“Uhm-m, I saw the sincerity in your eyes, young lady.”
On the Earth, Professor Von Kalavich was continuously monitoring the approaching Omega bomb. The wide-screen display terminal showed the feared bomb leaving the Earth’s stratospheric layer. He tried to contact the Asian whose spaceship was gripping the feared bomb, but his effort failed. Some of the people who had opted to remain in the Starshield were faithfully reciting some solemn prayers, while others were singing some religious songs. Those who couldn’t overcome their anxiety had become very hysterical.
The professor was deeply disturbed by the bomb’s orbit; it had changed its parabolic descent pattern and begun to ascend at a very minimal gradient. He then called the attention of his staff to ask if the space eyes were working well; he got an affirmative response. The staff was disturbed too, when they saw the feared bomb was now ascending quickly toward the exosphere.
“Your Royal Highness, something exciting is goin’ on here; please come!” the professor called the emperor, who had had a heart-to-heart talk with the reverend. When the emperor arrived, the professor and his staff were rejoicing.
“What’s this jubilation mean?" the emperor asked.
“Look! Your Highness, the feared bomb is now leaving the Earth!” The professor revealed. “Likewise the hundred missiles are heading toward the asteroid belt.”
The emperor couldn’t believe the sudden turn of events. He looked around; people were jumping with too much joy, tears streaming into their eyes. Some, had rushed into the streets blowing horns, creating a lot of noise.
It was the first night that the citizens of the Earth had a peaceful sleep outside the Starshield. Some families were happy once again to be reunited in their homes. A little girl was awakened by the noisy barrage of horns, gongs, trumpets, yells of the populace, and the deafening roar. “Ma! Dad! Wake Up! You’re very late to your work!”
“Switch off the light, Famel! Maybe you had a nightmare . . . you’d better drink a glass of milk and return to bed,” the mother urged.
“No, Mom! I’m not dreaming, either. Look outside! It’s dog day afternoon!”
“What? Midday? Is there something wrong with our alarm clock, lake? It’s midnight yet!"
“Phoebe, do you know what date it is today? . . . today is the twenty-fourth of December! Our Christian neighbors are celebrating the natal day of their Messiah . . . that's why they are having this grand festivity."
The little girl peeped through the window. “Ma! Dad! Look! The Christians have a big lantern descending from heaven! It’s a giant star!"
XVIII
Convalescent Planet
The little girl’s parents finally buckled down to her persistent calling. The family witnessed a very bright spheroid flashing ultraviolet rays, illuminating the entire city and stretching its brightness several miles away. The populace was shouting in jubilation.
“Wow-w-w! What a giant dazzling pearl!” the jeweler exclaimed. “It’s a precious universal gem!"
“It’s the pearl of Allah!” a Muslim faithful shouted. “No! It’s the Star of David!” an old Jew countered.
“I do hope that this star shall bring prosperity and eternal peace to our planet. The previous one created universal havoc; it brought in hellfire, darkness, pestilence and horrifying death,” an old man lamented. Brilliant lights were perpetually flashing in the sky, accompanied by strong thunder and lightning. The thick, dark clouds that were once the dominant blanket of the Earth were now drawing closer to the bright spheroid. The cosmic spheroid had finally cleared the sky. The Earthlings could witness with their naked eyes trillions of stars twinkling in the far galaxy. Their jubilation was cut short when they heard an emergency warning. “Everybody is requested to return immediately to the Starshield!"
The jubilant Earthlings immediately responded to the call It was the first time that the Earthlings feared for their lives. The sun rose, emitting its brilliant rays and painting the dawn with multiple hues. The first fine day had passed, the sun had set, and the people were anxiously waiting for the spheroid’s last passing. And they were told that the altitude would be closer to the Starshield before the spheroid would descend to the Sargasso Sea.
