Return to Earth

by Brad Stucki

  Rolla gasped in horror. “My father has taken my people to invade another world? He would do no such thing!”

  “I’m afraid your father is not quite his own man,” Javin thought. “You’ll understand more if you . . . ‘listen’ to what you learned in the Sharing with Nemesis. It takes a bit of getting used to.”

  Rolla was silent for a moment as Javin and Sauros felt her delving her new memories. Then she took a deep breath. She realized her father was under Nemesis subtle control.

  “We must do something! We are to guard the Grand Gateway points, not make war on other people!”

  “There’s a whole lot we have to do,” Javin agreed. "And we need to do it all right away.”

  “I can help with my father. I can reach him!” Rolla's message was filled with resolve.

  “That would be good. We each have things we can be doing.”

  “Yes,” Sauros agreed. “Let us be getting to it.”

  Javin sensed something deep in the back of Sauros’ mind he was anxious about, though it wasn’t completely evident. It was as if Sauros didn’t even dare consider it. Javin didn’t bring it up. They had enough they had to be doing.

  Chapter 23

  Javin’s bond faded until it was a slight background feeling. Sauros was reassured the contact, though faint, would still be there. They would be able to touch each other at an instant’s notice. Now to work. Sauros turned to Rolla. She stared back at him. “How can I get to a Portal — an Archway?” Sauros felt Rolla’s trepidation, then realized she was worried about her father and her people having gone off to invade this place called Earth. She stood as did Sauros, finally realizing they were both surrounded by guards. One turned to face them. His gestures and impressions were of ones of concern. “Were they all right? Did she have any instructions?”

  “Yes. Please find us conveyance to the Great Pyramid.”

  The guard placed his hand across his breast, fist close in salute. He bobbed his head and gestured for them precede him.

  Delving into Rolla’s memories, Sauros knew they were going to the largest pyramid on this planet. It was above water and held a very large matrix. It also had an Archway he could use.

  These terms and concepts were all foreign to Sauros but they were there in Javin’s vernacular. He understood their intent. And he realized now Rolla was beginning to comprehend as well, because of the Sharing, and having the knowledge gleaned from the Ancient’s archive. She knew the plan, even though clearly, she had not had time to assimilate her new memories fully. Still, the pieces were coming together.

  Sauros realized this is was why they had been brought to this world. Here was the triggering mechanism. There were also other locations left to visit until they had all ends of the Grand Matrix covered. Javin’s world, wherever that was, surely contained one. They would know more about that when Javin was able to regain his memories. Another destination beyond that, Sauros realized, must lay in the territory inhabited by the Guardians. That would prove to be a problem. Another thing he realized was they were one Promised One and Crystal short. Chahzuu, who had a Gestalt Stone for his race, had died and disappeared. The problems seemed to multiply. Then deep in the back of his mind, through the Crystal, he heard Javin’s chuckle. “One problem at a time, big guy,” before he faded again into the background. Sauros chuckled too and knew Javin was right. They knew what they needed to do next, and they must be about it now.

  While he had been pondering Rolla and their escort had led him to the elevator, down through the building, and toward the back of the building, opposite the entrance through which they had come. At the back of the large atrium was another exit. They moved through it, out onto a broad patio where sat an assortment of . . . Sauros didn’t know what they were. Boxy in shape, though some had sleek lines. He gasped as on lifted off the ground! Inside the boxy shape he saw two of the Aquarians. It continued to climb until it was halfway as high as the tower they had been in. Then it sped off forward around the building, disappearing from sight.

  He felt a touch on his arm. Looking down at Rolla, she gestured for him to come. She moved towards another of the boxy objects. Standing beside it she touched a lever and it opened. She stepped inside following their escort and motioned Sauros to follow. He had never seen anything like this before. He searched his memory. Nothing was there except for . . . yes there it was. In Rolla’s memories, a flier. With the name of the thing came the memory and the association. Sauros nodded his head and clenched his stomach. This flier was going to fly, and he was going to be inside.

  As they flew, Sauros looked over in awe at the Domed City. It was larger than he had supposed. Each building, a varying height and shape, organized in a fashion connected by circular rings that were roadways for people walking and other strange vehicles that seemed to move about similar to what he was in, though staying nearer the ground. The size was immense and must contain tens of thousands of the Aquarians who he could see as small dots moving about along the circular ringing roadways. It was amazing to behold. He’d never seen anything like it.

  Then a flash of an image came to mind — an even larger city. This one open to the air and even taller. The word, “Skyscrapers” came into his mind.

  “Where did that come from?” Sauros wondered as the image faded. Then he realized it was a flash from Javin’s storehouse of knowledge.

  “How did I get that information?” Sauros mumbled to himself. He felt a touch on his arm. Rolla was gazing at him and he could tell she had had the same image come to her mind as well.

  “These are from Javin,” he said aloud. Rolla nodded but he felt her confusion.

  “Yes, I know,” Sauros said, “these are part of his blocked memories. I don’t know how . . .” Then it came to him. “When I took Javin’s essence into myself, and as we Shared his memories and knowledge, even though blocked, they must have come across also.”

