The Nosferatu Chronicles: Return to Vambiri

by Susan Hamilton

  UNIFICATION

  Newisla Conference Room

  2044 AD

  “How many?” asked D’Hal.

  “Two and a half thousand stasis pods, Primus, all functional,” answered Ikato.

  “You referred to them as your children,” said Kevak.

  “They were either orphaned or abandoned Lowcastes,” explained Ikato. “I offered them sanctuary from a life of deprivation by masquerading as lab assistants.”

  “The Council would never have approved giving them positions above their station,” said D’Hal, who purposely avoided using the term “Lowcaste.”

  “The Council changed their tune when I told them there was an extreme risk of radiation poisoning,” said Ikato.

  “Two and a half thousand lab assistants defies belief,” said D’Hal.

  Ikato chuckled. “They only gave approval for a skeleton staff of ten. I wrote out hundreds of requisitions for equipment that included stasis pod technology. Once the cloaked chamber was created, I began stockpiling the pods. Those I saved from the slums were eager to learn, and together we were able install thousands.”

  “To what purpose?” asked Kevak.

  “As I explained before, the Council believed I was attempting to generate a wormhole to facilitate robotic mining of distant planets,” said Ikato. “I played along with it, but my true purpose was to find a habitable planet to colonize with the children, where they could be the founders of a free society. Placing them in stasis rendered them invisible, and since they were either orphaned or abandoned, no one was looking for them.”

  “There is no longer a need to escape from Vambiri,” said D’Hal. “A wise human once said that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. We were guilty of accepting our Highcaste status without question and facilitated the corrupt system by our own apathy. Through Kevak, we discovered the Word of Iam, which brought about further introspection and a recognition that the caste system which benefited us was inherently unjust. We now have the opportunity to put all of our noble words into practice, Ikato. Your children will become our children, and once the embryos on the Newisla have matured into adults, the free society you dreamed of will become a reality here on Vambiri.”

  “Pardon me, Primus,” said Ikato. “Who was this Iam? Was he a human philosopher?”

  D’Hal smiled. “He is everything — all knowing, all powerful, all present.”

  “A deity?” asked Ikato. “Deity cults have always been strictly forbidden on Vambiri. How did you overcome generations of entrenched secularism?”

  “Our cosmic odyssey brought it about,” said D’Hal. “If we had been shown the Word of Iam in precatastrophe Vambiri, we would have never accepted it. Our suffering, both physical and emotional, began with the crash-landing on Earth. Everyone lost someone — not one complete family unit survived intact. In the starvation that followed, we clung to the hope that the hemo-crops planted by Kevak would soon be harvested, but the Commander, who was secretly addicted to blood, connived to destroy the crops and framed Kevak for murder. We didn’t know that Kevak escaped his execution, and we believed he was dead. Once the crops had been destroyed and Kevak was gone, we had only two choices: die of starvation or live by ingesting blood. Our psychological struggle for self-preservation made us putty in the Commander’s hands. The stark physical transformation brought about by blood ingestion paled in comparison to the all-encompassing mental instability of addiction. No matter how much blood we consumed, our hunger was never satisfied. Some succumbed to the hemostim mind sickness. The rest of us who clung to the fringes of sanity were no better than robotic beasts. Kevak and his network of transformed humans captured us one by one through the centuries. We deserved death for the murders we had committed, but Kevak showed us compassion. The blood was flushed from our systems and replaced with hemo-nectar. When addiction no longer held us in its grip, our minds became clear, but this clarity brought on an overwhelming sense of guilt for what we had done. It was precisely at this point of mental crisis that we received the Word of Iam from Kevak. No matter what we had done, we would be forgiven if we only asked it of Him. The most important tenet of addiction recovery is to admit you are powerless alone to overcome it. It was then, and only then, that we accepted Iam.”

  “I had no idea, Primus,” said Ikato. “I’m at a loss for words trying to take it all in…Kevak, how was it that you overcame the blood addiction and accepted Iam?”

