Andromeda

by Glenn Jackson

  Once the drinks arrived, he waited for her analysis.

  “Okay, so wow, this has such a beautiful aroma.” She took her time enjoying the smell of the mestava, then took a sip. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the savory sweetness of the drink. “Wow, this is perfect. Just the right sweetness, a touch of tartness, even a hint of spice, yet smooth with a lovely after taste.”

  He smiled, saying, “Good, you liked it then.”

  “Oh my gosh, yes. Tell me though, what did you add to give it such flavor?”

  He laughed. “Well you see, I didn’t add anything. What you taste is the pure nature of mestava.”

  “I have to share this with my family. Seriously, if nothing else, this is an export to our galaxy that would be worth gazillions of jhetas.”

  They shared a laugh and mestava. After a little while, she received a flash about her request.

  “Oh my God,” she said. “The symbols on this obelisk are exactly the same as on the Heliopolis Obelisk in Egypt.”

  “What do you mean, the same.”

  “I mean what I say. They are identical. Here, come take a look.”

  He moved around and sat beside her and she showed him the two photos side by side.

  “I don’t understand. How can two obelisks in two separate galaxies, be identical and roughly the same age?”

  She felt his body so close to hers and blushed, looking down. He turned and looked at her as she looked up at him and their eyes met. They sat there for several minutes, engaged in a highly emotionally driven look into the depths of each other’s souls. They found, in their eyes for each other, someone each had been looking for.

  She stammered, “I uh, I think we should try and figure this out.”

  “Together,” he added.

  She blushed again, “Yes, together.”

  57.351.16

  “Hi Aunt Stephanie.”

  “Hi Lanica. Please, come in.”

  “Thank you.” She entered the private quarters of the Empress on the Starship Defiant, unsure of the mood she would find.

  “So, how can I help today?”

  “First of all, I wanted to ask about grandmother. Is she recovering well?”

  “Yes, she is. As a matter of fact, why don’t you come with me, I bet she would love to see someone other than Jeffrey and me.”

  They entered one of the well-equipped bedrooms in her quarters, and she saw her grandmother sitting up in bed, with her grandfather sitting in a chair beside her. For some reason, the emotions of the incident only hit her then. She ran to her, crying and saying, “Oh, grandmother!”

  They hugged for a while, and Heather stroked her hair while she cried.

  “I’m so sorry!” she sobbed.

  “No, dear. You have no reason to feel sorry. I know you never intended to cause any of us harm.”

  “Yes, dear,” said Stephanie. “You were as much a victim of circumstance as we all were.”

  “Lanica,” Jeffrey added, “You were attempting to do something very brave, bringing two galaxies closer together. For that, we owe you a great debt of gratitude. Don’t ever think we hold you responsible for the attack on Heather.”

  She dried her eyes and thanked them. Then, after a few minutes, she said, “There is an anomaly here that cannot be explained.”

  Stephanie was curious. “What anomaly?”

  “The central obelisk on Aphrodite is exactly the same as the Heliopolis Obelisk in Cairo.”

  “What do you mean by your choice of the word, ‘exactly’?”

  “I mean exactly. They are both roughly four thousand years old. They both have the exact writing on all sides. I have studied obelisks in our galaxy and have never found one with similar writing. Yet here, in a different galaxy, is an obelisk that is exactly the same as one on Earth. They must have been completed by the same people and erected at the same time, or near enough.”

  They all looked at each other. “I don’t see how that is possible.”

  “I know Aunt Stephanie. It’s too odd to mean anything. But Matthew and I have looked at it and would like to do some research.”

  “Matthew and you? Would that be Matthew Forty-Three? The next in line behind Samuel Fifty-Nine?”

  “Yes, grandmother. The very same.”

  Stephanie said, “Lanica, are you falling in love with him?”

  Lanica knew she was not only talking to her family, but the Empress of two Galaxies. She said, “Aunt Stephanie, I have spent time with him, and yes, I do believe I am falling for him.”

  Stephanie looked at her for a moment, then added, “So, you have feelings for the heir to the throne of the Andromeda Galaxy, even though I have said it is my throne; and now you want to go off and spend time with him researching an anomaly. Is that right?”

  Lanica was afraid, she thought the Empress was angry with her. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Stephanie smiled. “Lanica, come here dear.” Lanica walked to her and Stephanie gave her a big hug. “You never have to be afraid of me. I love you. I want the best for you and our people.” She let her go but held her arms, saying, “You go and see if he is your mate. You go and try to understand this anomaly. And then you come back here and let us know what you have found, in both areas.”

  Lanica smiled, “Yes, aunt Stephanie!” She then gave her another big hug, and after saying goodbye to her grandparents, departed.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think that anytime love has been involved it has shown the right path.”

  “I hope she has found her one.”

  “Me too.”

  Lanica met Matthew and they went first to have some mestava, then to the large central library.

