Project Earth I: Origin

by Lidier Fernandez

  “I am afraid you’ll need a warrant for that Officer. I mean… I have nothing to hide and I can let you do it if you insist… but I know the law, too…”

  “I am the law, son, and I…”

  The radio goes off in their patrol car.

  “10-1 urgent! You have a 10-30 in your area. Do you copy?”

  They turn and rush to their vehicle. “We might come back later Sir,” says the officer in charge.

  “No worries. Have a great day, Sir!”

  I go back inside and ask Gina, “Can you please check online, what is 10-1 and 10-30?”

  “10-1 is ‘Call your Command’. 10-30 is ‘Robbery in Progress’,” says Leo as he walks in. “They are on their way to the ‘Jump It Shoe Store’ that doesn’t exist.”

  Jon walks behind Leo saying, “The ship located the nearest radio frequency—their patrol car radio, synchronized to its frequency and sent them some ‘special instructions’ from Command,” he explains. “We also erased this location from their GPS.” They are both grinning.

  “You guys are too cool!” I tell them as we high-five…well, I should say “high-four and high-five” as they only have four fingers.

  We each shower and then they watch me do a barbeque for lunch. I am getting a bit sore from riding, but the guys have not said a word about being hurt or sore. They just keep talking about the ride and how they have not had that much fun anywhere else.

  “It was such an amazing feeling to feel the air on my face as I was jumping—almost hit a bird once,” says Leo while laughing and recalling one of the many moments when he was up in the air.

  I knew it could be exciting for them, but they were thrilled. I am sure they will continue to talk about it for a few more hours, and maybe even for days. I am so glad I can contribute to their happiness, and give them something small in exchange for all they have taught me already.

  We continue to talk for another hour while sitting around the kitchen table. One of the things we all experienced today and agree upon, is the ability required to be in control of our bodies and the motorcycles as well. I guess making our bodies control the motorcycle along with the ability to be there, living in the moment—that’s priceless.

  “I remember someone saying, ‘You live more in a minute of riding a motorcycle than in a whole week of work’, or something like that,” says Jon.

  We decide to get on the quad and go for a ride around the property after lunch.

  “It is so different,” says Leo while looking around the various trees.

  “I know,” says Jon. “I have been to other planets, which also have vegetation, but this is amazing, I can feel the life emanating from nature. Can you also feel it Leo?”

  “Of course I can.”

  “I think even I feel it guys.” I concentrate and start to really perceive the energy from trees and plants. There are some small animals milling around too.

  Just before sunset we head back home to meet up with Gina. I tell her about our small but productive trip around the property, while we make some coffee.

  We then decide on our plans for the coming day. I’m excited about the impending arrival of the supply ship that will bring the necessary parts. I wish the additional personnel on the ship would stay and help us, but there is no space for them to park another ship. It will also be a very large ship from what I understand.

  “We need to open the garage roof at 6 am, sharp,” says Jon. “They will drop off the parts and depart immediately. Their ship is not easily detected, but there is no point in staying around the house and risking anything.”

  “What about the old parts?” Gina asks.

  “Well, we will have to schedule a pick-up for the old parts. Remember we still have to get some of them off the ship with the tools they are bringing to us,” Jon replies. He turns to me, “Lee, how long do you think it will take us to get those last two engine parts off the ship?”

  “Half an hour, I reckon.”

  “Nice! What we’ll do is get the new parts out of the crate—I was told they come in a big crate…so we’ll get them out, and place the damaged parts back into the crate. Maybe they can come back half an hour later to pick up the crates and save themselves a second trip later.”

  “Very good Jon. They can fly over to the Santa Monica Beach, have a couple of beers in the sun, and watch the chicks. Do they like to swim?”

  “Very funny Lee,” says Gina, with a stern look on her face.

  “It might be too early for the chicks anyway,” I comment.

  “How do we get the stuff down from the ship?” Gina asks, avoiding the “chicks” subject.