  “I never partook of blood,” said Kevak. “My journey was a different one. I would be happy to share with you later.”

  “I should very much like that,” said Ikato. “It sounds fascinating.”

  “The matter now at hand is how we will go about reviving the children,” said Kevak. “The housing quarters of Lun must first undergo extensive renovations. There will no longer be sectors according to caste. I have put Miboj in charge of designing the units.”

  Ikato turned to the crewman. “Well, Miboj, what are your thoughts?”

  “Each family unit will be headed by two to four Newlunders,” said Miboj.

  “Newlunders?” asked Ikato.

  “Newlun was our self-imposed prison constructed underground on a remote Earth island once we were free from the blood addiction,” explained D’Hal.

  “Up to twenty of Ikato’s children will be included in each household,” continued Miboj. “There should be an assortment of ages as one would expect for a large family unit.”

  “The children can be grouped together by age once they begin attending school,” said D’Hal. “Family units will harvest the hemo-crops on rotation. They’ll have to work manually until the plant drillers and combines are functional.”

  “We need to make a complete inventory of hemo-rations from both the Newisla and your stores,” said Kevak to Ikato. “We can’t be reviving too many too soon.”

  “I’ll get on to that straight away,” said Ikato. “Is there anything else?”

  “Yes,” said Kevak. “The particle accelerator’s computer mainframe must be disassembled. Earth is to be declared off-limits to the Vambir.”

  Ikato was taken aback. “But what if Vambiri is faced with another cosmic disaster necessitating evacuation?”

  “There has only been one cosmic disaster in Vambiri’s recorded history,” said Kevak, “and your experiments with the particle accelerator are what brought it about.”

  “But—” began Ikato.

  “Just think if you had solved the organic transportation problem thousands of years ago,” said D’Hal. “You would have succeeded in colonizing Earth during the cradle of human civilization. The bloodlust would have immediately overtaken your children, and that would have been the end of both humanity and the original Vambir species.”

  “Preventing instant travel to Earth is preferable to fitting the children with implants,” said Kevak.

  “Implants?” asked Ikato.

  “Human blood is highly addictive,” explained D’Hal. “Once we were placed in a controlled environment and no longer had access to it, a reverse metamorphosis returned us to our original Vambir form. But the cravings remained, and the possibility of relapse was a constant threat to humanity. Every Newlunder was fitted with a cerebral implant that would swell upon ingestion of blood, resulting in immediate death. It was the only way to ensure humanity’s protection.”

  “So there you have it, Ikato,” said Kevak. “Either the wormhole device is disassembled, or every child in stasis is to be fitted with an implant upon revival, and the same will apply to the embryos once they reach maturation. Which do you prefer?”

  Ikato sighed. “I understand and will assist you with the decommissioning.”

  CLOUDY

  Hyde Park, London

  2044 AD

  “Behold!” cried Merk. “He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also that pierced Him! And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him!”

  “Move on, Jesus freak!” called out a passer
by.

  “Tandem venias, precamur,” said Merk. “Nube candentes humeros amictus. Augur Apollo."

  “More mumbo jumbo,” said the passerby.

  “Since Christianity offends you,” explained Merk, “I offer you the Ode to Apollo instead—Lord of the golden lyre, fraught with the Dorian fire. Oh, fair-haired child of Leto, come again. And if no longer smile, Delphi or Delos’ isle. Come from the depth of thine Aetnean glen, where in the black ravine, thunders the foaming green of waters writhing far from mortals’ ken. Come o’er the sparkling brine, and bring thy train divine — the sweet-voiced and immortal violet-crownèd Nine.”

  *******

  “Over there,” said Devonna, pointing to the ranting, unkempt man. “I told you we’d find him in Speaker’s Corner.”

  Jasper sighed. “He’s worse than ever.”

  “I’ll fix that,” said Devonna, indicating the flat disc with the tiny needle that she had affixed to her palm.

