Trappist-1_The Tree of Life

by Todd Fries

  PRISON

  The cell was cold and gray. The Major looked around. He’d never seen the inside of one before, but it was very sparse, offering a single toilet, openly exposed in the far corner. There was no privacy and with three women and four men, the best courtesy they could provide was to face in the other direction when someone had to relieve themselves.

  Aside from this, a single bench ran along the far wall and with no windows, he could only guess as to the time of day. It was a bit chilly and without warmer clothing, it was becoming uncomfortable and he wondered if this was a tactic designed to prepare them for interrogation. The cold could do many things to a man and the allure of a hot meal and a warm bed were effective tools in a war of words.

  Keeping them together without any news of their fate, was designed to create fatigue and increase irritability. How many times had close confinement brought out the worst in people, who began viewing the annoying habits of those around them as increasingly vile and disgusting? The biting of a nail, the clearing of the throat or the way they tied their shoes started eating at them from the inside, creating an environment of conflict and disorder.

  If the General had plans to break them, this would be a good first start. Since being locked in several hours ago, not a single person had entered the cell block, leaving them alone and afraid. This guy had the power to do anything he pleased and there was no governing body to harness his actions. The most likely scenario was that he’d march them out, one by one to be shot. He had the authority, but doubted he would do that. If he wanted them dead, they’d be dead already, so if he needed something from them, what could it be?

  He glanced over at Nickolas who seemed disturbed. However, they all looked disturbed. Everybody was numb from the experience and didn’t want to talk about it. They’d just seen another friend die and with nothing to show for it, the mood was somber and depressing. A feeling of defeat was permeating the group and with little hope of recovery, they could only stew in their own thoughts.

  Nickolas pounded his fist.

  “Where the hell did she get a gun?”

  The Major answered.

  “General Reynold’s obviously. Did anyone know she was armed?”

  Everyone shook their heads. Nothing like that had ever been discussed. She obviously intended to do this on her own, but it didn’t make any sense. Why take such a risk, knowing she could be shot. Now they started wondering about her state of mind. Was she depressed? Did they miss the signs? They were so caught up in their project and in the death of General Reynold’s that she got pushed back and forgotten.

  They knew she was lonely, but it never occurred to them how this might impact her. It was the one thing she feared most, so did she just give up? It didn’t seem like something she would do unless she wanted to ensure their safety? The group reeled from the shock and the anger started bubbling to the surface. Nickolas shouted again.

  “We forgot the bible! How could we have started our journey without the word of God? The very thing contained in the vessel when we found her wasn’t part of our cargo. How could we have been so stupid? She died for nothing!”

  The Major answered Nickolas.

  “Stupid? What are you talking about? We nearly pulled this off. She bought us time and we would have made it except for those goons inside the ship.”

  “Yes, but maybe God didn’t want us to leave without bringing his ‘Word’ with us. If so, this was our own fault for not honoring the intent of his vision.”

  “And what vision was that?”

  Nickolas looked at him in anger.

  “Vision? How many times have we talked about this over the last few weeks? The vision of a new world. A safe haven for humanity built on the biblical foundations of our ancestors, going back over 5000 years. That vision! Do you remember?”

  “Hey. I’m just saying that I doubt that our failure was based on forgetting the original books from the craft. They knew we were coming.”

  Mark moved into the conversation.

  “So do you think one of us leaked it to them?”

  “I don’t know. If so, then who? We’re all locked up and one of us is dead.”

  “We could still have a traitor among us.”

  “True, but what could they hope to gain? If this person has been part of our group since the beginning, they’d know everything already, so why put them in a cell with us now?”

  Mark nodded.

  “I suppose, but it makes you wonder how much they knew and when did they know it.”

  Jillian raised her finger to her mouth.

  “Shhhh. Keep your voices down. You don’t know whose listening.”

  Lori examined the walls carefully, looking for any sign of a microphone or camera.

  “If they wanted to listen in, they could do it without leaving any obvious clues.”

  Mark chimed in.

  “Yes. They can use almost any piece of electronics we own. If it connects to the internet, it can be used to spy on us. Our mobile devices, our TV’s and now various types of appliances can all be wired into a network. This same technological innovation that empowers us also makes us vulnerable to those who would exploit such advances against us.”

  Nickolas put his hand to his chin.

  “While we’ve been careful to avoid using our phones or e-mail, we still carried them with us and never turned anything off. It’s very possible they heard every word and that’s how they knew to intercept us. It’s the only answer that makes sense.”

  Jacob approached the group and offered his opinion.

  “You know we were so intent on doing it our way; we never considered doing it his way. Did any of you ask for his wisdom in prayer? Did any of us have the faith required to let God fight our battle for us? We took things into our own hands and look what happened.”

  “I can’t disagree.” Said Nickolas.

  Hannah questioned him.

