Soteria- The Crisis Forge

by Roberto Arcoleo

  As her ship approached the planet, the ability to communicate faded. New Tripton was a unique world; a small moon nestled within an array of giants, and the only planet in the known universe to have an ocean above its atmosphere.

  It appeared to all who observed it from afar as a planet consisting solely of water. From space, it looked foreboding, a violent planet with ominous storms and tumultuous seas. Any onlooker could only imagine it as a planet inhabited, if at all, by the simplest of life forms and surely unsuitable for colonization. This illusion had protected the Triptonians for millennia, allowing them to develop in peace.

  But this floating ocean had not always existed. The advanced technologies of the Triptonians had enabled them to take advantage of the planet’s unique positioning to create the anomaly. Their civilization had discovered the moon many eons ago. Needing to flee a dying world, they saw this new planet as an opportunity and a chance for a peaceful existence. They employed a force field on the surface that was enhanced by the moon’s multi-level magnetic core. This, coupled with the gravitational effects of the surrounding planets and duel suns, enabled the aberration to occur: a floating ocean. The terraforming had taken generations to complete, but theirs was a patient race. While leaving Tripton-3 had been a difficult and heart-wrenching experience for this playful and peaceful race, the pride in their accomplishment in creating this new home was a source of great joy.

  Within the ocean, an array of glowing and transparent organisms now swarmed like luminous dancers. Their movements sent soft melodies into the atmosphere below that were often heard by the population, cascading over the plains as well as the crowded streets. In the morning hours, misty deep hums were heard, the echoes of gentle movements of Sermathabees, the large, lolloping, transparent beasts of the sea. As they moved, their breaths brought forth a deep hallowing hum that rolled and sank.

  Whoom-ba-ba-whoom-ba-ba-whoom…

  The sound would vibrate down through the water, enchanting those below as they awoke to the day.

  As the planet’s two suns set, and the rays of light seeped through the clouds, diffusely tinted magical colors would appear in the evening glow. Then the population would hear the cries of the soaring Gulathabees, their giant wings sending down warm breezes from the swirling waters above. With these lumbering beasts, the population experienced a knowing state of tranquility and lived their shrouded peaceful existence for thousands of centrons.

  Passing through the ocean always brought unease to Allaceia, even though she knew that her ship would be guided with complete safety through the protected channels. While this allayed her fears, the awe of it all never diminished.

  Safely landing, Allaceia and Mananken exited the shuttle. The guard on station greeted them, “Welcome home, Ambassador Mananken. It is good to see you again.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. It is good to see you, as well. You know the Ambassador from Eldern, Grand Mistress Allaceia?”

  “Yes, of course,” he responded.

  “Is our transport to the Central Chambers ready?” inquired Mananken.

  “Yes, directly at the foot of the ramp.”

  “Good, thank you,” he answered.

  Allaceia had wanted to explain the details of her dilemma to Mananken on the voyage to New Tripton, but since they had been encapsulated in a state of suspended animation during the journey, this was impossible. After emerging from this state, she immediately explained the gravity of her situation, the frustration, and betrayal she had faced, and the urgency that pulsed within her.

  Mananken was more than a sympathetic ear, for he had received many gifts from Allaceia over the ages. They enjoyed a relationship that mutually enhanced their political ambitions. Mananken’s influence within the federation of planets had grown, and thanks to Allaceia, it was only second to hers.

  The Triptonians had grown to love Mark and Jason. Allaceia knew that enlisting their aid to save them would not be a hard sell. Mananken always possessed quiet confidence regarding the most serious situations. Beneath all the colorful fur and bouncy speech was the mind of a skillful diplomat. As Allaceia shared all, the apparent treachery did not surprise Mananken, for he had dealt with Elgert in the past. He mumbled his opinion in a growling Triptonian drool, “Zerbaaa, werba, zerba. He is a man solely driven by ambition. But there may be more than meets the eye.”

