Songs of Thalassa

by Brian Tissot

  Rock shook his head. “I don’t know. But we start soon, so get back here soon for final makeup and hair checks. And cheer up, will ya! This is your big day.”

  Milo looked down as he dragged his feet along the floor. “Sure, I’ll be fine.”

  As he circled the creature’s enclosure, he tried to get excited about the opening. He checked all the cameras, the safety nets hanging from the ceiling, and the tranquilizer gun stations placed around the tank’s perimeter. I’ve gone to great lengths to bring this creature back, he thought, and I’m not taking any chances. But peeking into the exhibit hall at the capacity crowd, 10,000 seats, caused him to shake even more. Big crowds were nothing new, but he never planned on having Sage as a wild card. She could destroy everything. He wished she’d go public with her accusations, so he could at least refute her story. But that hadn’t happened, and the reasons were driving him crazy.

  Looking at the exhibit, he managed a smile at how perfect it all turned out. The exhibit was gorgeous and state-of-the-art. The massive 10-million-gallon tank included a small underwater cave, complete with an air space filled with boulders and a sandy beach. The cave connected through a tunnel to the large open-water tank, which had another small beach on the surface where the creature could haul out. Everything was just like Thalassa. Except it was surrounded by 20-foot-high walls, with cameras positioned around the perimeter and in the water.

  Technicians had been scrambling all day preparing for the opening, but for some strange reason, the upper aquarium space was currently empty. Clenching his jaw, he marched into the back room looking for a technician and passed a wall of walk-in freezers and refrigerators used to store food. One of the refrigerators was left open, and he began to shut it when something on the video monitor caught his attention. Worried about Shelley, he switched to a view of her cave. He couldn’t see the animal, as she had stuck her head deep in a corner and had been that way for a week, but he could see she was still there.

  He spoke aloud while looking at the monitor and nervously tugging on his hair. “Dammit, wake up. You’re the big star and you better not disappoint me.” He winced at the thought she might be too damaged to perform. “This is just like your home, right, Shelley? You should be happy. So why are you just lying there in the cave, staring at the wall?”

  A strong voice spoke behind him. “Maybe it’s because you killed her family and she’s all alone!” Milo whipped around to see Sage standing behind him, appearing surprisingly calm. “Plus, her name is Maka, you asshole!”

  He let out a deep breath as he tried to relax. “Oh, hey Sage. It’s good to see you, finally. I was glad to hear you’d made it out of that hell hole.”

  She stared at him intensely. “I bet you were.”

  Rather than follow that line of thought, Milo shifted gears. “So how’d you get in? I mean, ah, the exhibit opening is a closed event. I’ve been trying to contact you so we could talk, but you’ve been avoiding me.”

  “Well, here I am,” she said. “Let’s talk.”

  “OK,” he replied, his voice audibly wavering, like he was afraid of her. “But I only have a minute.” Then he began a speech Sage was sure he had rehearsed many times. “Look, Sage. I was terrified when you slipped off that cliff, I mean I—”

  Sick of his lies and betrayal, Sage refused to listen to one more word and shoved him onto the floor of the open walk-in refrigerator. As she began to close the thick insulated door, she could hear him screaming, “Sage, no! Don’t do this. Today is my day. We can work something out! Money, I can give you lots of—” Then she slammed the lock into place. He immediately began pounding on the door, but she disabled the internal alarm and could barely hear him on the outside.

  Smiling, she glanced at the monitor showing Maka in her cave as she walked down toward the stage. “Poor baby. I’m coming, Maka. Hang on.”

  As she worked her way down to the podium, the milling noise of the large crowd created a lump in her throat. As she approached the stage, she saw her mother talking with a slick-looking man in a suit. He touched his earpiece, but her mother looked more insistent. “Like I said,” her mom was saying as she turned to look at Sage and gave her daughter a quick wink, “Milo asked me weeks ago to come and speak, and I decided to show at the last minute.”

  Then her mother turned to her. “And Sage will be joining me. Honey, this is Rock Wilson, Milo’s…excuse me, I’m not sure what you do here exactly.”