  “So how do we move forward from here?”

  “We don’t.”

  Jacob continued to explain.

  “At least not on our own. Right now we’re as helpless as can be and sometimes God has to drive us to that point before we can trust him enough to allow his power to shine through us. In this prison cell, we’re totally dependent on him and since we don’t have any other plans, why not let God go to work?”

  Major Brooks interjected.

  “What plan?”

  “God is patient. His plans can take years or even decades to bear fruit. Look at all of the prophecies that had to be fulfilled about Jesus. There were 44 messianic prophesies that came to pass regarding Jesus and that took thousands of years. Talk about a well-conceived plan; God is quite capable of saving us from our own failings.”

  “Well I don’t see this prison door swinging open.”

  “Acts 5, verse 19”

  “Huh?”

  “That’s when an angel of the Lord was sent to open the jail cells of the apostles and had them brought out.”

  “Oh.”

  The Major seemed embarrassed and went to sit down. Nickolas continued.

  “I think he’s right. We need to pray. It’s the only option. Nothing else has worked.”

  At that moment Hannah shouted into the empty hallway.

  “Hey! Can you hear me? We’re hungry down here. Send some food.”

  Her words echoed down the long corridor, but there was no answer.

  “Hey! Someone help us! We have the right to speak with our captors!”

  If she had a stick or something, she would have started banging on the bars, but there were no loose objects in the cell. It was designed with security in mind. She rejoined the group.

  “You know they’re going to come for us eventually. He could shoot us all and he’d never have to answer for it. When we signed those papers, we gave up all rights as citizens, which means we can be scrapped like garbage. If they don’t need us, they don’t have to deal with us at all.”

  Mark questioned her.

  “So why
keep us around? Lori and I are still on the grid outside this base. Someone will come looking for us.”

  Hannah twisted her face in disbelief.

  “Really? Just because you can go home, you think they can’t touch you? If you believe that, you really are naive.”

  Jillian stepped over.

  “Leave him alone. Nobody’s going to kill anyone, least of all us. We’re too valuable.”

  Major Brooks inquired.

  “In what way?”

  “We’re the best at what we do. We’re all leaders in our fields. The last thing they want is to destroy valuable resources. They’ve invested too much time and energy to simply dismiss us. I think they need us for something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Our knowledge. I know how to make a type of fertilizer that fools plants into thinking they’ve been exposed to light. You know how to fly the aircraft. Mark and Lori understand the dynamics of the fusion reactor while Hannah can read the language. These things are still needed, even if the General thinks otherwise. There are others who know what’s been happening here. There has to be.”

  “So what are you proposing?”

  “We have leverage - so we should act like it. Don’t let them intimidate us into bending to their will. Let them threaten us and if needed let them kill us, but ours will be the victory in the end.”

  As if on cue, the lights went out leaving them in total darkness. At first there was a stunned silence until Jillian continued with her thoughts.

  “Like I said. They can try to intimidate, but he’s the one in the weaker position. When our own command structure spies, beats, kills and extorts, it can no longer be said to rest on the foundations of morality and justice, but rather on force. Our treatment is dishonorable. It corrupts and degrades itself along with the people that accept it. Something has to give and it isn’t going to be us.”

  The group grunted in approval. For the first time since their incarnation, they felt some hope and it came from a Hindu gardener. Not that it mattered, but she had common sense and amidst their upheaval, a calm mind was needed to balance the chaos of the last few hours. The General may have been better off separating them into individual rooms, because being together was a source of strength and not a source of in-fighting as he had hoped.

  Being backed into a corner, they were more resolved than ever to continue in their civil disobedience and even if threatened with the prospect of death, they’d never back down now or change their testimony. They had witnessed too much to deny the very foundation of their belief and if the General expected to intimidate them into silence, he had another thing coming.

  The darkness of the cell was so complete, they couldn’t see their fingers in front of their face. And when the air-conditioning kicked in, a chill breeze tickled their skin, creating goose bumps as they rubbed their arms and stomped their feet. Without coats or blankets, they only had each other and so forming small groups, they gathered together to trap as much heat as possible.

  Now they would have to wait out the long night without food, huddled on the floor and feeling for the toilet and sink. But they now had a new source of inner strength and the will to use it against General Taylor; and anyone associated with his command had better examine their own motivations carefully. At some point there’d be a day of accountability. This was going to end one way or the other, but until the outcome was clear, they would pray for deliverance and hope for the best. It was going to be a long, cold night.

  THE HOLY-7

  General Taylor was beside himself with anger. Someone was going around and posting flyers, describing the plight of the “Holy-7” as they were referred to in the notice. The document went into detail about their quest to save humanity and how they had been violently stopped through the use of invasive techniques including surveillance, intimidation and the use of deadly force. The missive also insinuated that their beloved former commander, General Reynolds, had been assassinated.

