Earth To Nole: It begins at the end

by Kumar Lomash

  Boris continued, “Kevin, right now, the best thing for you to do is to keep this to yourself. The more people that know, the more trouble you are going to get into.”

  “I agree Kevin. First thing tomorrow you should return back to the spaceship.”, Holum concurred. Boris added, “And, spend your days as if nothing has changed. I will be in touch.”

  Holum and Boris were taking turns in giving advice to Kevin who was listening patiently. It was Holum’s turn now, “You should continue to learn from Ibu. I am sure he would be happy to continue taking your classes.”. Holum looked at Ibu who indicated to Holum that the rest of the students were missing.

  “I know you must be sad on the news of your former classmates being hijacked Kevin. At this point all I can say is that it was allowed to happen for the greater good. As long as they are being held by the roco, you can rest assured they would not be in any danger.”, Holum clarified.

  “I don’t feel good about it, Sir”, Kevin admitted with guilt. “They are in danger because of me.”

  “Oh, don’t let this thought fill you with complacency Kevin. Nothing is being done for you.”. Boris interrupted. “The genetic payload that you have has nothing to do with what you have achieved in your life yet. You are not important, what you are carrying is. My, infact, our job was to safely bring you here for the betterment of Humans and Hums. You are simply lucky that your survival is linked to the survival of these two civilizations. I can’t say what you will do with the opportunities given to you in the future, but let me make it clear to you that you have still to begin making an impact.”.

  Holum and Ibu looked at each other. They saw what Boris was doing. Boris had brought Kevin to ground zero. Kevin himself was a down-to-the-earth person but Boris couldn’t have let all of this get to his head. He was preparing him for the responsibilities that he will have tomorrow.

  Kevin was relieved by what Boris said. Someone not as humble and servile as Kevin might have reacted differently to that but not Kevin. He understood exactly what Boris told him and knew there is a difference in having potential and doing the deed. He was looking at all of this as an opportunity to make the largest impact in the history of the universe. He had dreamt many a times of making a large contribution and impact on human civilization, but even his wildest fantasies didn’t come close to what he was looking at now. Kevin was the kind of person who was motivated by expectations. He was almost never overwhelmed and always managed to rise up to the occasion. For example, back in his colony, he would go out of his way to help his friends who needed support. His helpful nature was not just limited to his friends. Kevin was an active member of the community and helped everyone who appeared to be in need to him. His helping nature and selfless attitude were the first things that Joti had noticed when she was assigned to keep an eye on him back on Earth. Kevin was strong, both emotionally and physically. Not that he could single handedly take on a pack of goons but he was strong enough to challenge them if need be and hold his ground. He was himself an orphan and had learned the hard way that the world was not for the weak. Although empathetic to the weak, he despised fear and weakness. He believed that survival requires strength and courage, he believed that everyone is equal in this world and that nothing is guaranteed without effort. So, even though Boris was trying to bring Kevin back to the reality, Kevin was already there, 100% with Boris.

  “What is a roco?”, asked Kevin.

  Boris smiled. “Kevin, sometimes I wonder if I have seen anyone who is as curious as you are. You never let anything go, do you?”, Boris ended with a rhetorical question. Then he started answering, “ROCO, is short for Robot Cops. They are the police of Hums. Their biggest strength is that they are incorruptible. Even some of the most powerful and influential people on Peele won’t be able to harm your friends. Sometimes I wonder if letting you being captured by roco would have been better”, Boris finished.

  “But why would roco hijack them in the first place if not under the influence of your so called dark forces?”, Kevin asked.

  “The hijack was a myth, Kevin. We deliberately took our spacecraft into Peele’s territory. Roco simply did what they are supposed to. They took control of the craft and detained the occupants for questioning. Since the humans on board do not know anything about our plans, they would appear victims in roco’s investigations.”, Holum said and turned towards Boris for confirmation.

  “Well, more or less true, Holum. But not as simple, I would say. First of all, roco have Hum officers who control the robots. Those officers could be corrupt and I suspect a couple of them would be reporting to the dark forces which we are fighting. The robots would not allow the humans to be harmed in anyway, agreed, but our enemies are well informed of all the facts. Soon, they would realise that the real royal descendant is not among the detainees and they might attack the rest of you to find Kevin.”, Boris explained.

  “What if I go to them myself? That should save us from an attack, right?”, Kevin argued.

  “That would have to be done, Kevin. But now is not the time. I should get back to Peele and prepare for your arrival there. Once you are on Peele, harming you would be very difficult for anyone. Meanwhile, please stay with your people and wait for my signal. I would be back in a couple of days.”, Boris answered.