  Sage swallowed her feelings of repulsion as Rock looked her and her mother up and down. They had both dressed in stunning Hawaiian outfits for the occasion; Sage’s was bright red with white flowers and green leaves mixed with marine fish, and her neck was piled with hala leis surrounding the striking lei niho palaoa. She could almost see the dollar signs piling up behind his eyes as Rock decided what to do about them. “OK, well, sure. This is actually fantastic! I mean, everyone wants to hear from you, Sage! I wish Milo would have told me, but hey, I’m just his agent, right? It’s wonderful you can say a few words. Where is Milo, by the way? We start in a few minutes.”

  Sage cleared her throat, holding back a growing mix of fear and excitement. “I just saw him backstage checking on a few things. He said to go ahead and start. He’s working on his makeup and will be right down. We’ll only take about 10 minutes.”

  Rock straightened his tie then motioned to the stage behind the curtains. “Sounds great, let’s get you both ready.” After showing them how to operate the stage lights, microphones, and the pre-prepared videos and their controls, he left to check on Milo. Sage quickly selected several video clips before they walked offstage.

  Sage gave her mother a hug. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure you got in. I’m so nervous.”

  Her mother beamed at her. “Relax, just be yourself and you’ll be amazing. Where is Milo, by the way?”

  “He’s, uh…indisposed…for a while.” Seeing a frown on her mother’s face, Sage said, “I swear, I didn’t hurt him. He’s just chilling out. But I’m worried about Moshe. Have you seen him?”

  “You don’t need to worry about him,” she replied. “He let me in. Lani convinced him it was the right thing to do so you can take Maka back. He didn’t seem to need much convincing and said he’d disappear for a while. Never underestimate the power of a determined 16-year-old girl. Or a Nesoi…”

  “What? Well, that’s surprising. I always knew Moshe had a soft spot, but…”

  Her mother glanced at the clock. “We should get started. I told that Rock guy that I would introduce you. Are you ready? Do you know what you’re going to say?”

  Taking a deep breath, she held tightly to her lei niho palaoa. “Yes, I know exactly what to say.”

  Her mother gave her a reassuring hug. “So let’s get started, shall we? It’s time.”

  Sage beamed back. “Yes, it is.”

  The exhibit hall darkened, and the huge crowd slowly quieted down. Her mother walked through the curtains into the light, and Sage watched from the wings as the room erupted in applause and everyone stood, screams and greetings piercing the air, as the show began. The high-pitched glee of the school children in the front rows was particularly loud as the Hawaiian school kids recognized Sage’s mother. Across the planet, every major network carried the stream as billions of people watched the live unveiling of the first alien life form on the holoscreen. It was the event of the millennium.

  Sage’s mother motioned with her hands to the crowd to quiet down and began speaking in a strong, clear voice. “Aloha and good evening everyone. I’m Puanani Thompson, Sage’s mother.” Applause interrupted her as she smiled and nodded to the audience, then she quieted them again. “As you may have heard, my daughter is back after a mission to the Procyon planet Thalassa.” She paused. “And although there were rumors she was dead, I can assure you she is very much alive!” More applause broke out.

  She continued with a spark in her voice. “Tonight,
I want to introduce you to a remarkable young woman. Despite some horrific experiences on that planet, she came back with nothing but love and affection for Thalassa and for the animals known as the Nesoi, whom you will see tonight for the first time.”

  The audience was spellbound by her mother’s strong, resonating voice, and they were hanging on every word. “Many of you know her as a professional big-wave surfer, some as a biologist, yet for others, she is a family member or a friend. Her compassion for everyone and everything is strong, and she truly lives with love, in the spirit of aloha. So, without further ado, I present to you—Sage Thompson.”

  Her mother stepped aside, and Sage emerged out onto the stage, kissed both her mother’s cheeks, then moved to the podium to thunderous applause.

  Chapter 38.

  Kumu

  As the applause died down, Sage took a deep breath, smiled, and extended her arms to greet the crowd. “Aloha! It is my great honor to speak to you. Thank you, Makuahine, Mother, for the gracious introduction.” She looked at her mother and used her hands to enhance her words as they rolled off her tongue “Mahalo nui loa.”

