“Yes, it is a stimulant Chief.”
“So it is a drug?” He puts the cup aside.
“Yes, but not a strong one, not bad if used in small doses,” I tell him and go on clarifying, “A small dose makes your body feel more awake, a bigger amount can make you feel ‘shaky’ and too big an amount could give you a stomachache or other discomfort.”
“Ahh!” he responds, grabbing his cup back and taking another sip.
I go on indoctrinating him, “You could also become addicted to it, which is actually my purpose so you can’t go back home, or at least come very often.” They laugh and take my comment as a joke.
“Okay, let’s go over the plans you have and see when we can start,” Chief suggests.
“Yes! This is what we came up with for ‘Project Earth’,” says Gina, pulling out the piece of paper with a neatly typed list of our main subjects.
It reads:
1.The Power of Communication
2.Drugs and the “Drug Industry”
3.Children and our Future
4.Human Values
5.The Power of the Mind
6.Your Power as a Human Being
Gina begins to talk as Chief gets to the bottom of the page, “Our idea is to develop each subject into sections so that they are covered more thoroughly. Leo and I already started, here...” she hands him another sheet of paper where we breakdown the subject of communication, our first and most important one:
The Power of Communication:
1.The importance of communication
2.Types of communication
3.Failing to communicate
4.The joy of communication
“We want to make sure that we have pictures for each section and even small movies to illustrate things better and to have more effect on people,” she says, proud of the work she has been doing with Leo. She continues, “We can show you some more stuff Leo and I have done on the computer—here!” She pulls out the laptop and puts it in front of Chief.
“Good!” says Chief, “Pictures and movies are even better, as they give more reality to people, and you can give a lot of data in a very short time. I like it!” He nods and looks at us, acknowledging the fact that we have all been busy.
“We figured out that we can get all kinds of pictures, movies and data from the internet,” Leo explains. “There is so much stuff, good and bad, but we have our ways of knowing what’s what. We can also create a lot of computer animated movies and pictures, so we don’t need real people. We can do everything right here. I am showing Gina how to do it, she is really good, very creative,” he ends with a smile, proud of his contributions.
“Excellent!” says Chief, “I like how you have come up with such good ideas, and you make a great team. How long will it take you to develop each one of these subjects?”
“I would say a couple of weeks, but with Leo’s and Jon’s help it will take less. I know they are geniuses with computers and finding data,” says Gina.
“I am going to go out and get a couple of really good computers tomorrow. That will speed things up,” I suggest.
“Just get one more,” says Jon. “We can also use the computer from our ship.”
“I think Chief has another idea,” I say, perceiving Chief is thinking otherwise.
“Yes,” says Chief, “The ship is not always going to be here, so carry on with your original plan Lee, and get two computers.”
“I will go to the Apple Store and get the latest models, as those are the best when it comes to working with movies, photos, art, and graphics,” I comment.
“But they are so expensive Lee,” says Gina.
“Don’t worry about the price for now, we will work it out,” I comment, knowing Chief doesn’t want to put any limits on this project. He knows the money is going to come somehow. I know it too.
I go to the Apple Store early the next day and buy a couple of the latest Apple computers. They are so trick that even Chief, Jon, and Leo are impressed.
“You guys are making very fast progress in technology, these are awesome,” Chief comments.
“They are loaded with all the software and memory needed to create virtually ‘anything’, and look, these are touch screens, similar to yours. I mean…still many years behind, but we are improving,” I say.
“I am impressed,” says Jon, nodding his head. “This will definitely speed up our work.”
Chief stands up and starts to issue orders, “Jon, you are in charge; and along with Leo, Gina, and Sarah, you guys have three days to develop the subject of communication fully.” Then he turns to me and says, “Lee, you are coming with me to the Base. We will leave tomorrow at 5 am. We will come back in a couple of days with one of the new ships and all the needed equipment to tap into the communications satellites. Are you guys okay with that?”
I had been sensing the idea that Chief wanted to take me there, but had doubted my perception before. Now excitement rises inside of me. I try not to show it, they perceive it though.
“I definitely am okay with that,” I say with no doubt in my mind. “I also hope that’s okay with you Gina and… Sarah.” I turn to them, wondering what they think about it.
Gina looks at me sort of concerned, and then says, “I would not miss the opportunity if it was offered to me. I am fine with it. Sarah is too.” She smiles
“Thanks girls.”
“Just one question Chief,” Gina grows more concerned and wants to know more details. “Is he going to have enough to eat there and enough oxygen?”
“Probably not, but I promise to bring his body back if he doesn’t make it.” The boys and I start laughing.
“Very funny Chief…very funny,” she says with a frown.
“I think he will be fine as long as he brings a good amount of his coffee with him,” says Jon.
“There are two reasons I want Lee to come with me. One, he knows he was there before. I want him to experience that again. I have the feeling he is going to like it, and it will help him regain even more self-confidence. Reason number two is that I want him to see how we run things there. It will help him, and everybody else, to develop our present and future projects.”
