A Paradox in Retrograde (32 page)

The first to arrive was a retinue of royal guards. They easily recognized the face of the young prince and the symbolism of the
white flag. They formed from their ranks a circle that surrounded them from all sides. A warning from the steely eyed head
guard was uttered and translated, "If anything should befall the
young prince I will personally tare your bodies to pieces." From
merely his expression his intention had been made clear. This
they knew even before they had stepped foot on Nibaru was a
certainty. To confirm their understanding of his statement Landaus gave only a nod. Under the flag of parley they moved as
one. Through the now clamorous streets of Nibaru the figure of
the hostage prince was paraded by. To the populace,he was easily recognized so their every step now would be hampered by
howling shouts for retribution from the growing mob. Despite
the angry protestations of the mob, the royal guards ensured that
they were afforded the safe passage that they had gambled on.
Though terrified by the mocking displays of the natives, they
walked onward. With every deliberate step they made sure their
only weapon, an explosive devise tied tightly around Leif's neck,
was prominently displayed for all to see. Landaus held tightly
onto the dead man switch. Looking deeply into his eyes certain
members of the crowd had scanned for any sign of weakness that
could be exploited; the mob intuitively sensed that the device
would blow if they were assailed and killed. Thusly all were
warned to the danger to their young prince. It was this and this
alone that kept the creatures at bay. For this gambit to work their
adversaries could have no doubt that these humans would forfeit
their own lives if called to do so. All pretense of a ruse would be
eliminated. It was for this reason the charges were live. For any
attempt at subterfuge like their naked fear was certain to be
sniffed out. All or nothing then was perhaps their only play.

It was a brazen plan though it had all seemed so simple from the
safety of their high orbit. On the ground the reality was however
quite different. Landaus as his insides ran amok thought that it
must have been a situation quite like this where the term
"intestinal fortitude" had originated. Though wide eyed to the
danger they could barely deny the ancient fight or flight response
that now beset them. Despite the unrelenting jeers and waves of
raw anxiety they found the courage to press onward down along
the avenue of polished amber. Landaus for an instant believed the
stress of it all had gotten the better of him; for the quality of the
air was such as to seemingly play tricks on his eyes. The clouds
gathering now above him presented a strange apparition. They
appeared to glow a shade of ruddy crimson. Soon A drizzle of
blood red rain had begun to fall. He tasted the salty rain on his
wetted lips and he began to realize that this was not something
supernatural but instead a conglomeration of windborne dust and
ordinary rain. The prospect of this blood rain now seemed somehow strangely humorous. The significance of these portents however was not lost to the creatures of Nibaru. As the ominous rain
fell with a greater intensity the crowds that had grown so menacingly had now begun to dissipate. Only the heavilyarmed guards
marked their steps. They were immense creatures farlarger than
those they had faced on Earth. These were the royal guard whose
sole job it was to safeguard the king and his company. Landaus
admired their dedication to duty for unlike those who mocked
them, they were unfazed.

Growing closer in the distance the great bulk that was the royal
palace stood in silhouette against the backdrop of an alizarin
tinted sun. It would be there that their wager would be made
and their fates sealed. Their contingency soon came upon a set
of immense bronze doors hung within a set of broad pointed
arches of granite. With out a word spoken one of the guards
banged his heavy fist upon the door. The force of which made
the heavy door sway ever so slightly. The resulting sound was
quite distinct, resounding not unlike a subsonic bell. He repeated
this a few more times until a small window on the door opened.
Through this small window an exchange of unrecognizable
words passed between the guards on either side. The gnashing
teeth of door mechanism then cranked and rattled as the door
slowly opened out towards them.

By now news of the strangers from Earth as well as the portents
of red rain had reached Aaralaat. He had expected it. Once his
son had gone missing it was only a matter of time before he
would be forced to face them. He had hoped to command the
time and place of such a meeting. They had acted first and
showed their faces before him. In this he had been bested. It was
he knew, after all just part of the ritual. He would do his best to
uphold his portion of the bargain. As for the portents, he held no
such belief in superstition. As the king he had little time for such
nonsense. After his advisors had informed him of their arrival
he bid them to leave. He retired to an adjacent antechamber that
served as a royal dressing room. There with the assistance of his
attendants, he donned his mighty armor. Standing there before
his mirror he admired his fearsome visage shining back at him.
He called out to his personal messenger. Upon his arrival there,
Aaralaat gave him an order, "When these Earthmen arrive here I
want them brought immediately into my throne chamber. There
I will be waiting for them." Though the messenger made pause,
he dared not question his orders. "Yes, your highness."

Under great scrutiny and heavy guard the strangers and the hostage prince were guided toward the king's chamber down through
a long corridor decorated from floor to ceiling with intricately
woven tapestries. Looking upon them there they saw sewn in
gory detail the savage narrative of their kind. Following where
their eyes took them the images led them into an immense chamber. There to the uninitiated the imposing effects of the room's
design were made plain. From above a high soaring ceiling
crowned with a gilded dome presided over columns of smooth
amber colored marble. At it's apex a mobile was suspended consisting of two bronze globes of enormous size representing their
two planets locked in dependent orbits. Lower down, effigies of
the gods of their mythology, frozen in alabaster lined the room's
perimeter. In the half light of imagination the shadows from these
cold and imposing figures twisting grotesquely seemed to move
in a strange dance. Its overall effect was spellbinding. With a
gesture one of the stout guards motioned for them to walk to the
base of a set of well worn stairs and form there a line at the bottom. The guards signaled for them to bow before the king. Looking upwards there upon a platform at the top of the stairs they saw
him in his full regalia upon his throne. As a mark of their respect
to his office they paid him his due homage by lowering their
heads in supplication before him. He rose from his throne and
peered down on them. Standing nearly seven feet tall and clad in
shining armor he lent a most impressive sight. This image, by virtue of his stance above them was made all the moreimposing. He
cast a likely image before the mysterious stone statues arrayed
below him as if he were one himself.

