Later, he would withdraw, in a sense, and allow his creations to run the world. When the second race chose evil He respected their choice. They chose blindness so He gave them blindness. They roamed the Vega in darkness. Their moral blindness caused their physical blindness. By that time, they had invented huge machines and great technology. They had the machines that you possess, or something like them. Great transportation machines that roamed through the Vega and flew in the skies. Great ships that sailed the oceans. But that came to an end when blindness came on them. All the machines stopped. We heard the sounds of them no more.”
“Did they die out?”
“That we do not know. They haven’t been seen since that time.”
“Any rumors as to where the Molochs came from?”
“No, it was only noted down through the ages that some things were so evil that they should not be repeated. Nothing about the Molochs has ever been told or repeated.”
“Boy, there’s a character reference.” I said.
Belen nodded and quoted, “And God saw how great man’s wickedness on the Earth had become and how every inclination of his mind was evil. And God grieved he had made man.”
“Looks like a few other planets didn’t work out too well, either.” I muttered. “At this rate, I imagine hell must be considerably overcrowded. But I guess it can keep expanding.”
“No, doubt.” Belen said.
“Thank you for coming in, Dalvros.”
He stood up and offered his hand. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Major.”
“The pleasure and the honor has been all mine. It’s nice to meet a human who has not fallen from grace.”
“If your Adam had only listened to God, thousands of years of death and suffering would never had happened. Our time is short. It is written that our Creator shall return, and heaven and the physical realm will merge. Man was given a lease here for about seven thousand years. We believe our days on this planet are drawing to a close.”
“Always nice to have a backup plan.” I said.
“Is there such a lease on your planet?”
“I don’t know. I will have to ask Fr. Diego about it. Or perhaps Belen knows.”
I turned to her. “You have any insight?”
“Some Biblical scholars believe there is such a plan, and they also think the time of the Earth lease, given to man by God, is running out. It’s roughly seven thousand years, too, and was given close to seven thousand years ago.”
“The clock is ticking.”
“But no one has the exact date.” she said. “It could be another hundred or two hundred years.”
“I’m guessing we have more like two weeks here. Two weeks before the Molochs attack.”
Chapter 28
When the buzzer sounded I poked it.
“Earthmovers are down, Major. You want them digging for the underground cities first or digging out the canyons?”
“The canyons. They come first.”
“Yes, sir.”
I turned back to Dalvros. “So how long have you lived here?”
“About seven thousand years, Major.”
“No wars, no conflict, no violence?”
“No, of course not. We walk in love and in harmony. There is no violence here. There is no selfishness. Sin is selfishness. That is not present in our society. We live in happiness and joy. Selfishness undercuts that. It looks pleasurable, but sin is the opposite of happiness and joy.”
I blew out some smoke when the thought hit me. A question I should ask. But for a moment, I trembled. I was not sure I wanted the answer.
“Dalvros. You said your race has lived here seven thousand years. How long have you lived here?”
He smiled and nodded. “Seven thousand years, Major.”
When my mouth dropped my cigar almost fell to the floor.
“The wages of sin are death.” Belen said. “If there is no sin, there is no death. Adam was never meant to die, and he never would have until he fell.”
“Seven thousand years?” I asked.
“And Jaclyn has been here…?”
“Only two thousand. She was born here after the original creation.”
“Two thousand?”
Dalvros nodded.
“And you’ve been here seven thousand. Seven thousand years without violence, without bloodshed, without pain, without greed, or envy or lust or pride?”
“Yes, Major.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Dalvros, but no human can comprehend that. Which perhaps shows how fallen we truly are.”
I watched the first batch of Aristolans file into the shuttle and wave good-bye to their friends and relatives. There wasn’t much of a crowd to see them off because the rest knew they’d be making the journey, too. The lift-off point was about thirty miles from camp. About a thousand individuals were jammed into the shuttle. But they wouldn’t be crowded in there for long. The trip would take only about thirty minutes to get to the transport ships.
There was moisture in the air. I expected to see rain clouds, but none were on the horizon. Perhaps an atmospheric anomaly of the planet. As the transport soared into the sky, another thought came to mind. I buzzed one of our scientists.
“Dr. Flaming here.”
