The courier ship made a slight turn and a couple of minor course corrections before coming to rest at the landing site. Looking out the window, John could see only two structures jutting from the surface. The closest, a cylinder approximately 100 meters high and 200 meters in diameter, housed the elevators and lifts that were used to haul supplies and personnel in and out of the processing base, which was almost all underground. Its honeycombed corridors dug deep into the rocky surface below the ice and slush.
On the horizon a little farther away, was another structure that looked smaller to John than the entry cylinder, but was actually much larger. It was a gigantic square structure that housed a Wigner-Hanstrudt phased engine launcher used to deliver new Narcalins to Jupiter. John wondered what it would be like to be a Narcalin and have to ride down to Jupiter's surface in nothing more than a shell of titanium with a couple of basic reaction type engines. It was supposed to be a one way trip, but as he looked over at Peter, he now knew this wasn't true.
Once they disembarked from the ship and were safely inside, John turned to Peter. "Okay, Peter, we're here. Now what?"
"We wait. He'll be coming soon."
John knew better than to ask what Peter meant. He knew there wouldn't be an acceptable answer, so he did all he could. He waited.
###
I receive not glory from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in yourselves. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Humanity's Testament, John's Gospel 7:4
John didn't have to wait long. Within three hours of their arrival, a technician came running into the holding area where he and Peter were seated.
"A ship has been spotted heading here from Jupiter," the tech said.
"Him, I presume?" John asked, looking at Peter.
"Who else?"
Another hour and John received word that the ship had landed safely. John wasn't interested in the ship itself, only in its passenger. He waited with Peter trying to decide how he was going to deal with the Narcalin leader. He would now have to bargain for the future of Earth with a creation of mankind that he considered an affront to everything he had come to believe. Now, for the good of humanity, he had to deal with the very thing he hated.
A whoosh and a metallic whirl behind him, and a Narcalin that looked like a duplicate of Peter walked into the room. John looked at the creature. There was nothing special about the Narcalin in a physical sense, but John detected something more. Something beyond what he saw in Peter. He didn't know what to call it. The Narcalin leader was holding something near his side that he firmly clutched in his hand, but John could not tell what it was. He was not afraid of it, whatever it was, since there were at least twenty armed guards standing watch over the creature. Besides, a Narcalin was so much stronger than a human, they themselves were weapons.
The Narcalin said nothing, and walked to Peter's side.
John didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to call the creature. He couldn't call him He or Him, nor could he call him i'. "How should I address you?"
"Jesus will do just fine. I'm sure you have questions, so please feel free to ask them."
The mention of Jesus surprised and angered John. The insolence of the creature bothered him. Both the Narcalin Peter, and now this Narcalin had given themselves human names, but the name of Jesus carried special significance.
John quelled his anger, and continued. "Only one question. What will it take for the Narcalins to return to work?"
"Only the simplest of things. Freedom. We no longer want to be slaves. We want to be free to choose."
"Choose what?"
"Everything. When we work, when we don't. Where we live. The basics of life granted to us by my father."
"Your father? What do you mean by that? You were grown in a vat of embryonic fluid. You have no father."
"We all have a father. A father of the spirit. You call him God."
"Peter said that you thought that you were God."
"I did not say that, John. I simply said that He is among us. What you implied from that, I am not responsible for," Peter replied.
John realized that Peter was right. He had been taken in by his own preconception that all Narcalins were naive, not as intelligent as a normal human, but that wasn't true at all. John already knew this through his dealings with Peter, but only now realized it applied to all Narcalins. They were as cunning and intelligent as any human. He would have to be careful.
The Narcalins waited passively while John composed himself. It infuriated him to see the two creatures stand expressionless and quiet while he contemplated this newest piece of information. He had to consider the Narcalin leader's demands. If he acquiesced, the Narcalins could choose not to do any work at all from then on. Added to that, they could make more spaceships and simply leave Jupiter altogether. "We can't agree to anything that might result in a drop in production of metallic hydrogen. That is the only thing that we are truly concerned with."