As he looked down upon them from his high throne Aaralaat
showed no emotion. Hidden from those around him wasthe fact
that his eyes were set squarely upon his son and successor. His
heart beat quickened at the thought of any danger that may befall
him. He was not at luxury however to show his truethoughts and
emotions. To reveal them would be to betray them all. He would
be careful as he spoke to choose his words wisely. "I see we
have gotten ourselves into an early standoff. I must suppose
you've captured or destroyed our scouts and this is how you've
come into the possession of my son the prince. Are you well my
son?" He paused and waited for a response that did not come.
Leif under Amida's guise and influence possessed only partial
autonomous control of his physical body. He struggled to
scream out for him to strike them all down. But his mouth was
muted. After a moment Aaralaat again spoke, "I see by some
ethereal magic you have made my proud son stride into the hall
of his fathers' more like a puppet than a warrior. Who among
you possesses such power?" From within their number Ibsen
stepped forward as if to speak. Aaralaat looked down in astonishment as the voice of one far more mature than his apparent
age rose from his lips. "Great King it is I, lord Amida who has
bewitched your son so. I apologize for my method, but I assure
you no harm has or should befall Leif unless it is caused by
you." Finding it harder to control his anger Aaralaat gritted his
teeth and said, "Young Leif here is the future of our world. If he
were to die by any means what so ever you would pay a price
ten thousand fold. Even if your plan were to destroy me with
this device of yours my successors would avenge the both of us.
Are you prepared to pay that price? As in generations past we
have always accepted the challenge and we will notnow be
found wanting."

"Ah yes I had almost forgotten the ritual of combat. Great king
I have come here neither to make advances in this war of yours
nor to beg for peace. Despite the necessary threat, I assure you
our intent is quite to the contrary. What I offer you is an escape
from this endless cycle of blood shed."

"Why ever would we desire that? It is by the way of the ritual
that we are brought sustenance. One only need look at our bodies to see how nature has made us so to require it. We were
once as you are. We however have evolved where you have remained savages. Yours is a wild place fraught with danger. I
suggest that it is you and your kind that is caught in the endless
recycling of flesh. We have moved away from those beginnings
but we both fear and revere your world for that power. It is that
power that we must periodically tap into if we are to survive."

"Have you tried another way? What if there were a means to stabilize the orbit and make your world more like Earth? Would
you take the chance to remake Nibaru in your own image? There
is a way and we can help you."

Such a possibility had not ever entered his waking thoughts. He
however knew deep in his heart that such things could come to
pass. He also knew such a place would be glorious indeed. He
remembered a dream from his childhood many thousands of years
ago where in there was no long winters sleep. The concept of living ones life uninterrupted and not at the mercy of the sleep,
sounded glorious to his mind. Their long held traditions however
were deeply engrained. He forced himself to end this momentary
respite for he was called by duty to think otherwise.

"In days past we had looked to our science and technology to relieve us of this burden. We found that though this frozen world
was sometimes inhospitable, we in time had grown in tune with
its seasons. Upon awaking from our slumber we must again seek
out the life force to which we have grown estranged. Oh and it is
not an easy task. We are made to fight for our very right to survive. We did not ask to be burdened so and we willnot be made
to subjugate ourselves before you. The Earth is just as much ours
as it is yours. However under the rules of combat Imust now entreat you. So now tell me what your demands in exchange for my
son are?"

"Aaralaat I stand before you to beg for you to reconsider; for it is
my brother Hector's intention to destroy you. He isclose to possessing the means to do so." This last bit of information caught
Aaralaat's attention. "So this spirit to which I am talking is a
blood relative of the immortal Hector. If this is true show me
your true self and stop hiding within the bodies of children. It is
most unbecoming of an immortal."

A pale blue light appeared to glow upon the surface of Ibsen's
forehead. Appearing as if it were a floating sapphire, it moved
slowly through the air and up along the stairs until it was parallel with Aaralaat's unblinking eye. The gem of light expanded
until it approximated the size and shape of a man. It took its
complete for there upon the throne platform before the king.
Then its mouth moved and it began to speak.

"As you can see I am no longer a corporeal being as yourself. I
too in a sense have evolved from my original form, though not
by the same method. I am the incorporated consciousness of a
man long dead. Though I live as surely as you do, I too bare
this burden. I too have slept through the ages of time. Each time
I awake to repeat my part as have all of you. So don't stand
there and talk about tradition and ritual. It's all nonsense. If you
refuse to cooperate then we are again doomed to fight. If that
truly is the case then we should get down with this wretched
business of ours."

"You should know it is the ritual that has stopped us from thoroughly destroying your world. We could take it anytime we
choose to do so and call it our own. However this is not our
way. We are destined not to live on the razors edgeas you do.
The Earth with its endless cycles of birth and rebirth where all
life in its turn is consumed is no place for our kind. Regardless
to what you think of our mythology, we as our part in the ritual
demands are bound by our solemn oaths. We will as the proper
alignment is upon us, make the leap across space. There on the
fetid Earth we will fight and die all to take our portion as is our
right and duty. This much I can promise you."

"Perhaps but is this uncertainty not a secret engine to these
ends. I know if lord Hector were here there would be no second
guessing. So please as my patience is wearing thinwould you
please conduct what negotiations you have prepared?"

"Under the rules of combat by capturing the young prince you
have obtained certain negotiating rights. To which within reason
we must concede. The key phrase here is within reason. So tell
me what demands have you then?"