The Power of Gnaris

by Les Bill Gates

  “Nobody will recognise you in these clothes,” he said.

  “What about the goggles?” Elena asked. “Our two companions don’t need them, but the Great Savant and I cannot tolerate the glare of the sun without them. People will think them strange.”

  “You’re right. Is there no other way?”

  “If we wait for dusk, then we can remove the goggles. Our eyes don’t need any protection at night, even from a full moon.”

  “Then we will wait for dusk. In the meantime, I suggest that you put the clothes on in case anyone should pass by.”

  “Thank you, Moses,” said Barrow. Elena translated. “I have a gift for you.”

  The Great Savant removed a gold ring from his finger and handed it to Moses.

  “This ring is engraved with my own seal. If anything should happen to my companions and me, I want you to take this to President Kowalski’s aide in Tel Aviv and tell him to ask the president to send a message to my people on Hikon. Do you think you could do that?”

  “You can rely on me,” said Moses.

  When the sun sat low on the western horizon, Moses led the strange group through the western gate and onto the streets of Jerusalem.

  To their right, Elena made out the silhouette of a grand building.

  “That’s Herod’s palace,” Moses said.

  Elena translated for the benefit of Barrow and Lolena while she continued the dialogue with Moses. “Who is Herod?”

  “He is the king, but he has no real power. Jerusalem and this part of the country are occupied by a foreign force called Romans. The Romans have their own leader named Pilate who is the one who wields the real power here in Jerusalem. Even Caiaphas, the High Priest has no power except in matters of religion.”

  “What religion do these people follow?”

  “We are Jews, and believe in one God.”

  “We have many gods. Our gods reside in a galaxy light years away, the galaxy from whence the Karavec came. The sole purpose of the Karavec is to establish an empire in the Milky Way for the gods' arrival, and we are waiting for the day when they come to claim the Milky Way. We Karavec are always loyal to our gods and to their will, and their authority cannot be questioned. We are taught that other religions are an abhorrence to the gods, and should be quashed.”

  “The authority of our God was also not in question until the Saviour arrived.”

  “Tell me more about the Saviour. What does he do that makes the people listen, yet goes against the will of your God.”

  “The Saviour has powers that cannot be explained by natural means. He can heal the sick, and there are rumours that he can even walk on water. Then there’s the blood, of course.”

  “Tell me about the blood.”

  “The Saviour is not always with us. He comes and goes. He tells his followers to drink the blood as a way of remembering him.”

  “But why Karavec blood?”

  “He says that his own power is increased if he drinks the blood. He also says that by drinking the blood of the Karavec, his followers will become like him. They will become Karavec.”

  There was a sudden commotion as throngs of people moved closer.

  “Saviour. Praise the Saviour,” they shouted in English.

  Chapter 17 – The Rescue Mission

  “Even the Karavec sometimes need the help of inferior species.”

   The Book of Karavec (39, 97)

  Donohue flew the helicopter low over the trees and onto the rocky semi-arid area where the Gnaris Voyager had landed.

  “There’s no sign of a spacecraft,” he said to the man sitting next to him. “Barrow must have got the coordinates wrong.”

  “Yes, we should have spotted it by now,” said the other man.

  They continued flying around for several minutes.

  “If we don’t sight it soon, then we will have to return to Washington,” Donohue said. “Otherwise we will run low on fuel.”

  Another larger helicopter carrying twenty five members of the president’s armed guard had landed a short distance away waiting for orders from Donahue.

  “Maybe the ship has taken off,” said the man.

  “Then we’ll return to Washington ” said Donahue.

  “Wait, look down there near to that cluster of rocks, someone is waving.”

  Donahue’s craft swooped low over the rocks.

  “It looks like a group of aliens. Yes, there’s a female and several Karavec warriors. But how could the ship have left without them?”

  “Let’s go down and find out.”

  As soon as the helicopter had landed and the rotors had almost stopped, Donahue jumped down and ambled towards Leila. The sight of the Karavec ray guns trained on him made him nervous.