“Doctor, Major Ryvenbark.”
“Major, what can I do for you?”
“Doctor, I have one small question about this planet, or about this little region of it. In my native state of Florida I often camped out. In that humid state there are dozens of bugs that bite. Before the advent of advanced pesticides, you itched after camping in the woods. Any such insects around here?”
“None that we have found, Major. Nothing bites here, and nothing sucks blood. No animals kill one another, either.”
That surprised me. “They don’t? How do they eat?”
“Vegetarians, Major. The animal kingdom doesn’t shed blood here. Rather remarkable, but that’s the way it is. It’s very peaceful here. If you ignore the blood-crazed savages about fifty miles from us.”
“Yeah, let’s ignore them.”
“It’s a total contrast, this and the rest of the planet. All other land on Vega shows what we see on other planets. The typical law of the jungle – killing, fighting, bloodshed and death. But not here. I don’t know the boundary line, and I don’t know how other animals don't wander in here and start attacking, but that hasn't happened. The animals here, even the ones who remind you of panthers, cougars, and bobcats back home, are peaceful. They don’t have the large incisors that a cougar might have back in my section of the Rocky Mountains. But besides that, they look very similar to the big cats we have back there.”
“But they eat grass?” I asked.
“They are leaf eaters and as friendly as dogs back on Earth. You can pet them and they don’t hurt you. They will come up and lick your face. You can pat their tummies.”
“I’ll try to get around to that when I’m not busy.” I said.
I looked up as the transport faded from view. “And the lion shall lay down with the lamb. Nothing shall kill or hunger on my holy mountain.” I mangled the quote and didn’t know which book it came from, but it was appropriate. And it was another sign that Belen was right – that this group had never fallen. There was no sin and no curse here. Impossible. I wished I had time to ponder and meditate on that. But I had things to do.
I expected the Earthmover to clang and bang and groan like a wounded animal. It was huge. A three-story, orange monstrosity that stuck one of its log-like metal tentacles into the ground and, one assumes, sucked the dirt from the ground. I say assume because the machine was so huge it practically disintegrated the sand. Which was darn effective, I thought.
Actually the thing was not noisy at all. A slight slurring noise accompanied the orange log in the ground, and the engine that ran the Earthmover made a slightly louder hum. Nothing loud or shrill or ear-shattering. Three workers could be seen inside the cabin, protected by a green covering. There were two other
Earthmovers digging at the other two passes. They would dig toward each other, and within a week, working night and day, would have excavated a long, very deep canyon. Should the Molochs attack they would have a very long fall.
Rab walked in and saluted. I saluted back.
“Nothing new on the scanners, sir.” he said. “The Molochs are still in their positions and haven’t moved much. They don’t seem to be in any hurry. They're middling around and that’s about it.”
“Good. Glad to hear they are not on the march. But something else bothers me, Rab. Where are their supplies? An army needs food and water. I don’t see any supplies. Don’t see any food being flown in or driven in or pulled by mule train. I don’t understand it. An army moves on its stomach.”
“Maybe not this army. Napoleon never saw anything like these guys, that's for sure. He wouldn’t have known what to make of them. Hell, Major, we don’t know what to make of them.”
“As long as they stay put for a few more days. I want them to sit tight. I’ve never known an army to just stand around, but if they want to, I applaud their inactivity.”
“How long do you think they will stand around?”
“I have no idea. Although I don’t think they will have an extended stay in the valley. But I still don’t know why they aren’t charging.” I smiled. “Maybe we intimidated them.”
“Yeah, that’s it. I don’t even think they know we’re here. They have no scouts so they don’t know what’s happening on this spot of land.”
I scratched my jaw. Why not hit them now? Order the jets in, let them spray the Molochs. I was tempted. But the mist had been calculated to be released in the valleys, a contained area. The mist would stay within the valley walls and remain lethal for two to three weeks. The Molochs were camped in an open-air field. Release the toxin and, due to the wind, rain and dissipation, it might be less powerful and less toxic. And decrease in lethalness over time. Unlike the guaranteed two to three weeks in the valley. I would have to be patient.
I buzzed our pilots.
“Yes, Major, what can I do for you?”