  “Take this Kevin.”, Holum handed over a pen-drive to Kevin. “I want you to have this but please don’t try to look at its contents. I will give you the password when the time is right. Trying to open it without the correct password would delete everything on it, you have been warned.”, Holum paused to think and then started speaking again, “and here, take this other pendrive too. They both look similar and have similar content but one of them is misleading and the other is correct.”

  Kevin took the pen drives and prepared to ask the first of many questions coming to his mind.

  Holum started speaking before Kevin could, “I know you may have some questions Kevin, but I am afraid I can’t answer any at this point in time.”

  Ibu who was listening patiently to everything being said, sensed that Holum was done talking to Kevin. He asked Holum to come with him to tend to other official matters at hand.

  As Holum and Ibu left, Boris prepared to leave too. He said, “Kevin, you have learned a lot today and I know it's too much information. But in a way, nothing really has changed for you. Think of hums as your extended society, after all Hums and Humans are not that different. Some centuries ago, Earth had 1st world and 3rd world countries. These countries had very different societies. First world countries seemed to have a lot wealth, resources and an enjoyable life while the third world countries were poor with unstable economies and societies but at the end of the day everyone was human. Similarly, Hums might have a better society, powered by our science and technology but we all are the same species. Every Hum knows about the human civilization. We see you as our neighbours, as our distant relatives who share our passion for knowledge and our fight for survival. History of Hums is full of violence and revolutions, very similar to yours and we don’t believe that we are better than you. Please consider us as your friends if not brothers and sisters. We need each other to survive.”, said Boris humbly as he left.

  Kevin realised that very difficult times were ahead. He could see it in Boris’ eyes. Boris, who had always appeared in control and confident seemed vulnerable as he left. Kevin was aware a lot was expected out of him but he didn’t know exactly what. However, he knew it would take all of what he had to respond to this ask.

  Kevin couldn’t sleep that night. He kept looking out at the two moons which were visible through the tiny little window in front of his bed. They reminded him of how far away from earth he was. To be honest, there was nothing back on earth which would make it home for him. In fact, Kevin was always alone, even on earth but tonight, he still felt the distance. Maybe earth represented a simpler time for him or he was overwhelmed by the large expectations. Would he trade back his current life with his life back on Earth, he wondered.
Of course not. His older life did not have Joti in it. So much had changed since he left his colony. He had mixed feelings about all of it but not Joti. Joti was the single best thing that had happened to him in his life. He smiled at the thought of meeting Joti the next day. Should he tell her everything he has been told or would it bring danger upon her as well? He couldn’t make his mind up but wasn’t too worried now. He slept thinking about the better things going on in his life.

  The next morning, Kevin was seated in the LSC with Holum and Ibu who seemed to be busy going over matters of the Union. Kevin was sitting near a window and looked out as the LSC rapidly exited Nole’s atmosphere. He saw Nole below, it was indeed a beautiful planet. The view outside grew darker as the craft flew towards the spaceship. An announcement broke the silence.

  “This is your pilot. We would be landing on the spaceship soon.”

  Kevin felt a soft grasp on his shoulder, it was Holum. He reminded him about the secrecy of what was told to him. Kevin understood that he was not supposed to share the secret with others, yet. Holum and Ibu were planning a disclosure to the rest of humanity and it was important they break it to them in a systematic way. Holum requested that Kevin be discreet and Kevin agreed since it made sense. He promised to use his best judgement.

  Holum sat on the seat beside Kevin and put his seatbelt on as the craft entered the spaceship. It flew into a tunnel which was only large enough for the LSC. Kevin couldn’t resist asking another question. “Sir…”

  “Yes, Kevin.”, responded Holum.

  “...I flew out in a much larger spacecraft and the exit tunnel was just large enough to allow that spacecraft to fly out. This is a much smaller spacecraft and I see that the tunnel is again only as large as the craft.”, Kevin paused.

  “Hmm, do you have a question?”, Holum enquired.

  “Yes. Do we have multiple exit tunnels for different spacecraft?”, Kevin asked.

  “We do have multiple exit tunnels but I don’t know how many because that is not my job. That information is sensitive and for security reasons known to only a few. However, I do know that each tunnel is resizable to allow a range of spacecraft to fly through. The tunnels can also be rerouted as the spacecraft within it flies from one end to the other. Their size is kept at the smallest possible for two reasons. One, the speed of the spacecraft could be controlled that way. A small size forces pilots to be extra cautious and hover at a very slow velocity. Two, the surface of the tunnel also acts as a scanner which scans for different signals as the spacecraft hovers through it.”, Holum concluded.