  Recently, Mananken had won much favor within the upper crust of New Tripton. It turned out that the groupies that Allaceia had allowed to visit Earth had all been children of the Triptonian elite, and the ruse had gained Mananken much status and power within the most influential circles. Allaceia had advanced his ascent to power in many similar situations. She never underestimated his cunning and shrewdness, but above all, she cherished his friendship, and it was within this relationship that she placed her hope. Yet somehow, she knew he was aware of more than he was sharing.

  But what is he thinking? She thought.

  Mananken explained to Allaceia that she could not stand before the Triptonian authorities before he first presented her case to them. In his usual bubbly and animated manner, he said, “Cherba, cherba, cherba, don’t worry, my friend. There is an answer to this problem.”

  The Triptonians always started a serious dialogue with a preamble of sorts, a preface that allowed the listeners a hint of what was to follow. “Cherba, cherba, cherba” was a very good sign. Mananken, like all Triptonians, had other idiosyncrasies; he could not help but bounce up and down when he spoke. It took much discipline on Allaceia’s part to hold a serious tone when negotiating with him. But what she found most disconcerting were the ever-changing colors of his fur, not to mention when all his hair briskly stood up on end.

  What will be the price to save my children? He knows something I don’t.

  ***

  The morning had passed in Helena’s apartment. Mark stared up at the ceiling. Gabriela and Helena lay sleeping, each with their head on his shoulder. Gabriela turned her face towards him and opened her eyes.

  “Hey, is my head too heavy?” Of course, she knew it was not.

  “No, I’m fine,” he responded.

  “Is she asleep? I wanna ask you something,” she whispered, looking towards Helena.

  “I’ll put her into a deeper sleep. What is it?”

  “So, does she know about you? I mean, who you are?” she asked.

  “Well, after last night, I am sure she will have questions, you know. I have not told her I am an alien. Neither has my brother told her about himself. Jason has placed all the members of his band into a state of blindness as to his capabilities. He keeps them in the dark. It is really amazing how he can do that, considering how close they are and their level of involvement with each other. I mean, think about how they could make such music together! Developing those unique sounds… Do you realize, some of it is more complicated than Beethoven; the progressions, the harmonics… It is a very special sound. They do it all without awareness of his abilities. Jason is very deft at mind control. He always does it with subtlety and elegance. Humans never know they are being played like puppets on strings, but last night’s fun was different. She must know now that what we did was not possible with an ordinary person. I should wipe it from her mind.”

  She took a deep breath and paused. “I’ve never done anything like last night before. I mean, you… and then being with a woman, too. It was strange for me. I am a little embarrassed about it, especially having done it with you.”

  “We were all together. I did not think about it that way. To me, we were all just sharing ourselves. Anyway, everything exists within a new territory for me. I think you should look on the bright side; at least she was human! Right?” He smiled knowing he had made an effort at a poor joke. “Anyway, as long as you had fun, I don’t think you should feel in any way embarrassed.”

  “Well, you’re right. Who knows who, or what, I could end up next to with you?” Gabriela laughed. “Well, I had fun, for sure. But it is strange, being with her. I mean I’m act
ually having feelings for her.” In an almost coy voice, she added, “And I liked them.” Suddenly, Gabriela sat up. “Hey! Did you just say mind control? You can control minds? Did you control mine? Is that how this happened? I bet if you wanted to, you could make me do anything you wanted.”

  “I want you to love me, Gabriela, but I want you to love me freely with your real heart, completely and wholly free. Yes, I could have willed anything. I could have made you want me or anyone else for that matter, and even made you do things. But you would not have been you, and I would not have become who I am. You have changed me, Gabriela. You have no idea how grateful I am to you for that. Anyway, I told you a long time ago that I can control minds. You were probably not paying attention.”

  “Holy shit. I guess I just didn’t get that part. I am always whirling around like a top when I’m with you. It’s a wonder I remember my name! So, I guess I did do it all on my own. Mark, if you ever abuse that power, I will never forgive you.”

  “I promise you I never will.”

