Now, he is meeting her in person. Her skin color angers him that much further. “I should have known that you would be here,” Solabahn continues with scorn. “Quafeira Sibekk, the leader of that accursed Jebaran Opposition Coalition! Your name will live forever in infamy!”
Many within the audience are shocked as Solabahn begins speaking to the outspoken female with contempt. “Selvon Jarrak,” he continues, “was imprisoned for alleged fraudulent activities only and I suspect this was due to your organization’s misguided charges! There was no evidence linking Selvon with the Illasius’ disappearance!”
“Misguided? You have the audacity to call us misguided!” Quafeira yells. “Why have you omitted any mention of the extraspatial otivicon as a basis for your decision? Why was there no mention of the 607 people who perished in that murderous Project Hilexos? Why was there no mention of any of these events in your narrative?” Quafeira continues to issue hard-hitting questions to Solabahn. Whereas a number of people who were aware of the situation regarding Project Hilexos felt that the issue has been settled, others felt that many questions had remained unanswered.
Yet, Solabahn dismisses as insignificant the validity of Quafeira’s questions. Despite harsh criticisms from his opponents, many within the historical community regard Solabahn’s expertise as nearly unassailable. As such, Solabahn refuses to allow what he perceives as a troublesome female to cast a bad light on his importance in the academic community.
Quafeira, though, has an altogether different opinion of him. “Like many others, you knew about Tavus-Alverand Corporation’s role in this and yet you—”
“I am aware of no such thing,” Solabahn interrupts. “Your father and his pilot perished in an unfortunate accident. I thoroughly suggest that you accept this fact and move on with that pathetic life of yours!”
Quafeira is flushed with anger at Solabahn’s brash insult, as well as his continued evasion of any mention of what had come to be known as Project Hilexos. She finds Solabahn to be just as she had expected him to be, cold and heartless. She raises her voice. “Unfortunate accident? Is that the official government lie that you plan on publishing as the truth?”
“I see no need to further this useless squabbling,” Solabahn responds on becoming thoroughly exasperated. “Accept the fact that your father —”
“I refuse to accept your lies,” she screams.” Solabahn recoils as Quafeira hurls her personal auvisuon tablet at him. The tablet sails through the air as it flips end over end before striking the podium. Solabahn ducks behind the podium as sounds of shock erupt from the audience. Security guards rush into the auditorium. “As one of our government’s eminent historians,” she continues while pointing her finger, “it is your sworn duty to uphold the high standards and values that are the core of our society. Your biased determination will only serve the interest of your Hiaven-Cadician constituents!”
Solabahn stands back up and yells back at her. “Insolent and contemptuous female! You dare to lecture me! I was Dabenar’s most distinguished professor of history while you were still a wet, babbling infant fresh out of your mother’s womb! I have heard enough!” Solabahn begins raging. “Your allegations are false and you are out of line! Leave immediately or I will have you forcibly removed!”
Solabahn motions armed security guards to move toward Quafeira. One of the security guard retrieves the auvisuon and hands it back to Quafeira. Standing out of his seat, Aarath pleads with her. “Quafeira, let us go.”
As both walk toward exit, Quafeira stops, turns around and faces Solabahn. “As I stand before the Grand Creator, I swear that I will find the truth! I will fight all of you, even if I have to take this all the way to the Kijorian Judiciary Assembly!”
“Get out!” Solabahn yells defiantly, as he points his finger back at her.
City: Pelepos
Nation: Gothian
Maendir, 1 Naru 2227 B.E.
Reaching down into her carrying case, Quafeira pulls out a flat auvisuon tablet and places it on the table. She powers it up. A three-dimensional, holographic image of a slow rotating cube appears in midair. Various and highly formatted text and graphic images appear on each of the cube’s six sides. With minimal interest and a casual shrug, Aarath looks at the holographic image. She manipulates the controls causing the text and graphic symbols to disappear to be replaced by a three-dimensional galactic map. She manipulates various holographic pictons on the cube to isolate and zoom in on the spatial region around one particular medium sized yellow star. She audibly instructs the auvisuon to show the accompanying planets, two outer gas giants and three inner planets.
“As we both know, none of this is new,” she begins telling Aarath. “Yet, I discovered something interesting during my research.”
“What did you find?” Aarath asks with increased curiosity.
“According to the records,” she begins, “the commander of the Liserius had found the Illasius’ emergency distress buoy shortly after the Illasius allegedly crashed on the fourth planet in this system.”
“It would appear so,” Aarath responds. “We were informed that the Illasius was, in all likelihood, lost in that distant planetary system. Until now, we were also told an extensive search of this system was conducted by various search and rescue vessels.”
“On that part, I agree,” she admits. “The facts do indicate that the Illasius was lost somewhere in that system.”
“Quafeira,” Aarath continues, “what you are getting at?”
“After bio-analysis scans of the inner planets, military officials claimed that no life-forms were found. Therefore, they only assumed that the Illasius crashed on the fourth planet. Yet, no hard evidence was presented to prove this.”