  He hesitated a minute, then shook his head in wry humor. “We’ll probably continue to get these flashes much as Javin does. Hopefully, we won’t start saying strange things as well.”

  Rolla smiling, nodded with a little chirp of humor. Then she pointed through the windscreen at where they were headed. Sauros looked and saw a large chamber constructed on the top of the dome, located to one side of the apex. It was large enough to fit this flyer inside as he saw the maws of a door sliding aside to allow them entrance.

  Rolla glanced again at Sauros, inclining her head and then again pointing.

  “Yes, it’s an airlock, we’ll be going through it,” Sauros said out loud to indicate he understood. “From there up through the ocean and on to the main pyramid.” Again Rolla nodded, smiled and chirped. Sauros realized she was being more vocal than normal, mainly to accommodate him, for which he was relieved. The silence, even though they communicated more deeply than with words, was still a bit unnerving.

  They quickly went through the airlock emerging out into the expanse of ocean. The flyer was water tight and they quickly rose to the surface, where once breaking the water they emerged into the air, rose to an altitude, and sped off in a direction. Sauros looked out.

  Occasionally, in the distance he could discern smaller islands. None were large, just outcroppings really, yet most larger than the small island upon which they had arrived through the Portal. Then off in the distance ahead, he began to make out a larger island. As it grew in his vision more details arose, and he realized this was a sizable chunk of land. Upon it grew dense foliage, similar to his home world. He was starting to feel more at ease, seeing the jungle greenery. They approached it and began to circle.

  In the center Sauros could now make out an immense pyramid shape. This one was not flat on top with a building as on his world, instead it was peaked and on the very top was a cap of some material. As they got closer, Sauros realized the pyramid was built of stone. Not of the same opaque material as their domed cities. The cap of the pyramid was of another substance altogether. It was crystal and clear, like the Crystal embedded i
n his breast.

  Then the knowledge came to him, “This is the initial transmitter. This is where the Grand Matrix is activated, and a signal sent out?”

  The word “signal” came into Sauros’ mind but he didn’t understand. Even though he didn’t understand the word, he understood the concept. The signal would be beamed to this place called Earth and from there relayed to all the other pyramids from Earth’s extensive pyramid network on all the continents. Even though he had the memories and the knowledge from the Ancients via the Archive, Sauros was in awe at the scope of what he was now involved in. Suddenly, it was becoming very real.

  He looked at Rolla who slowly nodded in understanding. Apparently, she was experiencing the same thing. The mission her people had lived with her whole life suddenly found clarity beyond just the words and traditions. Sauros could ‘feel’ her awe.

  Again, Sauros gazed down and saw other buildings surrounding the pyramid. These were made of the opaque material that was obviously their standard building material, further setting the pyramid structure off as being from a different time and a different culture. They began to lower and finally set down on a paved clearing beside a large building immediately adjacent to the pyramid. They climbed out and were met by a contingent of guards. They had been expected.

  Sauros wasn’t quite sure how they could have communicated, but as soon as he thought that he realized, from Rolla’s knowledge he had Shared, their emphatic communication had quite a range, and if one desired one could touch another on the far side of their world. Then Sauros figured he shouldn’t be surprised as he and Javin had been able to communicate over a much vaster distance.

  Chapter 24

  The guards bowed to Rolla. Sauros noticed she seemed a bit uncomfortable at their deference. Then he realized through his new knowledge that when the king was not present, Rolla, as Keeper, was leader of her people. And something else came forward in his new memories.

  It was actually traditional that the Keeper be the leader of this people. That Rolla, if she was wed, would be the queen and the king would be her consort. It was considered unusual that Rolla had not married and ascended to be queen of her people.

  Then Sauros realized Rolla had put this off, deferring to her father instead of assuming her rightful position. She had wanted to console him after the death of her mother, who was the previous Keeper, and from whom she’d received the Gift.

  All of this blazed through Sauros’ mind as they followed the guards into the base of the pyramid where there was a dark rectangular opening.

  Once inside Sauros’ eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness and he recognized the tiny pinpoint lights emanating from the walls and ceiling of the corridor made of stone. They continued through the short way until a familiar maze of passageways began. True to normal form, they followed each rightward branching until they arrived into a central cavern many spans across with three tiers of flooring, like the other pyramids in Sauros’ experience.

  Large rectangular slabs of stone interspersed the two upper levels and on the smaller lowest level was the familiar Portal Archway. This one was larger than any other he had seen. Fully five warriors could stride through side by side and still not touch either side. The height of the span easily tripled his height. The roof of the chamber peaked into the shadows higher than he could see, making him realize the bulk of this pyramid must be hollow. But there was an addition he had never seen. Beside the portal sat a stone pedestal which was three spans wide and two deep. It stood solid, looking more like an altar, but upon which sat inlaid four rows of colored Crystals, each glowing in their vivid illumination from within.