  “Merk?” she called out to him. “Do you remember me?”

  Merk stopped babbling and stared at her. After a few seconds, recognition registered on his face. “Devonna Douglass!” he exclaimed. “Dee-dee! Double Dee! Dee times dee! Dee squared!”

  He opened his arms to hug her, and to the surprise of those gathered at Speaker’s Corner, she warmly embraced him.

  “We need to have a serious chat,” she said as she pressed her palm into the back of his neck.

  “Perhaps you would care for a spot of lunch, Dr. Merkowitz,” said Jasper.

  “Everything has tasted metallic for years,” said Merk, “even water.”

  “That will change soon,” said Devonna.

  *******

  “Gordon Bennett!” exclaimed Merk as he wolfed down the last of the fish and chips. “I never thought food would taste good again!”

  Jasper walked toward them carrying a paper bag. “One meat pie and one curry pie.”

  “Did you get more sauce?” asked Merk, snatching the bag from him.

  “There are extra packets in the bag,” answered Jasper as he sat on the park bench next to him and Devonna.

  Merk took a large swig of soda and closed his eyes to savor the taste. “I can’t believe it — I’m not drowsy or in a stupor!”

  “It’s a new drug,” said Devonna. “It inhibits dopamine receptors.”

  “That’s the same thing the old medication did that left me in a mental fog,” said Merk.

  “This has been tailored to your specific DNA,” said Jasper. “It was extrapolated from the blood sample taken the last time you were committed to a psychiatric unit. The inhibitors are able to measure the precise balance needed to prevent manic behavior, while at the same time maintaining mental clarity.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a thing,” said Merk, “and in spite of my mental infirmity, I keep up with current events.”

  “It’s alien technology,” said Devonna.

  Merk laughed, then abruptly stopped and looked at Jasper. “I remember you being…older. Are you one of the aliens?”

  “Appearing old was a disguise,” explained Jasper. “I’m not an alien.”

  “But no longer completely human,” said Devonna.

  “Why me?” asked Merk, looking from Devonna to Jasper. “What could you possibly want with me?”

  “The anomaly in the Kuiper Belt was a wormhole emanating from the alien home world,” explained Devonna.

  “It drew in a spaceship containing the alien race that was heading back using conventional means,” said Jasper.

  “Conventional?” asked Merk.

  “Conventional to their standards,” said Jasper.

  “Someone on their home world has developed wormhole technology,” said Devonna. “We have the data and need your help to reconstruct it.”

  “Ah, the clouds are parting, indeed,” said Merk.

  “Then you’ll come with us?” asked Jasper.

  “After I finish these pies,” said Merk as he took another bite.

  PARALLELS

  Planet Vambiri

  Earth Year 2044 AD

  “A trunk falling off the back of a cart is how you discovered the Word of Iam?” Ikato asked Kevak.

  “There were many things inside the trunk,” said Kevak. “I had only just escaped my execution and was living in isolation. Before coming across the Bible, I read several books on ancient human philosophers.”

  “Are the writings of these philosophers also contained in the Newisla’s database?” asked Ikato.

  “All the great works of Terran literature, art, music, and science are there, recorded for posterity.”

  “If Earth is to remain off-limits, then surely such a database would only serve to whet the appetite of future generations who would want to go exploring,” said Ikato.

  “Earth is part of our history,” said Kevak, “and played an essential role in leading us to Iam. We can’t rewrite, or, worse still, delete all mention of Earth. We will teach the children in school the whole truth about what happened and trust that disabling instant travel to Earth will be enough to protect humanity.”

  “I need to explain something to you about the children,” said Ikato.

  “Yes?” asked Kevak.

  “You will forgive me,” said Ikato, “but it is difficult to describe without making caste distinctions, which I know the Primus deplores.”

  “Go ahead,” said Kevak.

  “As you know,” said Ikato, “all forms of religion were banned in precatastrophe Vambiri as long as there has been recorded history. There were always obscure rumors of Lowcaste deity cults — surely you grew up hearing about them, yes?”

