Here Comes Earth: Emergence (18 page)

There
was complete silence for a few moments and then you could hear several people
moving and at least one, “Ow!”

For
a moment I forgot that the doors were totally silent and I was expecting the
worst until someone said, “Thank God!” At the same time I registered the sounds
of conversations drifting in from the hub. I didn’t hear any panic but the
shouts for reassurance were a little beyond the calm point.

I
reached up to my earpiece and said, “I want to speak to everyone.”

After
a short pause I said, “Please stand by for an announcement but first I need a
comms check. If you hold the military rank of Captain please acknowledge.”

I’d
never tried this before and had no idea if it would work but my Captains in the
conference room all gave me a verbal thumbs-up.

“This
is Major Reagan and I’m sitting here with Major Reynolds and a number of our
leaders. I know that being in the dark brings out some primal feelings and
fears in all of us but I want to assure you that we’re working on the problem. Dr.
Spelini assures me that the ship still has power so our situation is not
hopeless; we just need to figure out who accidently backed into the light
switch.

“Our
immediate concern is that you don’t hurt yourself. Try to stay where you’re at
if that is at all possible. If you need to move or need help please contact
your squad leaders and we’ll try to accommodate you. If you are relatively
close to other people try to stay low to the ground and slide towards them;
let’s try to team up as much as possible so no one has to be alone.

“Above
all please be patient. I have no idea how long it will take to rectify this but
you have my word that no matter how long it takes we’ll keep working on it to
get it done. That is all for the moment.”

∆∆∆

The
conference room was starting to get a little stuffy and I was waiting for
someone to bring up the question of our other life support systems when the
lights returned.

Most
people that live in the city rarely, if ever, experience total darkness. Even
in your home in the middle of the night light still seeps in from streetlights
and other lighting. It is darker in the country but who doesn’t have an alarm
clock with an LCD display or appliances in the kitchen that have digital timers
or even the small lighted diodes on modern electrical sockets for circuit
protection? You can visit one of the few remaining Dark Sky Parks on the planet
that purposely limits light pollution for better stargazing, but then there
would be the stars themselves. Even a minute amount of light gives our brains
reference and at least a portion of our surroundings definition.

What
many of us experienced for about 45 minutes was total blackout. Unless you were
fortunate enough to be carrying your smartpad (or in a conference room like I
was with other people that were) there was virtually no light. Julie later told
me that despite all of the experiences we had yet to endure this blackout was
the cause of more psychological traumas to team members than any other part of
the mission. I’m assuming she was talking about those that lived, of course.

When
the lights came on everyone cheered.

Iron
Jaw and I grinned at each other with a smile our dentists would have been proud
of and then we got up to start doing what we’d been trained to do.

That
damn conference room was making me claustrophobic anyway.

It
was just then that I received a communication from Captain Antonio Silva.
“Major, can you please immediately meet me at the platoon hub elevator and I
need you to bring a couple of security forces with you. Oh, and Major we’re
going to need your conference room.”

∆∆∆

We
were all back in my beloved conference room; this time with Captain Silva and
an unknown Noridian male.

When
we’d met them at the elevator the captain was holding the Noridian by the arm
and it was clear that he was forcing the alien to accompany him. The Noridian
was Captain Silva’s prisoner.

He
wasn’t in the best of condition either. The Noridian had a busted lip and what
appeared to be the beginning of a beautiful shiner on his left eye.

As
I mentally checked-off a silly question that I had already known the answer to
– yes, their blood was red – I looked around the table. Everyone was focused on
Captain Silva or the Noridian except for Dr. Toni Andretti who was,
surprisingly, looking at me.

“Captain
Silva,” I said in my calm voice of command. “Report.”

The
captain nodded his head and said, “There is a lot to talk about and this is
going to take a while but the first thing you need to know is that the
Noridians were going to kill all of us.”

As
the room sat stunned and quiet he continued, “This excursion was a cover
designed to get everyone that could oppose the Noridian assimilation of earth
out of the way. Their plan is to return to the planet with a ship full of
influential Earthers that are unanimously convinced that earth should accept a
formal Noridian Protectorship – they want no dissent.”