  So, what are we going to do about her? Are we going to let her in on our little secret? Are we going to tell her she just made it with a guy from…Where did you say? Elbern? And watch her faint? Or are you going to wipe her clean, erase her memories?” she grinned sardonically as she spoke.

  “Gabriela, it’s Eldern. And we have to talk… I feel my task is about to start soon. She may not be in our story. I may be leaving.”

  “Leaving…? What do you mean, leaving? Leaving for where, and for how long? You can’t just leave. Where are you going? When will you be back? You can’t just go! You have turned my life upside down. Don’t you understand I love you? Don’t you understand what you have done to my life? If you leave, you are just a bastard!”

  “Gabriela! Gabriela, stop. We have been over this before. There is no choice for us. I must fulfill what has been asked of me. There will be nothing here at all if I do not. All I know is that my task begins soon. My brother has been calling me for over an hour. I have not answered him, but it could only mean that something is imminent.”

  Gabriela started to cry. “If you are in danger, I want to be with you. I’ll go too.”

  “No, that’s not possible,” he answered.

  “Why not?”

  “You can’t just come. Explaining why would take a month.”

  “But if you go then, is there any way you can let me know you are okay? I mean…can you let me know somehow that you are alive and safe? Can you let me know when you’ll be back? Oh, God,” she said, gasping, almost unable to catch her breath. “I feel like an undertow is taking me. You’re stealing me from myself, Mark. Everything is dark now, dark and hopeless. How will I know if you have survived?” She buried her head in her hands; tears fell. “I will be all alone, no one even to talk to about you. No one would ever understand! Oh, Mark, losing you is just too unbearable to think about.”

  Mark took her in his arms. “Do you think I want to lose you? I would do anything to be with you. I wish there was a way to make this easier for you. I wish there was someone you could share your feelings with, at least.”

  “Who? Who could ever understand how I feel, what you mean to me, who you are? Who?”

  Mark turned and looked at Helena. “How about her? How about Helena, Gabriela? You said you really like her… How about we allow her understanding? Let her see me. You will at least have her to talk to. What do you think?”

  Gabriela caught her breath and sobbed. “What good would that do?”

  “Well it would be something, and I will come back to you. I am not sure how long I’ll be away, but I will come back, and in the meantime...”

  “Well, that’s something. But not much.”

  “Listen,” said Mark, “if there is any way to communicate to you, I will. If there is any way to rush right back to you, I will, but no matter how long it takes, no matter what I will have to do, I will come back. But I think if you could have at least one person to share it with, it should help.”

  “Yes, maybe it will help,” she sobbed.

  “Okay then, let’s wake her. Just leave the rest to me. Try and catch your breath.”

  “Okay, okay… I’ll try to straighten up.”

  Mark unleashed Helena from the deep sleep in which he had placed her. “Good morning, Helena. Did you sleep well?”

  “Yeah, never better. I’m not even hung over. That’s funny. Amazing, after what we took last night!”

  “Well,” answered Mark, “I have been known to have a good effect.”

  Helena, still a bit dazed, sat for a moment looking around, unable to place all of what had just happened. She was trying to recall what had taken place. Slowly, it all came back to her. Smiling, she looked at Gabriela in recognition. “Hi, wow, I’m still stoned, morning pretty baby.” She smiled at Gabriela. She looked at Mark and just said, “Wow.” again.

  “Look,” said Mark, “I am going into the other room and putting on some music. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  “Put on The Stones, will you, Mark!” shouted Helena. “I like to hear them in the morning. ‘Sympathy for the Devil!’ That’s what I’m in the mood for. I still feel bad this morning.” She grinned.

  Mark got up and went into the living room. They both could not take their eyes off of him as he walked away.