It was now midnight. Even though the Starshield was fully insulated and waterproof, the Earthlings couldn’t avoid the deafening roar in the sky getting very loud, accompanied by the flashes of lightning. All flimsy structures in the city were smashed. The citizens had witnessed through the thick tinted glass wall the bright spheroid slowly descending toward the sea. A blind man started to strum his guitar and to sing:
‘There’s a hole in the bottom of the sea, There’s a hole in the bottom of the Sea, There’s a hole. "
(Children loved the song and they surrounded the blind man, singing likewise.)
“There’s a hole, there’s a hole, there’s a hole, there’s a hole in the bottom of the sea.
There's a ship [the man exclaimed]
There's a ship in the hole in the bottom of the sea,
There's a ship, there’s a ship, there’s a ship…
There’s a ship in the bottom of the sea.
There's a ship. There’s a treasure!"
A group of people had become very interested in the blind man’s prophetic lyrics. On the other hand, the spheroid’s radiance was neutralized by the thick clouds that had been attracted to it. Seawater was rising several miles into the sky, rotating around the spheroid, creating a marvelous show in the sky. “It’s a giant fountain!” someone shouted. “It’s just wonderful.” As the spheroid touched down on the horizon, seawater was rotating quickly and formed a frustum of a cone. The citizens were once again shocked when they witnessed hailstones beginning to spew in the sky and be thrown several hundred miles away.
“It’s a fantastic fireworks display in the sea!” a girl exclaimed.
The spewing of the flaming boulders was lessening after half an hour; then the seawater rose several miles, whirling in the sky, creating a violent wind, and as it slowly went down, the people witnessed many sunken galleons and yachts, plane wreckage, and another ship that still had its name painted on the prow: The Insurgent. Likewise, some other debris was floating on the whirling crests. These floating objects were slowly pushed to the coast. The seawater disappeared after an hour. Some people managed to bolt from the Starshield and rush towards the inviting sunken relics where the tokens of instant wealth awaited, which had been lurking the sea for many centuries. They didn't mind the millions of eels heading toward the shore.
The professor warned the groups salvaging the sunken ships to return to the Starshield immediately, but his warnings were ignored. Spaceships had been dispatched to the area urging the people to vacate the dried open sea; still the people continuously defied the warnings. In response they waved their hauls of treasure that they had retrieved from the sunken ships. There was a group who met their sudden death when they entered the ship filled with hordes of treasures that was also the haven of a family of electric eels.
Then what the professor had been afraid of began to take shape on the horizon. A high mountain of silvery seawater was rushing toward the shore. “Tidal wave!” one man in the group of scavengers shouted. But it was too late, because the rushing wave had just begun its onslaught; it rolled over the sunken ships and passed through the Starshield.
After several minutes of horrifying charges, the water began to descend. Many houses had been devastated, but the Starshield remained intact. The sunken ships that had littered the shore had gone with the descending waves. On the other hand, the Earthlings had an outstanding dilemma, because the Starshield was covered by thick white sand.
“Well, let’s pray for the souls of those hard-headed people who had ignored the repeated warnings of the professor . . . may this give a lesson for others who want instant riches without sweating hard,” the reverend requested. “Don't think too much about your homes that have disappeared; we can rebuild better ones. What we shall thank the Lord for is the gift
of nature, as it has cleared the skies of centuries of man-made pollution.”
The astrophysicists and geological team of Professor Kalavich concluded that the Earth was responding well to the newly transplanted perpetual source of energy, the Embryo of the Star, but cautioned that the new source of energy had not yet fully adjusted to the Earth’s extraordinary mechanisms. The newly infused energy would activate the long-sleeping volcanos and major faults and the Privy Council warned of the incoming upheavals.
“I thought that the orbit of this planet would return to normal condition once the perpetual source of energy is put into commission," the worried Madame Ming Ling said.
“You know, my colleagues, a newly installed heart doesn’t mean that all other essential parts shall right away play in crescendo; the adjustment period shall take a long time,” the professor explained. “What we’re expecting shall be the Earth’s normal chores in the past. That is, it shall resume to release the excessive pressure built up into the atmosphere; we shall expect major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, super typhoons, and tornados. People in the past have been misinterpreting this as Mother Nature’s misbehavior.”