“Awesome Chief. I am with you,” I voice.
We can hardly sleep that night. I talk to Gina for a whole hour about it until she falls asleep.
I keep thinking about…traveling in space, being at the Base, and perhaps some adventures. “I wonder if anybody would remember me there. Of course they won’t. It was so long ago. I even have a different body. How could they recognize me? But they don’t go by the body, they go by me, as a being. I will find out.”
I sigh deeply and try to go to sleep, but I can’t. “Two days. It seems such a short amount of time to go to the Base and come back, but their time runs differently. It is as if they are able to play with time, and they probably are. They never stop amazing me.”
Chapter 32
A Discovery in Space
We get up at 4 am. I pack some fruit, snacks, and the biggest thermos I have, full of coffee. Chief and I enter the ship. He wants to brief me on the various controls of BZ-2. I am not flying it, but he wants to make sure I have a good understanding of how things work onboard. We come back out of the ship and say goodbye to Gina, Sarah, Jon, and Leo.
“I know they are going to be just fine”, I say quietly to myself, as Chief and I step onboard. Chief has already started the engines and tested every part of the system one more time.
Jon opens the garage roof for us and up we go. I look back down and see it closing already. I wave to them.
I soon realize that we are going pretty fast. Get through the Earth’s atmosphere in no time, but it is hard to feel anything. There is no gravity, either. Chief pushes a button and the no-gravity feeling goes away. It is something they can control within the ship. I hear the thrust engine turning on.
“Prepare for speed-up Lee,” Chief asks, reaching for a small lever on the front of the cockpit.
“I am ready Chief.” I hold onto my seat, not sure what to expect.
I start to feel even lighter. Different from the no-gravity feeling. It is like not feeling my body at all. “Really cool stuff,” I say quietly to myself. “It’s very peaceful and quiet, perhaps a new dimension of time.”
“I wonder how long this trip will take.” And before I can open my mouth to ask, Chief starts to tell me.
“In Earth time probably six hours, like taking an airplane flight from Los Angeles to New York. Computers inside the ship trace a safe route to the Base. She also has a great radar system which will alert us of any danger.”
“So she runs like on autopilot!”
“Yes, pretty much,” he answers.
“How long is the training to learn how to fly this ship?”
“It all depends, some take hours, some take days. It is not so much learning how to command the ship, that’s the lesser part, since she does most of the work for you. You must have a good understanding of how this Universe works. You’ve got to know the location of key planets, suns, stars and their gravity, energy sources in space, and last but not least, using the communication system. All of these things have also been improved in the newer ships. You can tell the ship what you want, and then command it to do most of the work for you.”
“The new ships don’t understand English—Do they?”
“They sure can if they are programmed to do so. They are just like your Earth computers. You can program them to do all kinds of things, like executing verbal commands from specified people and what not.”
“Amazing! ...Who runs the Base Chief? You know, makes the executive decisions, gives orders and so forth.”
“I will show you when we get there. We have a whole Organizational Board. An organized system with someone on top of it, and then some executives heading many divisions which in turn are sub-divided into departments, and…it keeps going from there, sections, units and such. But everybody is part of that organization board. Everybody knows exactly what their job is. It’s one of the things that keep us very organized. The person you are asking about could be found anywhere on the organizational board, since he can do almost any post or function.”
“Wow, that’s so cool!”
I then begin to understand why they are so organized, sane and free. I am also starting to remember the system as Chief tells me about it.
“Where are Jon and Leo located on that organizational board Chief?”
“Jon is the head of a division. He has been assigned to this sector of the Milky Way, where Earth is located. Leo is his assistant.”
“I see. What about the other guy that passed away?”
“Hisashi is how his name translates into English. He was in charge of Jon’s position. Jon took over when Hisashi passed away. Before that, Jon was his assistant.” Chief pauses, “Hisashi had started to turn over his job to Jon long ago. It was part of the plan that Jon would take over.”
“Hisashi’s death was not part of the plan though?”
“No, it was not. But Hisashi was planning to leave his body. He had wanted a new body and when problems presented themselves for the crew’s survival, he made the decision that it was time.”
“I see…so what are yours functions, Chief?”
“Oh well, I can be found anywhere, doing almost anything, any post…”
I interrupt him, “So you…you are it! You are the one at the top of the Organizational Board. That’s why the boys call you ‘Chief’,” I continue with a smile, as I realize the honor in having been able to meet and work with him. I add, “On Earth we say: ‘You are the man’!”
“I guess you could say ‘I am it’ or ‘I am the man’,” he says, laughing. “You guys have very funny ways to express things. I like it! Not everything is bad on planet Earth, in fact, there are a lot of good things there. But right now we have to focus on fixing the bad things.”
Chief and I spend the following hours talking and exchanging thoughts and ideas about how things should be, and about how we can improve things on Earth. He also shares information about how things are handled at the Base.
What a pleasant conversation with ‘the man’. He is such a wise being, and yet so simple and humble, willing to talk about anything.