  “All the records of Aphrodite are contained here. I don’t know if anyone has researched the obelisk recently, but we can still see all the raw material and see if there are any clues.”

  They worked shoulder to shoulder, reading, reviewing, laughing, and enjoying the time and the research.

  After several hours of research, Lanica asked, “Has your entire galaxy been part of your modern age for all these past thousands of years?”

  He thought, then said, “You know, I am not sure. Give me a moment.” He got up and walked to the central desk and found a research guide and asked some questions and was provided with material to search.

  “The researcher says no, we have only recently gained access to some areas of the galaxy. He provided these materials and some further locations for research, and also informed me that Thaddeus Twenty-Two had also reviewed this material.”

  “Really? That should mean something, but I can’t quite grasp that connection.”

  “Right, I agree. In the meantime, this is a lot of material to review.”

  “Let’s get to work then.”

  After some time, Matthew said, “You know, it seems our galaxy has been relatively small in comparison to the number of planets and people your galaxy has settled. Look here, we only have established outposts in a little over sixty-five percent of the galaxy. That means there are still over thirty-five percent of the galaxy we have not explored.”

  “Why did Thaddeus Twenty-Two want to attack our galaxy when you haven’t even settled your own galaxy?”

  Matthew said, “I don’t know. Computer, are there any records of any civilizations within the galaxy only five thousand years old?”

  “Yes. The Luxor and Aswan civilizations were recently discovered by Thaddeus Twenty-Two. They are the only civilizations known to have begun in your search timeframe. No other information is available.”

  “What is there location?”

  “Printing coordinates.”

  “Luxor? Aswan? These are names of towns and regions in Egypt. The famous tombs of Egyptian rulers are there. I wonder what Thaddeus found? We must visit.”

  57.361.
13

  They traveled to the capitol city of the largest populated planet of the Luxor civilization, Asru. It was an arid, desert looking planet, and they discovered that the civilization was only now coming out of the dark days before space travel. The field where they landed was small and not well built, and could barely hold the starship they arrived in. In addition, there were ten Imperial Starships in orbit above, ready to intervene immediately, if needed.

  “It seems we are not the first visitor, but certainly we are early in their development.”

  “Yes, which is curious. I wonder what Thaddeus was looking for?”

  “Or what he found? Let’s go and see what we can find.”

  They entered the small terminal, finding only a few people there, and then continued past some buildings walking the main road into the city.

  “These people do not look like they are living in an advanced civilization.”

  “I know. I wonder if we arrived too soon in their development? If so, our rules were to not establish contact.”

  As they were walking, with their rather large security detail in tow, a local wearing what appeared to be a costume from the past, approached them. They had translators, to enable communication.

  “You are not Gods.”

  They looked at each other, then Matthew responded, “No, we are not Gods. I am Matthew and this is Lanica.”

  “Call me Skylar.”

  Lanica said, “Are you a God?”

  His eyes went very big for a moment, then he laughed, saying, “No, no. There are no Gods here. There were, but they have departed. I am only a student of our past.”

  Lanica asked, “How long ago did your Gods leave?”

  “Many years. The Gods built our home and dedicated an obelisk to their father God, Ra. Then, once that task was complete, they departed.”

  “Can we see the obelisk?”

  “Yes. It is in the center of our town, not far. Come.”

  He led them through narrow streets. Lanica felt like she was walking through the narrow streets of an old Egyptian village. Everything was brown in one shade or another, dusty, and the temperature was beginning to get very warm.

  “Can you smell that?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “It smells like every aroma in the world is rolled into one.”

  “Yes, spices, sweat, sweet meats, smoke; and the sounds.”

  “This place is very alive to appear so stark.”

  At that moment they rounded a corner and entered the central square of the village. In the middle, rising up above everything, was a massive obelisk. As they approached, Lanica opened her tablet to see the previous images of the two obelisks that started this research. She stood there looking at the new one and imaged it, then compared it to the others.

  “Well?”

  “I don’t understand this. It is a perfect match to the other two.”

  They looked at each other.

  “Skylar. That is also a word for scholar. You said you are a student of your history. When was this obelisk put here?”

  “We will celebrate the five-thousand-year anniversary next month.”

  “Do you know why the Gods built this here? Do you know where they came from or where they went?”

  Skylar smiled, “You want the answer to the big questions quickly. Yet the answer is not a quick one to give. Let us get out of this heat into the shade and talk.”

  He led them to a small building, that upon closer inspection, they realized was more of a tent structure. The doors were flaps that were pinned up allowing what breeze that existed to circulate the air. In front was a covering, where they sat with several local people waving what looked like large leaves to force air circulation and help cool the skin.

  They sat down into pillows, resting on wooden supports, like chairs but on the ground. Each person had a small table beside them, where a drink was placed, along with what looked like dates and bread.

  “The drink is from a local fruit mixed with fermented grain. It is called Zaqtat. It tastes quite good. It also contains a light hint of a hallucinogenic property. You can drink one and only feel comfortable. You would have to drink many of these quickly in order to feel more than that. However, if you desire something stronger, that is available as well.”