  “Don’t you worry about it, Gina, they will handle that. They will let us know when they are close to the house, too. We just need to make sure the garage roof opens on time,” says Leo.

  “Awesome. I think we should go to sleep and get up around 5 am or so,” I suggest.

  We go to bed, hoping to get a good rest, but it takes Gina and me a couple of hours to fall asleep, there is so much excitement and so much happening.

  Chapter 30

  A Special Delivery

  I get up at 5 and notice the morning dew on the plants and grass. I cut a few roses and other pretty flowers from our garden, as I normally do on the weekends. I head back inside the house and see that Gina is already up so I won’t be able to surprise her with the arrangement.

  “For me?” she asks, acting surprised, as she always does, appreciative of such a small but kind detail.

  “Well no!” I say to her. “They are for Jon and Leo,” I manage to keep a straight face as I pass by her.

  She turns around and says, “Well, I didn’t know you guys had become that…friendly.”

  I turn around, take her hand, pull her towards me and tell her, “Of course they are for you. For you and Sarah…here.” I deliver them with a hug and a kiss.

  We make a delicious breakfast and enjoy it at the kitchen table. I can tell the boys have already been up for a long time. I think they are anxious—but course they are, after not having seen family or friends for such a long time. I mean…they are just dropping off some stuff, but it is a “close encounter” with their people. I would be really excited too.

  It is 5:50 am. We walk over to the garage and get ready to open the roof.

  Leo is inside the BZ-2, ready to receive any communication from the soon-to-be-arriving ship.

  At exactly 5:57 Leo shouts at us, “They are two hundred miles away!”

  I look over to Jon, sigh, and comment, “I guess they are late!”

  “Open the roof, now!” Jon shouts.

  “What?” I ask.

  “They are early!” he replies, grabbing my hand and making me push the “open” button.

  I start to see the bottom of the ship as the roof opens up. The ship is right above us. It is huge compared to BZ-2. It is full of energy, too. I can hear a pleasant humming sound above us but no lights are visible as they don’t want to be seen.

  A compartment opens up on the bottom and a big load is lowered straight down. It finally rests on the garage floor.

  There is…“someone” sitting on top of it.

  We start closing the door and long before it closes, the ship is gone! A strong buzzing noise tells me they blasted off.

  Jon walks over to the crate and looks at the guy that came down from the big ship. “Jeto! Is that you?” Jon shouts excitedly.

  The ‘man’ is about the same size as Jon and Leo. He jumps down off the crate and walks towards us saying, “Why of course it is me. Who did you expect?”

  “Well…no one, I mean…it’s great to see you, Jeto,” says Jon as he gives the guy a hug. Leo also approaches him and gives him a hug. “Let me introduce you. This is Lee and his family, Gina, and little Sarah. How about you guys call him ‘Chief’; that’s what Jeto means in our language.”

  “My honor and pleasure to have you with us… welcome, Sir!” I say to him as I extend my right hand for a handshake, t
rying to be as polite and friendly as possible. I certainly did not expect to meet anybody and especially not a “Chief”. “These are my girls,” I add.

  “Good to see you Sir!” says Gina.

  “Very good! What is the meaning of ‘Sir’?” he asks.

  Leo takes a step forward and explains, “You refer to someone as ‘Sir’ when you want to show much respect, Sir!”

  “Oh I see. Just call me ‘Chief’. I am good with that,” he says while turning his attention to Sarah and voicing, “Hello Sarah, good to meet you in person, beautiful eyes you have.” Sarah giggles. He turns to me and says, “Jon and Leo have told me many good things about you and your family, your place and all the work all of you have accomplished so far. I have to say that I am very proud of you.”

  I suddenly feel very relieved. Jon and Leo are standing behind Chief with big smiles on their faces.

  I look straight into his big brown eyes and tell him, “Thank you Chief. We have become a very good team.”