Their discussion was put off when the emperor called up the Privy Council.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m very thankful to everybody who’s made a tremendous collective effort in saving our planet,” the emperor said. He shook the hands of Colonel Krispov, Professor Kalavich, Rev. James Reginald, and other members of the Privy Council.
“Even though the reverend has renewed my strength . . . I’ve finally decided to give up the baton of leadership for the Earth’s reconstruction era to someone who most likely will be preferred by the people. This shall be decided through the normal procedure of election. First, we will choose somebody who will become the imperial champion. The prospective candidate must have extraordinary achievements in his life. He or she shall automatically be elevated to the emperorship of the Earth,” the emperor announced. “For my part, I’ll stay out of the affairs of the government and take my retreat in exploring a new habitable planet. Of course if I’m successful it shall be flagged under the kingdom of the Earth. We all know that many of you here are well qualified for this delicate job, but we shall not forget the people. Let’s allow them to participate . . . that is, anybody or group are welcome to present their candidates.”
The emperor’s pronouncement was hailed by the Privy Council and welcomed with wild applause. As the days passed, a new breed of politicians sprouted up among the populace, in the forefront of organizing a political party, with most of the platforms centered on the Earth’s reconstruction. Colonel Krispov was leading in the survey conducted by an independent group followed closely by Professor Kalavich, and Kareen Sandover made an impressive showing. She was dubbed as modern-day Joan of Arc, a fearless fighter. The professor had honored his word and requested the people who were behind his candidacy to withdraw his name from the race. On the eve of the election, a familiar name entered the political race; a contender in absentia: Mark Gouch. His bandwagon was led by a veteran space fighter, Sergeant Major Bendanill.
This new political machine made an overnight campaign blitz; they insisted that their man was alive. The supporters of Colonel Krispov immediately contested Mark Gouch’s candidacy, charging that Mark Gouch was physically dead and challenging the political party of the sergeant major to produce their candidate. The Futuristic Reconstruction Party (FRP) devised a compromise formula . . . that is, if their candidate won, his proclamation would be delayed for two weeks, to give Mark Gouch ample time to show up. The high court upheld the FRP formula. But the colonel’s bloc contested it, saying that two weeks was a long waiting period. The dispute was settled amicably, giving the FRP ten days to present their candidate. Once the FRP failed to present their candidate, the first runner-up would automatically be crowned as the imperial champion, the new emperor of the Earth.
Election fever has taken over the airwaves, everybody occupied with debating the issues. They forgot their traumatic experienced quickly and rode on the exciting political hoopla.
The election canvassing finally came. Colonel Krispov was leading by a thin margin over his closest pursuer, Mark Gouch, followed by a strong third, Ms. Kareen Sandover. If the trend didn't change, the Privy Council would have their first woman speaker. The feminist group led by Madame Ming Ling was very satisfied with the trend. Some other candidates were very far behind, the prominent lawmakers in the cellar. Experts said that the race was now trimmed down to three. Among them Kareen was the big surprise because her name didn’t ring a bell in public. Her candidacy had been bolstered by her daring performance in single-handedly challenging the IPO decision to destroy the Earth, her swift maneuvers triggers the sudden collapsed of the Martian Coalitions. The day of the final verdict had come. Mark Gouch won the race by a very slim margin, Colonel Krispov running close behind, and Kareen had become the first lady speaker of the Privy Council.
Days passed; there was no sign of the winning candidate. Colonel Krispov was very optimistic that at last his childhood dream of becoming the emperor of the Earth had come to a reality. He dismissed Mark as an imaginary candidate being tossed up by his irresponsible supporters.
In the streets youngsters and adults were busy cleaning the streets, refurbishing light posts, repainting the walls, and putting up different intricate decor for the coming enthronement of the new emperor of the Earth. Kids had the luxury of enjoying the moderate wind, flying their kites from the foot of the hill.