  Glancing around, Sage was relieved to see the faces of her extended ‘ohana in the audience. Smiling inwardly, she recalled what she learned from her mother: she was not alone. Upon returning from her encounter with the Koholā, she had pushed her ‘ohana to engage a global alliance and advance her plan. Over the last week, family members and supporters had secured tickets for the event and developed a strategy with their global networks, starting with the exhibit.

  The crowd settled down as her strong, bold voice filled the silence. “As a child, my tutu—my grandmother—taught me that my Hawaiian ancestors came from the stars. My father, who was a scientist, said that wasn’t possible. But he was a wise man and knew there were many things we don’t understand. So he told me that if I had faith, the truth would reveal itself. Tonight, I want to reveal the beautiful truths I discovered on Thalassa, which are more important than I could ever have ever imagined.

  “It is truly my privilege to teach you about Thalassa—a stunning and unique planet in the Procyon system, and the amazing creatures I encountered there.”

  She switched on the massive auditorium holoscreen, and a spectacular 3-D view of Thalassa appeared on the stage. The crowd erupted with oohs and aahs at the rotating image of the stunning blue marble with a sliver of land and dots of islands—the final map created from all the probe data. She caught the wide eyes of several school kids in the front row pointing to the projection and saw Lani sitting next to her teacher. Knowing that children would be compassionate allies, Lani had worked with her school and a network of teachers to create student seating at the event so children could support Maka.

  Sage dropped her eyes as pictures of the Duke crew overlaid the blue globe. “First, I must honor those who died on the expedition: my lifelong surfing friend and mentor Dina Sunn and two gifted scientists who became colleagues and close friends, Georgia Alvarez and Byron Kurosawa. These are the heroes of the mission. They died exploring a new planet. Importantly, they all died, in one way or another, protecting me, which I will never forget. I also want to honor my father, Daniel Thompson, who along with the crew of the Proteus IX was the first to explore Thalassa. As many of you know, my father died there, but his love for Thalassa and his family endure. I want to read a short passage from his journal, which I found on the planet:

  Thalassa is an extraordinarily beautiful planet. It is alive with the most amazing creatures, and I can feel its vibrant energy. Who knows what the future of this planet may hold? I wish others could experience the raw vigor of this virgin planet, one untouched by humankind. Maybe then they would realize how precious our Earth is and how much we have altered its ecology. It’s not too late.

  She straightened up with moist eyes. “On Thalassa, I pledged to honor his life and the lives of my friends by telling you what they died for.” Looking up at the rotating globe as the photos faded away, she was awed at the beauty of the planet and began to speak passionately. “Thalassa is an ocean planet about the size of Mars. It is a young planet, about half the age of the Earth, and it is a fascinating place.”

  The holoscreen zoomed in and transitioned to the video taken from the lander as they flew in over the continent. “The land is amazing: towering black volcanoes surrounded by steep cliffs and majestic river-cut valleys. Like a Monet painting, the landscape has splashes of reds, yellows, and oranges overlying a geologically complex landscape. Later, I learned these colors were living creatures—much like our lichens. They are a symbiosis between two different organisms living together in synergy. Indeed, symbiosis is universal on Thalassa, which is just one of the many reasons it’s so special. There, everything works together and is interconnected.”

  The shuttle flew over the inland sea, offshore islands, and sandy beaches, then plunged into the sea. The projection cut to footage from their submersible dive. “On land, life is struggling to get a foothold, but in the ocean, life is…well, stunning! And it’s filled with a bounty of unbelievable creatures untouched by humans. Truly, a sea of dreams.”

  As the camera approached the submarine canyon, a graceful school of pika appeared spinning through the water as small mantis squid came into view and chased them around, scattering the school. “It was a unique experience swimming in the ocean among the first complex living creatures seen outside our planet. It is their home world, and it is pure, at least so far.” As she remembered the cavern of light, warmth spread through her body. “In that sea, I experienced a beauty, a harmony, a balance among the biological and physical environment that is difficult to put into words. It was magical, and I could feel the energy of that sea, and all of life, moving through me. It was an unparalleled experience. And through my adventures on Thalassa, I came to understand and appreciate what many already know: that we are all interconnected. We are an inseparable part of nature. As a Hawaiian, I practice mālama ‘āina—I care for the land. It is part of our culture to nurture the land, because it, in turn, sustains us. I found this to be true on Thalassa as it is on Earth. That is one of the common truths I discovered.”