  “It seems as if his feet never touch the floor when he walks. He just kind of glides. Do you see that?” asked Helena, turning to Gabriela. “Well,” she grinned mischievously, “we had quite a night, didn’t we?” She giggled. “It was really nice,” responded Gabriella, looking into her eyes. “Yeah. More than that,” answered, Helena. “And damn, I’ve never known a guy like him. He is beyond special. I mean, do you know what he did to me? Oh… I guess you do know. But did you ever have sex like that? Holy shit. I must have come a thousand times. And you, you were incredible. Oh, I must sound really terrible.”

  “No, it’s okay,” responded Gabriela, looking a bit embarrassed. “It was really nice.”

  “But there was more…” continued Helena. “I seemed to find a place I had never known before; a really beautiful place. It felt, in a way, like when I sing with Jason. I can’t really describe it with words. I hope you’re not angry with me, talking like this, or that I jumped into your world. I mean, actually, I know I pushed my way in. I even feel a bit guilty about breaking in like that.”

  “You know, Helena, you would think I might hate you, but I don’t. It feels nice that you know him. I feel less alone.”

  “You don’t hate me? You are the coolest chick. That’s really groovy. I like you, Gabriela… I mean, I really like you! I hope… Well, maybe we can all, I don’t know… maybe something?”

  Gabriela, ignoring this overture, said, “He is going to go away, and he does not know if he is coming back…” Her tears started flowing again.

  “Going away? Where is he going? Why does he have to go?” questioned Helena, baffled.

  “It’s complicated,” said Gabriela. “He will have to explain.”

  “Oh! This is terrible! Really terrible! You can’t talk him out of it? Wait until he comes back with the coffee. We can talk him out of it, you and I…” She smiled mischievously.

  “It won’t work,” replied Gabriela. “He has to go. Nothing will stop him.”

  “Really? Not even the two of us?” exclaimed Helena in frustration.

  “No. He says it is much too important, and he has to go.”

  “Well, this really sucks. Why is it always like this? As soon as it starts, it’s done. So that’s why you’ve been crying. I thought you two had a fight or something. I was afraid it was about me. Oh God, you must be feeling so bad. I mean, I am here for you. If you want me to be, I am.”

  “He has to go away, and it may be dangerous for him. Listen, Helena, he is a lot more special than you think.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, he is not like anyone else, except maybe Jason. He is very, very special.”

  �
�What do you mean?” she repeated.

  “Just look.” She gestured with her eyes.

  As if on cue, Mark re-entered the room. But instead of using the door, he walked through the wall holding two cups of coffee.

  Helena looked up and gasped, her eyes popping. “What the fuck!”

  Chapter 41: Finding Soba

  Saya walked towards the restaurant on 9th street, deliberately avoiding eye contact so as not to be tempted to listen to the thoughts of people as she passed them. Instead, she focused upon the sound of her footsteps and the taste of the cold soba noodles awaiting her.

  This must be the place. How cool… It’s in a basement.

  Inside, there was a small reception area where a waitress bowed formally and greeted her.

  “Irasshaimase, welcome to Mie,” she said in a bright tone.

  Saya smiled. “Ohayo,” she said in a Yokohaman accent. She asked to be seated, intuitively knowing where the waitress was from (one of the small outer islands), her inflection making her feel safe.

  Surprised, the waitress seemed embarrassed for having used her local dialect and responded in formal Japanese, “Sorry, we have no free tables, but there is room at the bar if you would like.”

  Seeing that the waitress felt uncomfortable with her familiarity, Saya replied, “That will be fine.”

  As the hostess guided her towards the bar, she spotted Jason. Their eyes met. “Never mind,” she said to the waitress, “I see my friend.”

  Saya walked to the table. “So, you knew I would be here?” Jason motioned her to sit down.

  “I hope you didn’t think I would leave you alone to languish in turmoil. I knew you would be here. Haven’t you started to figure all this out yet?”

  “I don’t know what is going on. You obviously did something to me. I have to use all my mental focus just to walk down the street. I’m about to explode. I can hear people’s thoughts. At least I think I do… For a while, I thought I was going crazy. It’s as if schools of fish are swarming my brain, one thought chasing another, and another, and…”