Someone approached a young girl about seven years old.
“Hey, how are you?" the man asked. “What’s your name?”
“I ’m Jamjam," the little girl replied, “I recognized your face, sir . . . your pictures are a common sight on the streets. Aren’t you the new emperor of the Earth?” The little girl dropped to her knees and kissed the man’s hand.
“Yes, I’m Mark, but I'm not the new emperor of the Earth . . . there’s somebody else,” Mark clarified. “Please stand, little girl.” Mark took the girl into his arms.
“Aren't you the kind ghost of my hero?” the little girl asked. “Because some said that you’re already dead, yet you came. You know, I’m very thankful to God and you . . . you’ve both saved my future." The little girl then hugged Mark, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Jamjam, this is my friend Lady Khinna.”
Lady Khinna responded by taking the little girl from Mark. the trio sat on the big boulder overlooking the ruins of the devastated city with the deadly calm sea in the background.
“Sir, why didn't you go to the high court's devastated building? They’ve been waiting for more than a week for your imperial enthronement.”
“What? . . . They want me as the new emperor?" Mark was shaken. “I don’t want to be the leader of the Earth. My childhood dreams were of serving this planet . . . and I believe I’ve fulfilled them."
“But, sir, the people have elected you. My parents, too, voted for you,” the little girl replied. “They reasoned out that even if you were just a symbolic candidate, they couldn’t forget what you have had achieved. It’s the only way they could express their thanks to you. But if you fail to show up this afternoon, then Colonel Krispov shall be the new emperor of the Earth."
Mark was very much disturbed by the little girl’s revelation.
“Well, Mark, your people have already voiced their opinion. They want you to be their king . . . why not accept this new challenge in your life?" Lady Khinna asked.
“It's against my principles. I don’t want to overdrink to my success," Mark replied, “But that doesn’t mean that I’ll just rest on my laurels . . . I could be a great help in some other way.”
Then there was a long silence.
“Jamjam, do you know the guy named Karl Vincent?” Mark asked.
“Yes, I call him brother Karl; he is very kind and brilliant . . . he is my schoolmate,” the little girl replied. “He is a scout leader . . . do you see those people
in that building? Karl and hundreds of his classmates have been at the wall of that building, repainting it nicely.”
“Will you place tell him that a very special friend wants to see him at once.,. but don’t tell anyone that I’m here,” Mark requested.
The little girl faded away fast, very happy because Lady Khinna had given her necklace to her . . . a precious necklace with a sparkling light blue pearl pendant and a tiny brilliant pearl chain.
Lady Khinna was very delighted viewing the Earth’s magnificent landscape by using the binoculars. “You mean, Mark, that all the surroundings here were once covered with beautiful flowers and lovely creatures?"
“Certainly, Lady Khinna. Maybe the Earth has a chance now to revive its lost splendor," Mark replied, “but it will take a long time and the people's energetic support to attain that ambitious dream."
“It’s wonderful that this planet shall have a chance to reclaim her lost glory, but it’s a pity to Kuralus, it shall lag behind because of the absence of the ideal climate for the plants to grow and for the creatures to live that needs an adequate supply of sunlight,” Lady Khinna revealed.
“You’re right, but on this planet there’s always a high risk because of man’s unpredictable behavior. The people are the ones responsible for the destruction of nature’s flora and fauna.”
Their discussion stopped when they saw a young guy ascending toward them. The guy arrived together with a young messenger, holding their breath. The guy looked straight at Mark and sobbed, “Mark, you’re alive!"
The other young guy exclaimed, “Thanks, God!” The young guy knelt and kissed Mark’s hand and said, “Your Excellency, your subjects have been waiting for your triumphant return! . . . Bendanill and his friends are right . . . they insisted that you are still alive."
“Please, Karl, stand up," Mark requested. “If you don’t mind, I’ve a very special assignment for you to do.”
“Yes, I’m very willing all the time . . . I’m ready to represent the youth sector in your cabinet.”
The Embryo of the Star Page 21