  He crumpled the paper and tossed it into the trash. This was infuriating. The last thing he wanted was publicity, but now someone was working against him and he didn’t know who. Of course he immediately examined all the video surveillance, but whoever it was knew all the camera blind spots, so by the time one of his officers noticed a message, it could have been there for hours and posted by any one of a hundred people.

  This was a busy place, so someone must have seen the culprit. Before the day was over, he would offer a reward for any information leading to the arrest of the secret publisher. After all, this man was revealing military secrets in a very public way and this couldn’t go unchecked. This was a direct challenge to his authority and it demanded punishment.

  After listening to their discussions in the detention cell, he asked one of his advisors to research the significance of the number 7 when applied to biblical teaching. If he learned anything from his years of service, it was to understand your enemy. When General Patton met his adversary, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel at the Battle of El Guettar, he had just spent weeks studying his writings, including his book entitled “Infanterie Greift” (Infantry Attacks) which Rommel published in 1937. Patton, sensing victory as he observed the confusion of the enemy was said to growl, “Rommel, you magnificent bastard. I read your book!”

  This was the key to unlocking victory. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. He had done much to keep these 7 under his thumb, but this was proving to be harder than anticipated. In addition, they kept referencing Bible passages and he wondered if this was some sort of secret code. Perhaps he underestimated the nature of these verses. Maybe there was more here that met the eye and if he could unlock the secret of their teachings, he might be able to go on the attack.

  But for the moment, he was on the defensive and unsure of his next move. While he’d been successful in preventing their escape, this was clearly ballooning into something much larger. Since its inception, there had never been an organized resistance of any sort at Area 51 and he wasn’t going to be saddled with one now. Not on his watch. So when he asked for information regarding the number 7, he was grasping at straws. It was a longshot, but perhaps it might reveal something important.

  When his advisor returned with the results, he wasn’t happy. The number 7 in the Bible represented divine perfection, totality or completion and was mentioned at least 490 times.

  There were 7 things the Lord hates.

  There were 7 trumpets announcing the judgments of God in the Book of Revelation (8).

  There were 7 letters to the 7 churches in the Book of Revelation. (2-3)

  There were 7 signs given in the Gospel of John.

  Jesus mentioned 7 parables in Mathew 13.

  Jesus mentioned 7 woes (or judgements) on the unrepentant in Mathew 23.

  There were 7 qualities or attributes of the Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 11:2.

  There were 7 “I AM’s” in the Gospel of John that Jesus used when He spoke of Himself.

  There were 7 stems on the lampstand in the tabernacle (Ex 25:37).

  No animal could be sacrificed until it was 7 days old (Ex 22:30)

  Joshua and Israel marched around Jericho 7 times while 7 priests blew 7 trumpets before the walls came crashing down (Joshua 6:3-4)

  And his least favorite.

  There were 7 pairs of clean animals that were received into the Ark (Gen 7:2).

  Of course the list went on and on, but he got the point. The number 7 was significant, but he didn’t know how that might help him. When he read about the 7 things the Lord hates, he steamed in anger, for when he read those words, his own conscience tugged at his soul.

  There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

  Self-rationalization was an alluring act of self-deception and in order to justify his act
ions, feeble but plausible arguments immediately crossed his mind. These people were the enemy. They were the cause of all that had happened so far. This wasn’t his doing. He was just following orders and the means justified the end. It was a simple matter of protecting national security.

  So when he arranged to parade the prisoners through the complex and ordered their food withheld and doused the lights and cooled their cell, he was acting in the best interests of the United States and the world at large. This wasn’t about him and it wasn’t about them. It was about keeping the peace and protecting everything he held dear. It would have been much easier to have them shot for treason, but now their story was plastered on every bulletin board, in every bathroom and it was like chasing a ghost.

  He thought about it further. Counting the crew of Apollo 19, there had been 7 people involved with the recovery of the spacecraft. Two of them died on the Moon. The first mission in 1975 happened in the 7th month. The number 7 represented enlightenment, development and awakening. How true of what they found at Stellae Mysterium. Even the word “Stellae” was 7 characters in length and when he looked deeper, there were 7 spacecraft involved in the operations including the Chinese Rover. The star Proxima Centauri was 1/7th the diameter of the Sun and there were 7 planets around Trappist-1. The Lord mentioned himself 7 times in the binary message sent from Voyager 2 and it went on and on.

  He quickly researched that message translated by the team within the last few months. It was Hannah’s work that allowed them to finally decipher the strange binary code sent from Voyager 2. He read the words carefully.

  “When you consider My heavens, the work of My fingers, the Moon and the stars, which I have set in place, what is mankind that I am mindful of them, human beings that I care for them? When you look up to the sky and see the Sun, the Moon and the stars-all the heavenly array-do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshipping things that the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”