  The beauty and significance of her words captivated the audience, and the silence was palpable as they watched the submersible descend into darkness. “There were also some breathtaking predators,” Sage continued. She caught Lani smiling as one of the giant mantis squids appeared, and the crowd cried out in alarm. “But they, like everything on the planet, are products of their ecology, surviving on what many would call a violent planet. For as you may have heard, the tides caused by Hina—Thalassa’s moon—were beyond our experience. As Hina approached the planet in its eccentric orbit, the tides grew from the gentle ebb and flow we experience here, to tsunami-sized torrents that overtopped everything in their path. Hina—her name derived from a Hawaiian legend about a wronged undersea woman and a revengeful epic flood—also caused torrential rains, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and a spectacular eclipse. And during that moment of epic darkness, the entire sea rose to the surface, creating an unbelievable gathering of life. It was a spectacular moment.”

  As she spoke, her voice grew in strength and intensity as she remembered those difficult times. “Although at the time it seemed like a living hell, in retrospect I realized that dynamic ecology gave rise to the most remarkable creatures, which I named the Nesoi.” Shouts rose from the crowd as a photo of Maka appeared on the screen. She saw Auntie Kēhau and Uncle Steve in the audience surrounded by her loud environmentalist friends with upraised fists.

  “The Nesoi are sentient, self-aware creatures of extraordinary and unusual beauty and intelligence. In addition to saving my life, they showed compassion, played with me, mourned with me, and displayed gratitude. In the process of saving me, I learned that they had also tried to save my father and carried both of us many miles to the safety of their cave. Incredibly, they sang amazing songs.”

  Murmuri
ng and hushed conversations broke out in the crowd, but Sage’s strong voice drowned them out. “Yes, songs. They have a language; not of words, but of music. Their songs are beautiful and similar to those of our cetaceans. And while I didn’t understand the message, I began to comprehend their meaning.”

  Sage hit a switch, and the lively sounds of the Nesoi filled the room. “Incredibly, the Nesoi and their relatives—I discovered at least three related species—sang similar songs in a chorus heard across the planet.” She turned on the audio that she had recorded as she departed Thalassa and the audience became transfixed as the complex mix of wistful, melodic sounds filled the auditorium.

  The songs shifted to a warm, haunting tone, and several people in the audience began to weep at their beauty. “One thing is clear, and the message is simple. Listen. Can you hear it? Can you feel it? It’s love and a yearning for lost love. They are calling for an eternal connection to those around them and those that are gone. To me, it was love, aloha, or aloha kāua, may there be love between us. These gentle creatures are content and happy in their homeworld. They live to love each other in harmony. Without the slightest hesitation, they included me in their family, and I became part of their clan, part of their ‘ohana.”

  She glanced at the crowd, and she saw her mother sitting next to her great-aunt Halina, surrounded by a large contingent of Hawaiians. She smiled and continued, “For in Hawaii, the ‘ohana is your family, but it’s also those who you choose to call family. Within the ‘ohana, there is an obligation to protect and love each other and to give, and give, and give until you have nothing left. It is a bond that cannot be broken! On Thalassa, living with the Nesoi, I was part of their ‘ohana, and I could feel the love of these extraordinary creatures. From them, I learned another truth: that love and ‘ohana are universal, even across the stars.”

  She paused, composed herself, and shifted the focus of her talk as her voice reached new heights. The songs stopped, and Earth replaced the projection of Thalassa. “But I learned another truth when I came back. We also live on an unbelievably gorgeous planet. We are so lucky and fortunate to have such a lush, vibrant, and dynamic world. The Earth is a tiny blue dot in the vast void of space; a special world filled with an incredible diversity of living creatures, even more diverse than Thalassa.