I started to feel as if I was getting back my power and abilities. “Who knows…who knows, maybe I am.”
I look out the window but there is nothing to see other than a distant planet or star from time to time, but mostly nothingness. Just…the infinite. I definitely get the idea this is not my first time in space. The traveling becomes more and more familiar. I feel very comfortable in the ship.
“We are almost there,” Chief announces. “We are going to slow down.” He orders the ship to slow down and prepare for landing. Communication had already been established and they are expecting our arrival.
As the ship slows down, I start to see the Base. A small Earth-like planet, but much smaller from what I can tell.
“I wish Gina and Sarah were here Chief. Do you think they can come to the Base some time?”
“Sure, if I dare to bring you here, why shouldn’t they come, too?” We both laugh.
“You got a great sense of humor Chief—I like it.”
“We’ll be landing soon Lee.”
“All right Chief. I also meant to ask, how big is the Base?”
“Size wise, one-eighth the size of Earth, and as far as our population, around one million. There are a few thousand more people located on remote Bases, and a few hundred are on missions. Sorry to interrupt our conversation Lee…” He identifies himself and gets permission for landing.
“You also have oxygen here…right Chief?”
“Yes, our atmosphere also has oxygen. You are good.”
The platform I thought we were landing on actually moves to one side, leaving an opening for us to descend into. It reminds me of my underground garage. I chuckle.
Now I am growing nervous, excited, interested. But I don’t say anything. I know Chief has perceived all my emotions and thoughts.
“Just be comfortable Lee. Be yourself.” And so I relax and calm myself by taking a couple of deep breaths.
Chapter 33
The Base
The door opens and we walk out of the ship. Two rows of people; one on each side, salute us and then bow.
“I knew you were a really important person, Chief.”
“They are also saluting you, Markus!”
“Markus! That’s right! That was my name. I… remember now Chief.” An endless amount of images, thoughts, emotions and experiences come rushing into my mind in an instant.
I can feel them all looking at me, giving me a warm welcome. “I don’t think I deserve this!” I mutter.
My body can’t take it and it starts to shake, my heart is pounding at about three hundred times a minute.
I bow and then get down on my knees while shouting to the crowd, “Sorry I failed you in the past!”
Chief grabs my arm and pulls me up while he encourages me, “Get up Lee. They know who you were and what you did, but most of all they know who you are now. They know what you did for Jon and Leo. They also know what you and your family are doing to make a change on Earth and beyond, that’s why we all honor you.”
“Thanks to you all,” I shout in ‘Kumy’, a language I hadn’t spoken for ages, but which had suddenly come back to me.
It is as if I was in a coma, a long trance, and just woke up from it. I also start to feel more powerful, but calm at the same time. A state of being I hadn’t experienced for a very long time.
“Markus Darius!” I think to myself. “I used to command this place. I used to be the Chief! But that mission was important, and I decided to take it on, and I got trapped down there, near Earth, more than 200 Earth years ago. I have since lived three different Earth lives... how crazy is that?” I smile.
Chief takes me for a tour around the Base. We visit various quarters, offices, and buildings.
It all looks very familiar, except that there are many new buildings and traces of newer technology all over the place.
People are the same though. They all pass me with a smile. It feels really funny, because I am the only one “wearing” a different kind of body. But they don’t have any attention on bodies. We all look at each other’s eyes and see ourselves as beings, not as bodies. That makes it much easier to communicate. Time does not seem to matter either.
Chief and I walk into an office. The sign on the door says, “Ethics Section”.
“I knew I had to come here, sooner or later,” I say to Chief.
“Ethics is not the reason I brought you here Lee.”
There is a lady sitting behind the desk. She looks up and I can’t believe who I am seeing. I immediately shout, “Mother!”
“Son, welcome back!” She opens her arms and holds me with the most gentle but loving touch. We are both shaking with joy. We look deeply into each other’s eyes and hug again.
“I am so glad to see you mother.”
“Perhaps you both can spend some time right now,” says Chief. “I have got to handle a couple of things and will be back in fifteen minutes or so. Then we’ll continue with the tour.”
“Sounds good to me. See you in a few.” My mother and I hug once more and she offers me to sit down next to her, in front of her desk. I place my backpack on the floor, next to my chair, open a zipper and pull out the thermos. She picks up my thought, gets up and grabs a couple of cups from a small cabinet behind her desk. I pour some coffee in each cup.
She tells me about the family and the work she has been doing at the Base. I tell her a little bit about my life on Earth, my family, and my experiences with Jon, Leo, and Chief.
“So, tell me, where is Dad?” I ask her.
She takes a small sip of coffee, being very careful about trying this new beverage. “I am not sure about this drink son. It is not sweet—”
“It could be sweet, some like it sweet, but I prefer it plain black—no sugar.”
“I see…it makes my stomach tingle. It makes my whole body feel funny.” She looks more awake and begins to answer my earlier question about my father, “About your father…he was captured. He went out on a mission some time ago, and the last thing we received from him was a message saying: ‘I have been captured’.”