“Are you thinking that one of the inner planets may hold some clues?”
“Yes.”
“Explain.”
“Let us assume that the Illasius was experiencing engine trouble and that my father and Rahmik landed on one of these inner planets. It is possible that they were, for some reason, prevented from calling for help.”
“What is your basis for all of this?”
“Have you ever heard of an individual named Sau Karell?”
“Sau Karell? The name sounds vaguely familiar.”
“It should, Aarath. Think harder.”
Aarath attempts to recall the person behind that name. “I remember now. However, that was eighty years ago, all unsubstantiated rumor.”
“Aarath, sometimes, rumors are based on facts.”
“But Sau has been dead for twenty-eight years.”
“Yes. However, a few years before he died,” she continues, “Sau had mentioned to a few of his associates about him overhearing a conversation between a ship commander and his subordinate about intercepting a distress message. Sau indicated that the reception of the message occurred about the same time of the Illasius’ disappearance.”
“Who is this commander? What is the name of his ship?”
“I do not know. Most of the information was lost down through the years. Part of the distress message indicated something about attempting to land on the third planet. I admit, the information is insufficient. Still, Leusha agreed to research the situation.”
“What else do you have?” Aarath asks, as an increasing number of doubts began entering his mind. As much as he loves Quafeira, he feels that she is taking a perilous gamble.
“The official story of my father’s disappearance,” she relates, “contains numerous other inconsistencies. In addition, Rahmik Sulbrin was a retired military intelligence officer and pilot with a level-one rating. Even among our people, few pilots achieve a level-one status. Rahmik had piloted over thirty types of spacecraft and was regarded as one of the best military pilots in the entire fleet.”
“Obviously,” Aarath continues, “that explains why he was hired by the Langean Intergalactic Freight Company after his retirement.”
“There is something else,” Quafeira tells him. “When I was twenty-six,
I had a conversation with his widow, Sa’eah. She informed me that the government had denied her access to critical search records. Cahaya, her daughter, is also investigating her father’s disappearance.”
“I do not blame Cahaya,” Aarath points out.
“Aarath, I am convinced that the Illasius made it safely to one of the inner planets, most likely this third planet.” Aarath stands up and walks a few feet away. After placing his hands into his pockets, he focuses his attention on a bird perched on a tree limb. A Tawnee, a brown bird with a green head, looks back at Aarath before flying away.
Quafeira senses his disappointment and is troubled by his silence. Aarath, on the other hand, is having serious reservations about her action plan. He understands the emotional turmoil that she had experienced down through the decades. Regardless, he feels that she is undertaking a tremendous challenge with considerable risk involved. As he watched various news broadcasts, he had seen the changes that she had gone through. The teenage female, whom he had fallen in love one hundred years earlier, has matured greatly.
By age 31, Quafeira had been thrown into the thick of a sociopolitical firestorm. With regard to the extraspatial otivicon, media journalists had passed on to Quafeira the same condemnation that they had passed on to her father. Because of her legal battle, Quafeira ultimately became the living representation of her missing father. Yet, he worries that something could still go very wrong.
“I know how you must feel,” Quafeira says softly. “I have gone over this many times. Aarath, I am hoping that my father is still alive.”
“Quafeira, all you have are rumors, a few meager facts and intuition.” Aarath turns to face her. “How do you expect to accomplish so much with so little at your disposal?”
Quafeira is stunned by Aarath’s question. “I know it does not seem like much at present. Still, it is a start. Aarath, they lied about my father, as well as lying about Selvon’s involvement and the Hilexos Project. What makes you think they are telling us the truth now?” Even as Quafeira wants Aarath’s support of her venture, she continues to push the issue. In turn, Aarath feels challenged to give her a meaningful answer. Despite the love and respect that he has for her, he often finds that she can be highly persuasive, if not argumentative. “What else do you know?”
“I know that Eliaban Zu’ar, the former head director at the Oterian Institute for Stellar Mapping, owes me a favor.”
Aarath raises his right eyebrow in surprise. “Have you been supplying him with any illegal alien artifacts?”
“Allow me to point out that in return for some classified information, I allowed him to borrow a few artifacts, highly rare jewels that I had acquired on planet Trantos.”
“Borrow? What is the market value of these artifacts?”
“I would say about 30 million denara, possibly more.”
Aarath’s eyes widen in shock.
“The Venarian government,” she continues, “allowed my husband’s archaeological team to excavate the ancient city of Reboas. Of course, the last time I heard about Eliabin, he had terminated his employment and moved off world to Pandera, a popular tourist resort planet.”
CHAPTER 7 DARK MYSTERY
The Clark Residence
941 18th Street
Anonwood, California
Friday, 12 July 1974 (4:00 PM)
As he is knocking on the door, David is wondering if he should be here at all. Suddenly, he tenses up as the door swings inward. To the other person, David gives a brief, yet genuine smile. “What’s happening bro?”
“You wanna know what’s happening? I’ll tell ya’ what’s happening,” Tyrone replies just before slamming the door back in David’s face. For a brief moment, David stands silent. He knocks again and louder.