  One of the soldiers stepped forward. “Identify yourself,” he said in the Karavec language.

  ‘I do not understand.”

  “Identify yourself,” Leila repeated in English.

  “I am Donahue. I work for President Kowalski. Your leader, the Great Savant, has sent me to help you. He has … sensed that you are in trouble.”

  “How do we know what you say is true? How can we trust you?”

  Donahue slipped the pendant out from under his shirt. There were gasps when the Karavec soldiers recognised Barrow’s seal.

  Wardrow whispered to Leila. “Could he have stolen this pendant?” he asked.

  “No. The only way this alien could have come into possession of the Great Savant’s pendant is if Barrow himself had given it to him. This is a sign that we can trust him.”

  Leila turned back to Donahue. “I am Leila,” she said, and this is Sergeant Wardrow, now commander of the Karavec warriors. The remainder of those you see are his men, loyal warriors of the Karavec. The Great Savant’s seal on his pendant tells us that you speak true.”

  “What’s happened?” Donahue asked. “Where is your ship?”

  “It’s Joodrow, the co-pilot of the Gnaris Voyager. He must be the murderer of the Karavec embryos. He has killed more Karavec, and taken our commander prisoner on the ship. It blasted off yesterday evening, leaving us stranded.”

  Leila went on to explain about the slain Karavec warriors and crew members.

  Donahue handed Leila the letter from the Great Savant.

  “It’s for Sirrow,” she told Wardrow. Sirrow is dead, so you read it.”

  Wardrow began to read:

  Captain Sirrow

  I trust that all is well with you, and may the gods bless you.

  The man carrying this letter works for President Kowalski, and can be trusted. The pendant that he bears should be proof that what I say is true. My gnaris detected that of Doctor Leila, and I sensed that you are in trouble, but we cannot help you at this time. I am on my way to the city of Jerusalem on the other side of the planet with Elena, Lolena and Forster. Jerusalem is the Saviour’s headquarters. If he is there, we will destroy him. You must contact Hikon and warn Mallow that we believe that Saivrow is the one they call the Saviour.

  “Saivrow, the government Chief Statistician?” Leila interrupted. The soldiers within earshot mumbled amongst themselves.

  “It must be,” replied Wardrow before continuing to read:

  He and an accomplice are the ones responsible for the violation of the Karavec embryos. Saivrow is also a member of the Council. That’s why I believe he had the power to arrange the murders, and he is now trying to win over the people of Ziemia by feeding them Karavec blood, and performing miraculous acts. If Saivrow is still on Hikon, then he must be apprehended and prevented from leaving. You can contact Mallow by using the frequency I have written at the end of this letter. Then you must wait on the ship for our return.

  Barrow, Great Savant of the Karavec.

  “So Joodrow is in league with Saivrow,” Leila said.

  “It looks that way. Joodrow must have gone back to Hikon to fetch Saivrow, and more supplies of Karavec blood, no doubt.”

  “What are we going to do now? Barrow doesn’t kno
w about Joodrow and what he has done here. He doesn’t know that Joodrow stole the ship, and that we are marooned here.”

  She turned to the Ranger. “Tell us what you know, Mr. Donahue.”

  “Barrow detected your cries for help,” said Donahue. “He is on the way to Jerusalem with Elena, Lolena and Forster, so he asked the president to send me here to find out what the problem was.”

  “Jerusalem?”

  “It’s the headquarters of the Saviour. It’s a city on another continent.”

  “How are they getting there?”

  “President Kowalski arranged transport on his private jet.”

  “What are we going to do now? We are stranded here.”

  “You must come with me to Washington, and seek further help from the president.”

  “What about the Karavec warriors?” Wardrow asked, and Leila translated. “They can’t be left here. Are your flying machines big enough to transport them all to Washington?”

  “We have a larger flying machine  we call these machines helicopters. It is not far away, but carries our own soldiers. It will come back for you. Please wait here. It will take just a few hours.”