  “How long does it stay in the system and are there any other side effects?”

  “It will cleanse itself within a day. There are no physical side effects with this very small amount. Larger amounts over time? Yes, there are effects.”

  Lanica took a sip and discovered it was very tasty. “Goodness, this is delicious. What about the fruit and bread?”

  “The fruit are dates soaked in honey, the bread is from local wheat. We do not drink Zaqtat on an empty stomach. This food helps minimize the effect, but they will not eliminate it.” They stopped talking for a few minutes as they ate some dates and bread. “So, you want to know the story. Very well. I will tell you.”

  “The builders of the obelisk were Gods. They knew a lot and did marvelous things, some of which seemed miraculous. Our history speaks of healing impossible sickness, creating water from nothing, and teaching about the world. They not only used the people to help with the work, but it is believed, they brought the people here.”

  “What do you mean, they brought the people here?”

  “Yes, there is one story that talks about our ancestors journeying with the Gods to this place. They are the ones who built the obelisk, as a means to thank the Gods for their kindness and generosity.”

  Lanica started to speak again, but Skylar held up his hand to quieten her, saying, “Please, I know you have questions, but let me finish the story first.”

  “The Gods did give us a command, which was to keep our story alive and wait for someone who would come from the stars seeking it. There is a secret story that we hide, waiting for the sign to tell it. You are not the first to come from the stars. The last seeker was Thaddeus Twenty-Two. His motivation was power, so we told him a story. I have not yet decided what your motivation is, so will not tell you the secret story until that decision is made.”

  Matthew said, “Thank you, Skylar, for sharing with us what you have. Our motivation is simple. This obelisk is exactly like the obelisk on a planet called Aphrodite, located in this same galaxy.”

  Lanica pulled out her tablet and showed him the pictures of both obelisks.

  “However, there is a third obelisk that is also exactly like this, on a planet called Earth, in a different galaxy. We are trying to understand how this could be.”

  “They are also each about five thousand years old and made from the same material.”

  Skylar smiled. “I see. When Thaddeus Twenty-Two came and asked us questions, he asked why there were two obelisks in this galaxy the same. We told him they were matched by another obelisk in another galaxy, the one closest to us, and that when he found it, he would know the answer.”

  He paused, then chuckled, saying, “But that is not the secret story.”

  Lanica and Matthew looked at each other. She said, “That explains the invasion of our galaxy.”

  “Yes, he sought some new form of power. So, tell us, what is the secret?”

  “If I tell you, what will you do with it?”

  Lanica responded. “Honestly, Skylar, I don’t know. I don’t even understand the significance of these obelisks being the same, much less some secret they hold. I can tell you this; whatever we do with it, it will be to understand and then use it to help people and ourselves be better.”

  Skylar stood up and walked over to her, then squatted down and reached out, holding her head in his hands, and leaned in and touched her forehead with his. He sat there for a moment. She closed her eyes. Matthew waited. After a few minutes, Skylar released her, got up and walked out of the tent.

  Lanica opened her eyes, and turning to M
atthew, said, “Let’s go.”

  “Wait, what happened? What did you learn?”

  “I learned the truth. I must return to Aphrodite.” She stood up and reached out her hand to him, saying, “We have an interesting adventure ahead of us.”

  57.364.08

  “Admiral, we have received a flash message from Star Fleet HQ. It says it is eyes only for you.”

  “Very well, I’ll take it in my stateroom.”

  Jeffrey left and made his way quickly to his stateroom and activated his communication console, entering his private channel security requirements.

  “Admiral, The Regent needs a word.”

  With that, Tamara appeared on the screen. “Dad, this is for you and Stephanie. We have had several Baron’s join together in another rebellion, this time in the Scaltren Sector. It is limited at this time, but it could grow.”

  “Very well, hang on a minute.” He called Heather on his comm, saying, “Dear, urgent request, bring the Empress to my stateroom immediately.”

  Heather was momentarily surprised, but hearing his voice and choice of words, she said, “Right away.”

  It did not take long before they joined him.

  “Regent Stewart, the Empress is here, please report.”

  “Your Majesty, several Barons and it appears Viscount Ragnon, all in the Scaltren Sector, have decided to separate themselves from the Empire, announcing they do not recognize your rule or my place holding the rule for you. We have not taken any action at this time. I only found out about this an hour ago and felt it needed your direction before launching Starfleet assets to intervene.”

  “Well done, Tamara. Jeffrey, what assets are available to intervene in Scaltren?”

  “Your Majesty, we have a full fleet currently in the Scaltren sector participating in war games. Admiral Negoyavitch is in command.”

  “Very well, inform him to squash this rebellion and take prisoner every noble person or military leader involved in this activity. They will be transported to Meladeran and you, Tamara, will hold them as prisoners, along with the others, until I return. At that time, I will deal with them.”