  As Sauros drew closer the Crystal in his breast warmed as if drawing near companion Crystals. Then Sauros' eyes were drawn to the far side of the room, against the right-side wall. Inset into the wall was a large slab of smooth rock that formed a bed. It was familiar to Sauros. He moved up the tiers to stand beside and glare at it. At the head of the slab in the wall was an opening which was covered with a sheeting of smooth opaque material. Sauros recognized it as an opening that would slide up. This is where he would have to kill Javin.

  Javin will lay on the slab having the Three Articles of Power on his chest. The opening in the wall would slide up. Sauros, using his prodigious strength would slide Javin, slab and all, into the opening in the wall. The opaque cover would slide down and after a moment . . . A blinding flash of light would occur in which Sauros knew Javin had put the Three Articles of Power together, activating the Great Matrix, but being annihilated in the process.

  Sauros stood there, staring at the slab and opening. How could he change this? There had to be a way! Then he felt Rolla pulling him back again from his despair, leading him back over to the Portal and the pedestal. She was sending another set of images into his mind - to distract him, he knew, but also to give more information. He also felt in that contact Rolla was also sorry for what Sauros would have to do.

  Into his mind came images of the original Keeper of the Aquarians passing on instructions for the Pedestal's use, which Crystal to touch, in which order. How to activate the Grand Matrix in certain ways and for certain reasons. One of which was to transport the Aquarian fleet which had a number of, Sauros struggled with the term, "spaceships" to other worlds. Also, an explanation of the Aquarian's role as guardians of the Matrix and its associated worlds.

  These concepts and words meant little to Sauros until he focused his mind and allowed the principles to sink in, to find context within the memories that Rolla had Shared. Only then did they take on a semblance of meaning. The Matrix the Ancients created would allow Rolla’s people to travel vast distances through space, all by activating this end of the Matrix and flying through a certain Portal point in space which would open up and their ships would fly through.

  The Aquarian's traditional role was to guard the whole Matrix until such time as the Keeper said the Time of Trouble was at hand. Now, instead of protecting the Matrix, the Aquarians had been deceived into attacking a people at the other end of that Matrix, exactly opposite of what they were set up to do.

  Sauros’ inner anger at Nemesis continued to build. At every turn this monster had stolen eons of progression all through his ignorance and lust for power. The fact that Sauros had Nemesis’ memories meant little. Even though he understood Nemesis' motivation and harsh upbringing at the hands of the Dark Guardians, it didn't excuse his evil. Especially considering how Nemesis had killed his betrothed, murdered her in cold blood while she was defending Javin.

  Sauros felt a gentle press in his mind. It was Rolla trying to pull him back from his turmoil.

  “I have tried to contact my father since leaving the city. He has not responded. He is blocked from me. I had thought if I came here and activated the Portal to where he was going, I could reach him. I now doubt that will be possible. The more I learn of this Nemesis and what he can do, the more I fear for my people. He has shut my father and his warriors off from any contact. This has never happened in our history. It is a great loss to not 'feel' my father and those with him.”

  Rolla was again trying to prod him, helping him realize they both must push on with their plan. He to find the Light Guardians, and she to see if she could 'touch' her father, to get him to resist and turn back.

  Sauros bowed to her in gratitude. She was right, and he could feel her urgency. She had to stop her people from going to war. If she couldn't, there would be a terrible breach between Earth people and the Aquarians which would doom them all.

  "I shall keep trying," Rolla said through their bond. "I will also educate my people here who the real Promised Ones are." Sauros was seeing a different Rolla than he had first met. Before she had been deferential, quiet and subservient. Now she was assertive, commanding and knew what she had to do. It was a dramatic change. He sensed the Guards around them watching her and feeling a growing sense of awe at her new Presence. It was palpable.

  "How will you find a Light Guardian?" she asked. “I sensed earlier you
had an idea as to how to go about this.”

  “That is true,” Sauros said. “I have traveled through these Portals numerous times,” he said resting a hand upon the stone of the Archway. “I simply need to 'think' of where I need to go, and it takes me there. I'm hope doing so again will take me to the Light Guardians.”

  Rolla’s eyes grew alarmed. “Can it really be that simple?”

  “Perhaps not,” Sauros said, “but it is the best plan I have. I'm willing to test it. First, I must retrieve the Third Article of Power for I do know how to get that. With the Third Article I will have additional power to protect myself as well as bargain with those whom I meet.”

  With that Sauros stood in front of the portal, closed his eyes and concentrated on finding Kokos.

  A silvery sheen appeared across the plane of the portal, then a pop! as a circuit connected. Then there was a sliding noise, a scraping movement of the rectangular slabs on the two upper level platforms forming into the necessary alignment for his travel. Rolla wasn't alarmed. She had obviously seen this before as she had operated the Portal for patrols of her people fulfilling their duty as Guardians.

  The slabs ground to a halt. The Portal popped again and was filled with blackness indicating all was set. Sauros clasped Rolla’s hands in farewell then stepped through into the darkness.

  Chapter 25

  Sauros emerged from the Portal striding into the Archway room of the Archive. He wasn’t really surprised to arrive there. In going through the Portal, he’d thought about being taken to where Kokos was. It made sense that she would spend time here at the Archive, continuing to study and research the knowledge of the Ancients, hoping to glean more information to help them in their quest.