“Just checking. We have the mists loaded, correct?”
“Yes, they are waiting to be released. We have canisters in three planes. Say the word and we’re off.”
“Thanks. Just double checking. We’re going to wait for a while.”
“Whatever you say, Major. We’ll be ready when you give the word.”
My driver was one of Belen’s soldiers. I waved to him and he drove the jeep with me in the passenger seat. I got in and told him to return to headquarters. If I had been on the ship I might have called up a hologram of my third military colleague, the great chief Osceola, a master tactician. It’s still unclear why the U.S. Army fought him. No one else wanted the land of the Seminoles. They stayed around the Everglades, which was not a prime piece of real estate back in that time. If the mosquitoes didn’t get you, then the gators would. He fought admirably. It was Osceola who told his braves to only shoot men. “We do not make war on women and children” he said. Not many Native Americans followed his example. Whole lot of whites didn’t either. Osceola also didn’t allow prisoners to be tortured. Again, a difference between him and most Native American chiefs. Today, in theory, we don’t make war on women and children. Now women help us make war. The sociologists can debate whether that’s an improvement or not.
The Molochs definitely made war on women and children. If we wiped them off the planet I'd feel no guilt. But I didn’t feel any guilt in killing the Crittenders either.
“What’s your name, soldier?”
“Tarick, sir. Jason Tarick.”
“What’s the morale of the men, Mr. Tarick?”
“Very good sir. Most of them have gotten to know the Aristolans, and they really like and admire the race. We’ve made a lot of friends. It has made us determined to help them. I’m very glad I came, sir. I’m glad to be serving. I think all the men feel that way.”
“That’s good to know.”
“When do you think the Molochs will hit us, sir?”
“Well, a commanding officer is supposed to know everything, but I don’t have the answer to that question. They don’t seem to be like any army or any race I’ve ever seen. It’s very puzzling.”
“I don’t understand why they just stand around. It’s weird.”
“Yes, it is. There’s a great many weird things about this mission. And there are times in war, and in life, too, I guess, when all your questions are not answered. I think this may be one of those times. We will probably leave this planet with as many questions as we had when we came.”
“As long as we leave, sir. We can always keep the questions until another day.”
“How true. If we win, the answers become immaterial.”
As he turned a sharp curve, dust soared up and I choked. The land looked dry, but not too far away the grass was a lush green. Another puzzle about Vega. I buzzed one of Belen’s officials and took a drink of water.
“Yes, sir, what can I do for you?”
“Just wanted to check on the transporting. Is everything proceeding smoothly?”
“Yes. No major problems, not even minor hitches. The shuttles go up, and a little while later they come back and load up again. It would have been a really dull day but we’re playing a few hands of poker.”
“Hope you’re winning, son.”
“Only a couple of dollars.”
Chapter 29
Two days later at headquarters I sat at a circular table with Rad, Carmen. Eric and Tony. Possibly I should always call them by their ranks but we’ve fought together for so long I’m more familiar with their first names. It’s true you can never become a friend to your soldiers but private, for-cash units are a bit more flexible.
The weather seemed to reflect the unfallen state of the Aristolans. A cool breeze blew across the land. The sun gave a cheerfulness to the day. The temperature was moderate and the humidity was low. You would walk all day without sweating, unlike my native Florida. The calm weather had everyone around the table smiling. Well, the smiles could have come from my brilliant leadership but… I wasn’t going to lean too heavy on that theory.
Six screens had been pasted to the temporary walls. On one, the Molochs stood sullenly in their camps. New soldiers were marching north every day so their army was enlarging. I guessed they were waiting for all their troops before taking action. Other screens showed the mountain passes. All was calm.
“I wanted a brief strategy session before we go into combat, which I have a hunch will be very soon. Carmen, is everything going smoothly with the shuttles?”
She nodded. “No glitches whatsoever, sir. No problem with loading. Aristolans wait very patiently in line. They don’t crowd one another and are always being helpful. No fear of flying and no fear of space. Really nice people. We should only need about two more days and all of them should be in the transports.”
“Very good. Rab, are the Earthmovers on schedule?”
Deadly Voyage (Logan Ryvenbark's Saga Book 1) Page 19