  * * * * *

  Several hours later, two of the helicopters headed for Washington.

  After they had landed on the South Lawn, Donahue escorted Leila and Wardrow to the president’s office. The president was busy poring over some documents when his Chief of Staff knocked on the door.

  “Excuse me, Mr. President,” he said. “My brother has returned from the site of the Karavec spacecraft. He has some urgent business he needs to discuss with you. He has two of the Karavec with him.”

  “Show them in.”

  John Donahue briefed the president on everything he knew; then a long silence ensued before the president spoke.

  “This is a very grave situation,” he said. “The Saviour, this Karavec called Saivrow, seems to be very dangerous.”

  “He is not the equal of the Great Savant,” said Leila.

  “Nevertheless, I anticipate that Barrow may need some assistance. There are only three of them and, despite his superior powers, the sheer numbers of Ziemian people supporting the Saviour could put his mission in jeopardy.”

  Donahue’s brow furrowed. “So what are you suggesting, Mr. President?”

  “A contingent of my elite forces must leave for Tel Aviv at first light tomorrow. The forces will be under the command of General Evans, a very experienced veteran of the recent wars; but you, Donahue, will lead the mission.”

  “Me, sir? But I am just a Ranger.”

  “You are already familiar with the situation, Donahue, and know a little about the Karavec. I trust you to lead this expedition. I will have a Hercules ready for you in the morning. It has the capacity for ninety fully-armed men, or sixty four paratroops. I propose that the Karavec and an equal number of Ziemians will parachute and land close to the outskirts of Jerusalem.”

  “With respect, Mr President, the Karavec are not trained. Nor am I.”

  “We will put you and the Karavec through a crash course in tandem parachuting. It requires only a minimal amount of instruction.”

  “I see, and that will buy us valuable time by not having to land at Tel Aviv. Yes, Mr. President, you are right.”

  “I will instruct General Evans to select twenty seven of his best paratroopers for this mission. General Evans and the twenty seven troops will match in number the combined numbers of the Karavec, consisting of, Leila and the twenty six Karavec warriors, and then there’s yourself. This should provide enough firepower to deal with this Saviour and his supporters.”

  “I can assure you,” said Leila, “that the Karavec warriors could deal with this on their own. Nonetheless, we are very grateful that you have made your men available. Thank you, Mr. President.”

  Chapter 18 – The Saviour’s Demise

  “There are those who aspire to joining the ranks of the gods. Such Karavec believe that by drinking the blood of other Karavec, they will assimilate their gnaris. Thus their own gnaris is enhanced, and their power increased.”

   The Book of Karavec (27, 77)

  Throngs of people moved closer to Barrow, Lolena, Elena and Forster.

  “Saviour. Praise the Saviour,” they shouted in English.

  Ziemia’s smaller moon was full, and cast an eerie light over the crowds.

  Sensing trouble, Moses melted into the crowd and disappeared.

  Barrow called his three companions close and spoke to them. He turned first to Forster. “Do you recall the quotations from the Book of Karavec written on the piece of paper dropped by the murderer?”

  Forster nodded.

  “What quotations?” Lolena asked.

  “There were three. The first said: ‘After the Karavec had been created and had been living on their home planet for more than two hundred millennia, there was a great famine in the land. Many Karavec died, and others were only sustained by drinking the blood of Karavec embryos.’”

  The crowd became more agitated, and drew closer.

  “What does the quotation mean?” Lolena asked.

  “This quotation gave the Saviour the idea to drink the blood. He saw that it had been done before, and believed he could use it for his own benefit. But the second quotation is more of an eye opener.”

  “What does it say?”

  “It says: ‘There are those who aspire to joining the ranks of the gods. Such Karavec believe that by drinking the blood of other Karavec, they will assimilate their gnaris. Thus their own gnaris is enhanced, and their power increased.’ The Saviour clearly believes that he can become a god if he drinks the blood. This is a very evil thing. What the Saviour is proposing is a blasphemy, and he will be severely punished by the gods.”