“I
can back-up what the captain is saying about how important it is to Noridians
that we assimilate into their culture,” Dr. Spencer interrupted. “Last night
Jaki admitted to me that she had basically bribed Dr. Helmer and Colonel
Memphis with riches and power to help guide earth’s decision.”

“Wait
a minute,” I said. “Dr. Spencer, are you telling me that you had important
information like that and kept it to yourself?”

“No!
I mean not exactly,” he said. I had never seen him totally frustrated because
he just wasn’t made up that way but the conversation was clearly headed in a
direction he was uncomfortable with… and I didn’t care.

“Just
how and when did you get this admission from her?” I demanded.

Hands
spread palms down in front of him and while staring at the table he continued,
“It was late last night or early this morning in her quarters, I’m not sure
which.”

I
could swear he snuck a glance up at where Julie was sitting but if so it must
have been quick.

“She
was trying to convince me,” he continued, “to join them. I was trying to stall
for time and convince her that I was going to consider the offer and if I’d run
straight to you then she would have known it was a bluff. I was going to find a
way to let you know today – I didn’t realize that we didn’t have that much
time.”

“How
can we know that’s true?” asked Iron Jaw. “With all respect Dr. Spencer, isn’t
that what you’d say if you’d been caught conspiring against us?”

Iron
Jaw didn’t know Dr. Spencer as well as I did but his point deserved to be addressed.

Dr.
Toni Andretti however spoke first, “If Mark was a Noridian loyalist he’d be on
the main ship, not sent to die with us.”

From
the looks of everyone around the table that addressed it just fine.

“But
why is it so important to the Noridians that we become a part of their culture?
What do we have that could possibly be so important to them?” Captain Kamiko
asked.

While
most everyone was focused on the Noridian prisoner I was staring at Captain
Silva.

He
said, “Noridia wants earth to formally commit to being under Noridian
protection. Another way to say it is to be assimilated by them or more
precisely to formally become a Noridian Protectorate; part of Noridia in the
eyes of the galaxy.”

The
captain continued, “What people from Earth can’t possibly understand is that
earth’s civilization is unique. Earth has advanced further in just a few hundred
years than other galactic civilizations do in tens of thousands. It’s not what Earth
possess now that is necessarily so valuable, it’s the discoveries that will be
made as civilization continues to explode exponentially.

“The
total sum of all earthly human knowledge doubles every few years and the rate
is accelerating; there are more
honor students
in India than there are
students
in the United States. Earthers are advancing at an exponential rate and those
advances could secure Noridia’s place in galactic society.”

“Because
the currency of galactic society is respect,” Dr. Spencer threw in.

“Precisely,”
Captain Silva finished.

While
he’d been speaking the Noridian had turned his head to watch. There was no
outward sign of emotion but his eyes were filled with pure hate.

There
had been a thought in the back of my head that had slowly turned to certainty as
Captain Silva stopped speaking. I thought about how he’d been placed on my team
at the last minute and how he had always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone
else when it came to knowing what was going on.

“Captain
Silva is Noridian,” I said to the table.

Some
around the table seemed surprised while others didn’t, but that soon changed.

After
slowly shaking his head Captain Silva looked up at me and said, “No Major, I’m a
Coridian.”

Dr. Mark Spencer

What
was wrong with me? Here I was surrounded by momentous events, selflessly
turning down power and riches, seated around a conference table with mankind’s
best hope and… I was still more worried about what Julie might think of me.

When
the lights had gone out I immediately realized that I’d screwed up. I suddenly
understood why Jaki had seemed almost desperate to convince me to join her – it
was my last chance.

She’d
known that within a few hours my fate would be sealed either way.

What
didn’t make any sense to me though was why me? Why was she so smitten with me?

One
of my best physical abilities has always been making love to a woman. I know
I’m good at it; I pride myself on being good at it. Jaki never saw my best
performances however; I just really wasn’t that attracted and yet it was just
as obvious when we were together that I had the magic touch with her. There
were times when I think she really had trouble catching her breath. It was
great for my ego; it was almost like she’d never experienced a lover like me
before – or anyone even close to me for that matter.