This time, Nathan opens the door and allows him in. Ignoring David, Tyrone continues watching Three The Hard Way, one of his favorite martial arts television adaptations. Sylvia walks out of the kitchen carrying a turkey and cheese sandwich on a plate. Surprised, she looks at David and then at Tyrone. “Oh yeah! This should be interesting,” she says under her breath. She turns to walk upstairs. Along with a smile, David returns her gaze. In his view, Sylvia is the most gorgeous woman second to the biblical Eve.
David has found himself deeply in love with her. He returns his focus to Tyrone. “Look, we have to stop fighting and chill.”
“Fine! Now chill yourself right back out that door!” Tyrone replies. His eyes never leave the television screen. David feels that now is the time to get things going. “You know, you have a major attitude problem.”
“Attitude problem?” Tyrone counters. He stands up off the sofa.
David attempts no counter move. “Yeah! I’m trying to apologize for the way I acted last time, if you let me.”
Surprised, Tyrone is taken aback by David’s change in tone. “Oh! I get it. Is this another one of your jive tricks?”
“No. I thought we could, ya’ know, act like grown men and settle this.” Although angry, David is eager to restore his friendship with Tyrone, if not partially due to information that he has discovered. He has a burning desire to learn about the device that Tyrone had found.
“Uh-huh. And why the sudden turn around?” Tyrone asks.
For a brief moment, David looks away. “This was getting out of hand. Something had to be done. So, I came to you. Is there anything wrong with that?”
Before answering, Tyrone notices a smile on Nathan’s face. “Man, quit trying to fake me out! You just wanna get your hands on the device I found in that cave. You ain’t slick!”
“What cave?” A voice comes out of the stairwell.
The men focus their attention on Diane and Sylvia, as both young women walk back out into the open. “Oh well, I guess our little secret is out,” David exclaims while glancing at Sylvia for the fourth time.
“What were you two doing listening?” Nathan demands.
“None of your freakin’ business!” Sylvia snaps. “What cave are you all talking about? What is that device, David?”
“None of your business,” Tyrone cuts in. “David doesn’t have to tell you anything.”
“Cool! We’re tight again!” David smiles while listening to Tyrone come to his somewhat defense.
“I didn’t say we weren’t. I only said I never liked you. You’re the one who wanted to find a much better friend. Remember?”
“I only said that ‘cause you called me a punk!”
“Hey! You pissed me off by what you said!”
“You’re pissed? I was hot because you didn’t tell me about that device. You and Nathan have probably found out what it does. Right?”
“Yeah, we could have,” Tyrone replies. “Like, what’s it to you?”
“Tyrone, cut the bull,” Nathan interrupts. “David, we found out that it’s some kind of communication device. We heard a woman’s voice coming from it.”
“Communicator? Is that what that silvery blue cylinder is?” Sylvia mentally asks herself.
“A woman’s voice? Are you serious?”
“Dead serious!”
“No way! That device has been in that cave for almost one hundred and fourteen years!” David exclaims to the others’ surprise.
“A woman’s voice? Communicator?” Diane interrupts. “What are y’all talking about?”
David’s explanation is becoming of greater interest to both women, Sylvia especially.
“One hundred and fourteen years? How would you know that?” Nathan demands.
David begins thinking harder. “Look, where is it?”
“Follow me,” Tyrone replies before running upstairs.
“My man!” David exclaims jubilantly.
“Yeah, whatever,” Tyrone replies. Deep down though, he feels better about the situation.
Now in his room, Tyrone reaches into the top drawer and pulls out the device. David’s eyes beam with anticipation as Tyrone hands over the device. David begins examining the device with a smile. “This is phenomenal! T
yrone, I ought to choke you for hiding this.”
“We’ve been there already. Can you get it working again?”
“I’ve yet to get it working, period!” David replies. “Can y’all tell me what you did to make it do whatever it did before?”
Nathan takes the device from David and attempts to repeat his last actions on the key array. Nothing happens. “After I began playing with the controls, the thing started making weird noises. For a brief moment, I saw what looked like a big blue box appear above it.”
“Huh? A big blue box?”
“Yeah, Tyrone and I saw it for about three seconds.
“So that’s when you and Tyrone heard a woman’s voice?”
“Yeah. I haven’t been able to get her back since.”
After Nathan hands him the device, David begins thinking. Nathan and Tyrone notice the serious expression on David’s face as he focuses on the device.
“Stumped, aren’t you?” Tyrone asks smiling.
David refuses to become perturbed. “Not really. I just need some more time with this thing, if y’all get my meaning.”
Just then, Tyrone looks up and sees Sylvia standing by the door with a quirky smile on her face. “What do you want?”
“Nothing!” She replies while looking at the device in David’s hand. “I live here too.”
“Yeah, but this ain’t your room. Now beat it!”
Sylvia walks away and stops just out of sight of the others. As her focus is on the second alien device, she strains to overhear the men’s conversation. “I see no problem with that,” Tyrone continues. “You can study the device, and get back with us about it.”
The Emissary Page 5