  “Good to hear that! Well, I was owed some vacation time back at the Base and decided to come visit you, now that you have made this a safe place for us to stay.” He scans the area around him, “Interesting structure you built,” he comments as he walks around inspecting the floor, walls and roof of the garage. “I can perceive some major effort from the time this was being built.” He fixes his attention on the tunnel and asks, “What’s that?”

  “It is a tunnel. It connects the garage with the house—Lee’s idea Chief,” says Leo.

  “How clever,” he says while directing his attention to me and acknowledging my work.

  He is cool, just like the other guys. So full of life, interested, and granting importance to others.

  “Well, glad you decided to come for a visit Chief. Let us know how we can make your stay more pleasant,” says Gina.

  “Will do Miss,” says Chief, courteously.

  “Chief also has lots of experience fixing these types of ships,” Jon points out. “Perhaps he can give us a hand replacing the parts. The ship will return to pick up the bad parts in twenty minutes.”

  Chief looks at Jon and nods, he then directs his attention to the ship. “This is an old model, I did not want to send it on missions anymore, but the newer ones were not available yet. We should be able to get the parts out in about ten minutes.” I could immediately tell that he was going to take charge of the current affairs.

  The sudden meeting of friends and family had to end and work had to be done. “Jon, you and Leo will get all the parts out of the crate and get started with placing the old parts into the crate.” He turns to me and says, “Lee, come with me.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Gina asks.

  “I would like to try some Earth water, please!” says Chief.

  “Of course Chief,” she says and rushes to the kitchen, carrying Sarah in her baby carrier. They come back a few minutes later with beverages and some cookies.

  Chief and I get the parts out in no time. Jon and Leo unload the crate and start to place the old parts in it.

  Chief tells me the new ships at the Base are way more sophisticated with faster plasma engines that run twice as fast as this one, faster communication system, and even better equipped with weapons. They can also go undetected by most radar systems.

  “We are building their fuselage out of a new type of material which we found on a nearby star.”

  “That’s closer to what we need to accomplish ‘Project Earth’,” I think to myself, “We can’t really go around installing transmitters on the satellites with a ship like that and avoid being detected.”

  “I think I know what you are thinking Lee, and I think it is a good idea—bring this ship back to Base and trade for one of our newer models,” he says with a smile on his face. He had read my mind, my thoughts were so strong.

  “My affinity for this guy increases by the minute,” I think to myself.”

  “Awesome Chief!” I express with excitement.

  We step out of the ship to help Jon and Leo with loading the crate.

  “Great teamwork,” I think to myself.

  “How long are you planning to stay Chief?” I inquire.

  “It could be five more minutes…” he knows the ship is coming back to pick up the old parts in five minutes, “or it could be a week. I can stay and help you fix this ship, but I don’t want to…”

  I interrupt him before he finishes his sentence, “There is no inconvenience Chief—you are staying a week. It is a pleasure for us to have you here. You are already adding lots of power and intention to our project.” Gina and the boys nod. They know we can accomplish things much faster by having him with us.

  “Lee is right Chief. Bossy, but right. Please stay as long as you want. You also mentioned it is your vacation time,” Gina says.

  “We can show you a few ways to have fun Chief,” says Leo with a smile on his face, still recalling the bike ride from the day before. Leo and Jon look at each other and chuckle.

  “I guess I have no choice,” says Chief with a smile. “I sure don’t want to miss the opportunity to experience new things here, and do some work at the same time.” He feels happy that we have decided that he will stay, and he feels welcome. A big smile on his face proves it.

  The other ship comes back and we open the garage. They retrieve the crate with all the garbage in it, and away they go, leaving Chief with us.

  “Hi Sarah. So unkind of me, but before we were in a rush and did not get a proper introduction. You can call me Chief, if you want,” he touches her gently and it seems as if she already knows him. “I look forward to playing with you sometime too.”