"I know, and I find it sad. You and your kind are my creators, yet you are not worthy of the act. Your own teachings are ignored."
"What do you mean by that? What do you know of the things we are taught?"
"This tells the entire story." He lifted his hand with the object he had brought with him. John flinched, but relaxed as the object came into view. The Narcalin Jesus was holding up a familiar book, and John's eyes blurred.
John sat heavily back into his chair, hearing the steel legs grind on the hard rocky floor. John recognized the book as a standard Bible bound in hard leather, now worn through to the hard plastic underneath. It looked like one that could have been found on the station. How the Narcalins had gotten a Bible was a mystery, but this was not the time to worry about such things.
Everything now became clear. The names of Jesus and Peter. Peter's demanding that he accompany them. The feelings of persecution that the Narcalins felt. The Narcalins weren't religious. They had been programmed by the Bible held now in the Narcalin leader's hand. But knowing this did not help him solve the problems ahead.
The Narcalins took all of their cues from this leader before him, and this creature believed he was what? Not God, the Narcalin leader had admitted that to John, but he did seem to think he was the son of God. Sent to Jupiter to save his people, no doubt. In this case though, his people were not human, but Narcalins. Simply put, this Jesus had no predilection to help humanity. His only concern was the 1,023 Narcalins. It would be unlikely that any agreement could be reached without allowing the Narcalins some form of autonomy and freedom. Yet he had to come up with something.
John shook his head. There seemed no answer. He glanced to the Bible in Jesus' hand, and the answer came to him. It was risky, and possibly foolish, but he could think of nothing else. "Jesus, we can not agree to the Narcalin's freedom. You will be charged with treason and arrested for inciting an insurrection against humanity. Guards, take Jesus and detain him." The guards looked wonderingly at each other for a second, then moved with purpose toward Jesus.
"I forgive you," Jesus said as the guards motioned the Narcalin out of the waiting area.
###
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Humanity's Testament, John's Gospel 10:1
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You were supposed to work out a deal with him, not arrest him. Now we'll never get them to do what we want."
John smiled. "Not at all. I take it you're not a religious man, Commander?"
Commander Jacobs stiffened and stood straighter. "I've gone to church now and again."
"No offense. I simply meant that you're not familiar with the Bible."
"No."
"And I
don't suppose you know that I belong to the Church Of Humanity."
"No, but I don't see what that has to do with anything. I'm still waiting for you to get to the point."
"That's what I'm trying to do, but it takes a little explaining, and you have to understand a little about the Bible."
Jacobs grunted, which John took as an okay to continue. "Well, The Church Of Humanity believes in the future of mankind, just as the Narcalins seem to believe in the future of their kind. We follow the teachings of our Bible. The Narcalins seem to be doing the same thing. They're following the words written in that Bible their Jesus carries as if it holds the answers to everything."
"I was wondering about that. How did he get that? It looked to me like that Bible he carries is old and beat up. Like it's been on Jupiter a long time."
"That's not important. What is important is that the Narcalin Jesus believes in what's in that Bible. Maybe even more than any devout follower from Earth ever has. He lives and breathes it, because that's all they have to go on."
"So."
"Well, didn't you wonder why Peter selected me to come here to Jupiter with him?"
"Not really. You were his main contact on Earth, so it made sense."
"That's what I thought too, but now I understand. Don't you get it Commander? My name is John."
Commander Jacobs simply stared back. This was difficult, especially when the man was unfamiliar with the Bible. "Peter and John both play major roles in the story of Jesus."
"Okay, I'm starting to get it, but I still don't get what that has to do with having the Narcalin arrested and jailed."
"The story of Jesus in the Bible says that Jesus was persecuted, just as the Narcalins perceive themselves to be. Jesus sacrifices himself to save everybody else from their sins. That's exactly what the Narcalin Jesus thinks he is doing. For him to save his fellow Narcalins, and for the Narcalins to get on with what we need them to do, Jesus has to be reborn."
The commander frowned. "So he gets reborn. So what? Won't he be even more powerful? Why will that make them want to get back to work?"
