… Well, I just don’t know. There’s more than my return to home-space to consider. I shall have to commit all that to the future, and to the god. End of entry, date-time stamp, subjective timing.”
Khraa/Astra ended her log-entry, feeling uncomfortable and gravely uncertain.
Chapter 9
A TIME FOR TRUTH
When the Earth “month” of June comes every year, North Americans with sub-adult children usually either a) begin their summer vacations or b) are about to do so.
Stanton’s activities (or, rather, Mephistula’s) were more limited, with the US Presidential hopeful surprisingly deciding to avoid the Hillary Clinton
Opposition Demonization trap and instead trying to simply make herself look good in American voters’ eyes. (The Darklord and his minions always perform more clever deceptions with each passing nano-moment, unless the Father-Creator holds his ex-archangel back.)
And I became more settled, and uncovered more facts about Mallory Stanton that, at least momentarily, limited her tactics and put America wiser and wiser to her ways so the people of the United States of America could be less easily “bamboozled” (a unique North American term for “deceived.”)
That task seemed to get easier, in fact, a little too easy. Even I was lulled into a state of complacency about which I was unaware, along with other North Americans. This complacency allowed Mike, his children, and me to go on a family vacation in my RV to Tettegouche State Park in northeastern Minnesota in mid-June. This compelled Mike’s offspring to forever nag us about just one thing...
Dr. Khraa-Veh ven-Bonhoeffer
Admiral, Platinum-Class, AMKEXPRA (Ret’d)
My Cosmos-Spanning Memoirs
TETTEGOUCHE STATE PARK, MINNESOTA, USA
25 JUNE 4:45 PM CENTRAL TIME
“When are you guys gonna get married, for chrissakes?” Val teen-cussed, as the Bonhoeffers and Khraa/Astra, all in hiking wear, played with Khraa/Astra’s Frisbee.
“Now don’t swear, Val!” Mike chastised his daughter, holding up his right index finger, before tossing the Frisbee to Donny.
“Sorry, Daddy” Val said contritely, before Donny tossed the Frisbee to Val. She caught it, looked up, and said, ashamed of herself, “And sorry to you, too, God.”
“That’s better.”
“Val has a point, Dad” Glenn said, as Val tossed him the Frisbee, which he tossed to Khraa/Astra. “Just when will you man-up and ask Astra to marry you?”