As
silly as that sounds I hadn’t been able to think of another reason for her
fascination with me. Of course, I guess that fascination only went so far. The
invitation to join me forever
or else I’ll massacre you in the morning along
with 50 of your closest friends
wasn’t exactly a testament to a healthy everlasting
love.
Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman…

And
when the lights went out I knew we were going to die even if Jaki hadn’t
spelled it out. I think I really must be at peace with myself because when I
was sitting there in the dark I didn’t panic. I was almost content… almost.

I
was regretting that I hadn’t figured it out earlier so I could have done
something or warned somebody. I was regretting that I’d never get to show Anzio
the beaches of Costa Rica like I’d promised. I was regretting that I’d never
kissed Julie.

Now
that was a funny thought. Usually I imagined women in bed with me and don’t get
me wrong, now that I thought about it I knew her body would fit perfectly next
to mine, but at the moment all I could really focus on was holding her and
kissing her. It was just strange.

What
wasn’t strange was Major Reagan. He had taken charge in that calm collected way
of his that just instilled confidence. I suppose I could add not getting to
know him better to that list of regrets but who could know? Maybe we would get
out of this like he’s suggesting?

At
any rate, these were my swirling thoughts when the lights came back on.

Once
again we were seated around the conference table; this time with Captain Silva
and a beat-up Noridian. I knew the tables had turned; Jaki’s plan had somehow
gone awry and my slowness to figure it out had not doomed us after all. 

I
was anxious to share my confirmation to the now unveiled plot and I belatedly
realized that doing so might forever cost me that kiss but so be it. What I
hadn’t realized was that my confession would cause Iron Jaw Reynolds to
question my loyalty. Why is it that every time I did something noble people
questioned me?

As
Captain Silva explained why Noridia wanted to absorb the people of earth under
the Noridian umbrella more pieces started snapping into place. In a brilliant
flash of introspective insight it all came together for me.

“Say
that again,” I said.

Captain
Silva responded, “I said that I am a member of the Coridian Dynasty.”

∆∆∆

It
turns out that the terms ‘Noridia’ and ‘Coridia’ didn’t really refer to planets
after all. They referred to family dynasties but according to Silva you had to
be willing to use the term ‘family’ rather loosely.

Using
us as an example he explained that if Earth developed like other planets we
would go through an evolution of single authority or one world government but
that didn’t mean we would all be of one culture. When government started fading
away, which it eventually would, what would be left are a number of different
cultures that have no need to compete with one another and plenty of room to
expand throughout space. Most of those cultures would find a new planet to call
home and 99.99% of their population would have no need to ever travel from it.

“Galactic
society has long ago passed beyond planet based cultures,” Silva was
explaining. “Planet bound cultures are for the most part ignored. They’re like
small islands to a seafaring culture; they’re places to stop over, rest and vacation
but they’re not home.

“Some
relatively few cultures will reject being bound to a planet and embrace the
stars. Just like that seafaring culture they make their homes wherever they
are; whether that’s a temporary layover on an already occupied planet or an
unoccupied planet they find use for or on their ships themselves.

“If
such a spacefaring culture does have something to offer and becomes respected
for its knowledge and contribution to galactic society it can be considered a
Dynasty. Many times these Dynasties are the historical remnants of powerful corporations,
religions, or extended family lines that had become a culture among themselves.
There are thousands of Dynasties in known space and its members receive far
more respect and have far more privileges and courtesies offered to them. Planet
bound cultures can tremendously benefit from the new knowledge the travelling
dynasties can bring to them and look up to them almost as royalty.

“Occasionally,
if a dynasty likes or finds enough use for or wants to protect a planet bound
culture it may offer a Protectorship. This is what Jaki hopes to convince Earth
of – but we’ll revisit that in a moment. You need to understand galactic society
to fully comprehend the ramifications.

“Above
Dynasties in the galactic social hierarchy sit the Lower Houses,” Silva
continued.

“Wait
a minute,” I interrupted. “I thought we were told that hierarchical thinking was
primitive and had been left in the past.”