  “Perhaps he thinks that if he becomes equal with the gods, then they will have no power over him.”

  By now the crowd had grown both in numbers and in volume of noise. Barrow and the others felt hemmed in as people pushed and jostled to come closer. The crowd’s cries of praise increased when they recognised the Saviour amongst them.

  “Maybe you’re right, said Barrow, “but the third quotation, as recorded in the Book of Karavec, came to me by way of a prophecy: ‘In the latter days there will rise up on the planet Ziemia a great threat to the Karavec people. Do not be complacent; the threat is real. However, be encouraged; the gods will prevail and the threat will be overcome.’”

  Lolena tossed aside the headwear and the face mask that Moses had given her by way of disguise.

  “You surely don’t believe that I am a threat?” she said. “It’s all lies. You … Great Savant … you are the threat.”

  Her actions caught Barrow, Elena and Forster by surprise. Forster had no time to draw his ray gun, and Barrow had removed his goggles so couldn’t use the power of his gnaris against Lolena. Within seconds of revealing her identity, throngs of people surrounded them, worshipping and praising Lolena, and the other three had no way to escape.

  She reached forward and snatched Barrow’s goggles from his belt. “You won’t need these again,” she said.

  “Take their weapons,” she barked.

  “You you’re the Sav ” Forster stuttered.

  “Seize them,” she said in English, pointing to Barrow, Elena and Forster.

  One man in the crowd spoke out. “You have returned?” he said. “But where is your spacecraft?” He sounded bewildered.

  “It will be arriving shortly, but this should be a sign to you that I do not need a spacecraft to come to you. I have the power to walk on water; I can also fly through the air.”

  Some members of the crowd whistled, followed by whoops of excitement and great cheers from others.

  “Take them to the cells under the temple,” she ordered.

  One woman rushed up behind Lolena and grabbed hold of the hem of her robe. “Will the ship be bringing more blood,” she drooled.

  “Do not worry my faithful servants. There will be plen
ty more Karavec blood, and soon you will all be like me. You will be Karavec.”

  Several men from the crowd roughly grabbed hold of the three prisoners, and shoved them towards the hill that led to the temple.

  * * * * *

  Owing to the shorter range of the aircraft and the need to refuel, the flight from Washington to Jerusalem took a different route from that of the president’s jet a few days earlier. The plane landed on a remote airfield near a town called St John’s on the northern tip of a snow-covered island on the western edge of the great ocean, and then again on a military airfield close to the city of London.

  After a thirty hour flight, just before dawn, the combined forces of Ziemian soldiers and Karavec warriors jumped in tandem from the aircraft at eight hundred metres. Each Ziemian wore a parachute, connected by a safety harness to his Karavec counterpart, and General Evans jumped with Donahue.

  They landed just outside the eastern wall of the city, removed and buried their parachutes, and hastily regrouped to receive instructions from General Evans.

  “We must be prepared for resistance,” the general said. “They probably expect some sort of assault, but will not know when, so we still have the advantage of surprise; added to which our Karavec friends have superior fire power and the ability to see clearly in the dark.”

  The Roman soldiers that guarded the gates to the city provided the first line of resistance. Since this occupying force of Ancients were armed with primitive weapons, it took Evans’ men just a few minutes to mow down the Roman guards and the local forces that came to their aid.

  There was a loud roar when they passed through the gate. Leila looked up and pointed.

  “Look,” she said to Wardrow. “The Gnaris Voyager. It’s landing on the other side of the city. Saivrow must have arrived.”

  * * * * *

  Early in the morning on the day after Lolena had revealed herself to be the Saviour, she visited the prisoners.

  “So the Great Savant of the Karavec is reduced to this,” she sneered. “I will be the new Great Savant of the Karavec worlds; but not only that, I will also rule here on Ziemia. I, blind Lolena, am the only one who can exist without hindrance on both planets. I have no need of eyes. I have my gnaris to lead me, and my loyal followers to protect me.”