  “I did,” said Kevak. “After everything that has happened, I believe the Council was behind the rumors, since it presented religion as a something that would only appeal to the dull-witted, lower orders of society.”

  “And that in turn perpetuated the myth that Lowcastes were inferior intellectually,” said Ikato.

  “Circular logic at its worst,” said Kevak.

  “Those rumors,” said Ikato, followed by a heavy sigh, “were true.”

  “The children told you this?” asked Kevak.

  “It’s more like I tripped over it,” said Ikato. “You have to understand that the Council went to great pains to keep the two castes apart. This separation made it possible for the Lowcastes to keep their religion a secret. Also essential to the secrecy was the fact that their traditions, prayers, and chants were passed down purely by word of mouth. When we were constructing the hidden stasis chamber we were forced to stay concealed for long periods of time in close proximity. I observed their daily prayer rituals, and in the fullness of time I too became a believer.”

  “What was the catalyst for your faith?” asked Kevak.

  “My entombment,” answered Ikato. “I would have gone mad, were it not for the liturgies. At first they helped to keep my mind away from thoughts of suffocating to death. At some point, a change occurred where I no longer had any fear and felt full of purpose.”

  “What is the core belief?” asked Kevak.

  “Monotheism,” answered Ikato. “The children used the named ‘Creator’ and believe that someday one will come to liberate them. So strong is this belief that they willingly accepted their lot in life and were content to wait for the prophecy to be fulfilled, even if it meant they would not see it in their lifetime.”

  “Sounds eerily similar to the story of Moses and the Israelite slaves,” said Kevak, “which happened on Earth some three thousand years before the Vambir arrival.”

  “Moses?” asked Ikato.

  “He was one of Iam’s prophets,” said Kevak. “His life and experiences are described in the Bible. In fact, it was to Moses that Iam revealed his peculiar name, also known to scholars as ‘Yahweh.’”

  Ikato removed a minidisc from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of Kevak. “This is everything I documented about the Lowcaste religion during my time with the children — their prayers, chants,
and daily devotions.”

  “The Newisla’s database of Earth has been downloaded to the terminal in your unit,” said Kevak. “I can’t help but feel we’ll discover more parallels between the two religions. There has to be a common link somewhere, since Vambir and humans share an obscure genetic marker.”

  “What?” asked Ikato with an edge of panic in his voice.

  “Yes,” said Kevak. “In the days just after we crash-landed on Earth, our first contact with humans went horribly wrong, and there were casualties on both sides. A wounded human was taken back to the lifeboat for analysis. There is no doubt — we are interstellar cousins. It’s not so much that we share the same set of genes, but rather a gene mutation. Not everyone on Earth or Vambiri has the mutation, but it occurs in both species.”

  “Do you have the results from the experiments conducted on the wounded human?” asked Ikato.

  “They would be somewhere in the lifeboat’s mainframe, which remained behind on Earth,” said Kevak.

  “No matter,” said Ikato, “We’ll meet again to flesh out the similarities between the two faiths after we have finished our respective studies.”

  *******

  Ikato rushed back to his unit and powered up the terminal. “Access,” he commanded, “Holy Bible. Cross reference Moses, Iam, and Yahweh.”

  The relevant text appeared on the computer screen:

  Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

  Ikato turned away from the terminal, made the sign of the sacred circle, and began to pray with a fervency he had never before experienced.

  SEETHING

  Wind River Reservation, Wyoming

  2044 AD

  Mazatli Pocatello sat on the floor of her wigwam in a stupor induced by “Laughing Jim,” a large orange mushroom she had collected from decaying silver maple tree stumps. The decrepit old woman lived a solitary existence, pointedly avoiding all contact not only with outsiders, but even with the Native residents, who thought she was quite mad. She was the only one on the reservation who had chosen to live in a wigwam, and everyone remembered how she had flown into a rage when tribal representatives offered to supply her with a furnished trailer.