“Jaki
lied, Mark. On a smaller scale when it comes to titles or working together she
was right but we are all social creatures and we crave status; we’ve just
learned that it’s only important on a cultural level. Didn’t you ever question
that?”

“Why
would she hide it?” I asked.

“Probably
because she didn’t want you figuring out her real agenda,” he replied.

Except
for the Noridian and his two guards we had all moved into the hub and every
member of our inner circle was present. Captain Silva had also somehow put a
live image of himself answering our questions on the view screens. Word had
gotten around fast and we’d taken the time to catch the latecomers up on
events. For a while it had reminded me of what it felt like when I was a child
and Aunt Sally would visit. As her favorite daytime soap opera would start Mom
would whisper and quickly fill her in on all the convoluted happenings of the
last four or five episodes. I actually enjoyed listening to Mom’s succinct
explanations and Aunt Sally’s exclamations of disbelief far more than I did
watching the shows.

Major
Reagan put us back on track by saying, “You were talking about Lower Houses?”

“Lower
Houses are very powerful,” Silva replied. “There are only one hundred and seventy-nine
of them in the galaxy.”

“How
does a Dynasty become a Lower House?” I asked; I just couldn’t keep myself from
interrupting.

“They
don’t,” Silva said strongly. Then in a somewhat more moderate voice he said,
“At least it would be extremely rare and I suspect that it’s the Noridian’s
plotting to become a Lower House that Earth’s gotten tangled up in.”

I
hadn’t noticed Dr. Decker walk up but now he interrupted several people that
were trying to follow-up on Silva’s last statement, “Ok, let’s keep this on a
logical progression or we’ll never learn anything. Captain Silva, please finish
explaining about Dynasties and Houses and then maybe we’ll be able to
understand your explanation of what exactly we’re caught up in.”

“Well,
Lower Houses are revered by everyone including dynasties. They’re powerful
because their knowledge and technology is off the charts – they are so advanced
that they rarely interact with anyone else in the galaxy. Lower Houses freely
share and trade ideas with each other that most Dynasties might not even grasp
– Noridia attaining that status would immediately elevate their technology and
power to an unimaginable level.

“The
Lower Houses and Upper Houses together make up The Accord. The Dynasties pretty
much fall in line with the principals and edicts The Accord puts out.”

“And
the Upper Houses?” Dr. Decker prodded.

“Yes,
finally there are the Upper Houses. We only know the names of a few Upper Houses
but there is reason to suspect there are many; no one knows for sure how many.

“The
Upper Houses are mysterious even to us. Meeting a member of an Upper House
would be the stuff of legend and sometimes the physical descriptions stretch
belief. Presumably the Lower Houses interact with them on some level but no one
really knows for sure.”

“And
what’s above the Upper Houses? Godhood?” Dr. Decker asked somewhat sarcastically.

“I
have no way of knowing,” responded Silva. “Do you?”

When
Dr. Decker didn’t immediately respond I asked why Noridia thought it had a
chance at making Lower House status.

“The
Noridian Dynasty has made several important contributions to galactic society
in the areas of genetics and temporal physics,” Silva said. “If they can make
another large contribution they might just be elevated. Of course, they can’t
afford to have anything blemish their reputation in the meantime.”

“Did
you say Temporal Physics?” Dr. Decker said.

When
Silva nodded Dr. Decker continued. “You’re talking about controlling time. My
goodness, if the Noridians can travel back in time there’s no hope for any of
us. Can they do that yet?”

Shaking
his head Silva said, “No, just theory and some hypotheses that they would need
the help of a Lower House to test.”

“Wait
a minute. How would you know?” Decker continued. “I mean, if they could go back
in time they could change things to the way they want and you’d never know it.”

Silva
suddenly reminded me of a favorite professor of mine that would display
incredible patience when I asked some really stupid questions. He said, “We
know they haven’t altered the past to change the present because they don’t
have what they want – they’re not already a Lower House.”

As
Decker was feeling incredibly stupid –
I know that feeling
– Major
Reynolds broke in with a voice that was meticulously polite but edged in cold
hard steel. “I want to know why the Coridian Dynasty murdered 300 of our
people.”