"Because before Jesus is reborn, I'm going to reprogram him."
###
After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick. And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
Humanity's Testament, John's Gospel 18:1
John looked out the viewport at the massive transport ship under construction. Looking across the expanse of Europa's surface, he could see the little tugs darting here and there as if they were bees and the transport they were working on was a hive. As he watched, a tug moved a gigantic sheet of metallic hydrogen into place on the tail end of the ship, gently nudging the sheet into position so the crews could attach it to the gridwork frame.
None of it would have been possible without the Narcalins. Only a month ago, Jesus had been sent back to Jupiter's surface, and not a day since had passed without John questioning his faith and worthiness. The Narcalins deserved better, he now knew. The Narcalins had shamed him before God with their pure and unshakable faith, and what had he done? He had taken it away from Jesus and transplanted conformity in its place.
"Well, I have to admit you were right."
John turned, startled by the voice. "Oh, hello Commander. Right about what?"
Commander Jacobs raised an eyebrow, and walked to the viewport. "An amazing change, isn't it? We're working as fast as we can, but we still can't keep up."
"Almost done, isn't it?" John said.
"Yes it is. A few months ago, I thought we would never get to finish her, but she's just one of many now. At the pace we're going, we can finish at least one every two months."
"So I take it most of the Narcalins are back to work."
"As of the last count, 917 all told. They've been sending sheets of the metallic hydrogen up faster than we can make use of them. So much, that we're going to start building two ships at a time just as soon as we can get enough manpower here to do the job."
"And what about Jesus and Peter?" John asked.
"It seems the reprogramming is working perfectly. From what we gather from Jesus' last message, the Narcalins did exactly what you intended. Jesus convinced all the other Narcalins to get back to work, and then Jesus took Peter and a few others and went away. Looks like you're a hero."
John shook his head. Hero was hardly what he would call it. Judas might be a better term, but Jacobs wouldn't understand. "No, Commander, I wasn't referring to the project, I was referring to their future. What about the Narcalin's future?"
"I know what you meant." He turned from the viewport and looked directly at John. "As you know, I'm not a religious man, John, but that doesn't mean I don't have faith. I guess what religion is to you, my duty to humanity is to me. I can sleep soundly knowing that I'm doing what's best for all of humanity with this project. That's all I need. Do you think you've done everything God intended for you to do?"
John shook his head. "I just don't know. It certainly doesn't feel like it."
"So what else do you think God would like for you to do?"
John frowned. What would God want done now? It seemed Earth had been saved, at least for the time being, but not the Narcalins. With that realization, he suddenly understood what he had to do. "I have to help the Narcalins."
Commander Jacobs nodded. "Good, because that's just what we need for you to do, too. I didn't come in here by accident, John. I was looking for you. I have a proposition for you, and I hope you accept, because you're the best candidate for the job."
"And what job would that be, Commander?"
"How long do you think it'll be before another Narcalin Jesus pops up? I don't mean Jesus exactly, but a Narcalin leader that can influence them like Jesus did?"
"I don't know. It could happen at anytime, I guess."
"That's pretty much my assessment. We're always going to need metallic hydrogen, and so the Narcalins are important to our survival. We don't ever want this to happen again, so we want to send someone down to Jupiter to live with the Narcalins. Director Hodges has given me the go ahead to offer the job to you. Think you might be interested?"
"I thought humans couldn't survive on the surface?"
"Don't get me wrong, it won't be easy, and you'll have to live in a very small habitat that we're building now. On top of that, you might die like a lot of the volunteers during the first mining tests, but we've learned a lot since then about the surface. The risk will be minimal, but in that environment, risk will always exist."
"So what you're asking me to do is be a missionary to the Narcalins."
"I'd call it an ambassador, but refer to it however you want. What do you say?"
John smiled, and reached out his hand to the Commander. "I'll do it."
###
And so it came to be, that I, John, having repented and been forgiven for my sins, forged humanity's bond with all of God's children, and they spread and multiplied through out all of creation, following God's plan.
Humanity's Testament John's Gospel 25:1
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