  Chapter 31

  Chief

  We are replacing a total of seven units on the ship, some totally damaged, and some partially damaged or “questionable”, but we did not want to run the risk and so decided to replace them all for a safer trip back to the Base.

  It took us only two hours before we had all the parts in place. We pour a few gallons of water into the ship’s fuel tank for the hydrogen generator and hydrogen engine. I can’t wait to see it fully operational.

  Chief starts to turn on all systems. The various screens light up. All kinds of lights and buttons come to life.

  I am fascinated. “I am inside a real spaceship. What an amazing set of equipment, and this one is old, they say. I can’t imagine what a more sophisticated one looks like.” I half smile.

  I suddenly hear a buzzing noise. “It must be the generator kicking in,” I think to myself. “It provides the ship with electrical power and charges her batteries as well.”

  A second humming noise is now present. “Those are the plasma engines,” says Chief. They are being warmed up and tested.

  “It all looks good guys,” says Chief with a smile while nodding his head approvingly to let us know he is proud of our work.

  This is a big accomplishment. Having come this far from the moment we found the ship covered in mud, to now seeing it fully operational. It is an emotional moment and we are all excited. Gina even cries. She feels proud of all the work and effort that sometimes seemed too much, and even impossible. But now we are completely certain that we can achieve our goals and that certainty sets a better ground for our future projects.

  Jon and Leo also look at each other. They could be crying, I don’t know. I have never seen them shed a tear. Maybe they don’t have tears, but I sure feel their emotions, the ‘we made it’ type of emotions.

  Chief perceives our emotions and decides to farther acknowledge our work, “I am very proud of you, all of you have done an amazing job!”

  “Thank you Chief! Thanks to you, Jon, and Leo, my family and me have learned more in the past months than in our entire lives.” They all smile.

  I continue, “We have learned about life, ourselves and others, but most of all, we have become much more certain about ourselves. We now know that we are very capable beings and yet, aware of the fact that we have much
to learn, much to discover. Learn and discover from ourselves and from others. From now on, we are going to do whatever it takes to make our race aware of the same. That’s our responsibility, that’s our commitment.”

  “I wasn’t aware of so many changes in you in such a short amount of time,” says Chief. “I knew you had spent a lot of your time and effort helping us, but your realizations…they are huge!” he adds. The other guys nod.

  “I think we should go celebrate this with a cup of coffee,” says Jon, knowing I would agree with him fully.

  “Sure, let’s eat it,” says Chief.

  Leo steps forward saying, “You don’t eat the coffee Chief. It’s a beverage, you drink it. It’s a little drug Lee got us into—good stuff,” he adds while putting his thumbs up.

  “I have to see about that, guys. I have to see.”

  “I started to make food earlier,” says Gina. “We can have some lunch in about half an hour.”

  “Nice! I am so angry!” says Chief, rubbing his belly.

  “I think you meant hungry,” Jon corrects him.

  “Right! By the way, you guys have gained some weight, haven’t you?” says Chief while looking at Jon and Leo’s bellies.

  “Well…you will understand why after your second day of being here. We eat three or more times a day”, says Leo, sort of embarrassed as they normally don’t eat that often back at the Base. He continues, “We had to ‘adapt’ ourselves to Earth as much as we could Chief.” Leo and Jon look at each other and nod their small heads.

  “What else do you do here? No wonder you are not in a hurry to get back to the Base.” Jon and Leo smile.

  Jon puts on a straight face as he gets in front of Chief and says, “Chief, Sir! Leo and I think that we should stay down here permanently and establish a remote Base.” We could not help but laugh.

  I finish brewing the coffee and place it on the table. Gina gets four cups and pours some in them. She puts one in front of Chief and says, “Here Chief, try it. It’s hot though.” We turn our heads and watch him.

  He takes a small sip from the cup and looks up at us. “This coffee stuff is good, not the greatest taste, but…” He pauses for a moment, waiting to find out what kind of sensation he is going to get, and then goes on, “It makes me feel more…active. Is it supposed to do that?”