  “And why the re-routing?”, Kevin could think of some benefits but wanted to know what Holum had to say.

  “For obvious reasons, Kevin. If we sense unfriendly signals on the craft we can simply turn the tunnel in a way that leads it outside the spaceship.”, Holum stated the obvious.

  “I thought so too and while the spacecraft thinks it is flying deep into the spaceship, it actually is flying out because you don’t know that the tunnel has been turned around.”, Kevin said.

  “Yes.”, Holum smiled.

  “Would we be able to survive if the Hums attack us, Sir?”, Kevin asked.

  “What rubbish?”, Holum was not prepared for this question. Then he realised that it was a fair question. He responded eventually, “Kevin, I don’t want to find that out. Whatever happens, we cannot go to war with Hums. They are our only allies.”, Holum answered.

  “Allies?”, Kevin wondered. “If it’s only hums and humans then we are competing for everything, why would they be our allies? We are considerably weaker than them.”, Kevin said out loud, he had a point.

  “Maybe because that is not the case, Kevin.”, Holum replied just as the seat belt signs were turned off. He got up before Kevin could ask a counter question. Kevin wondered what Holum was trying to imply. Are humans not the weaker ones or, did he mean to say that Hums and Humans are not the only ones competing?

  Kevin got off the spacecraft after Ibu and Holum and looked around hoping for a familiar face but everybody looked busy. He walked out of the flying deck and saw Moji waiting for him. He was happy to see Moji after some time. They both entered the elevator as Moji started telling Kevin about general happenings on the spaceship. Kevin entered his cabin and looked around but nothing looked the same. The information that he had, made him look at everything differently. It was evening already and Kevin realised he should quickly freshen up if he wants to see Joti tonight. He took a quick shower and went to Joti’s room only to find it locked. He sat down at the door and waited for her.

  “Wake up, Kev”, Gollow’s voice interrupted Kevin’s sleep. He opened his eyes and realised he was sleeping at Joti’s door.

  “What are you doing here? Did you forget your room, buddy?”, Golli was almost laughing.

  “No Golli. How are you?” Kevin pulled himself up. “I couldn’t sleep long enough last night, so…”

  “So? Your room is just a couple of rooms from here man. Go and sleep there.”, Gollow told him.

  “He wants to see Joti”, Moji clarified, who was hovering there the whole time.

  “Is she your girlfriend now?”, Gollow asked casually.

  “Yes.”, Moji replied before Kevin could. He was not mad at Moji though and would have answered the same.

  “Hmm. Good for you man. Who is she?”, Gollow asked.

  “Her name is Joti, Golli.”, Kevin replied.

  “A J? Cool! But she must be busy. She is with the Union isn’t she?”, Gollow asked.

  “Yes, so?”, Kevin wondered.

  “I don’t know a lot but all the Js are working long hours, maybe preparing for the landing.”, Gollow replied.

  “But we have 17-18 days before we land on Nole, right?”, Kevin asked.

  Gollow and Kevin were both looking at Moji now.

  “That plan has changed. It would be announced tomorrow morning. We will begin stage 11 in 9 days.”, Moji replied.

  “Ya, I don’t think your girlfriend is coming tonight my friend. Let's grab some beer, um, I mean, dinner.”, Gollow said casually.

  Kevin smiled, he liked the idea. He was glad at least his friend was with him if not Joti. He wanted to talk about what he knew but remembered what Holum had said. He kept the information to himself and listened to Gollow’s theories about aliens and other threats on Nole. Gollow told him that he had been promoted to a Major General while on Nole and was hoping for some recognition from Gollard as well.

  “You know what?”, a drunk Gollow said. “I am like the one eyed king among the blind. Not nearly good enough to lead but what can Gollard do? I am his only option. Other soldiers didn’t have as much training as I did. You should join the Union’s defense too, Kev. There is a lot of opportunity right now, and frankly speaking we could use some men like you.”

  “What do you mean?”, Kevin asked casually. He was not drunk. He was just having a light meal without alcohol since he was looking forward to a long chat with Joti in the night and wanted to be sober.

  “What if the aliens attack? Don’t you want to defend the humans?”, Gollow challenged him.

  “Even if we assume your theory of aliens to be true, do you think we could defend ourselves against a much more advanced civilization in a place so far from our home and so close to theirs?”, Kevin argued.

  “Not with that attitude, we won’t.”, Gollow responded with disapproval. “We need to believe that Nole is our home and we can defend it. We need people with courage and patriotism. I would fight till my last breath, would you Kev?”, Gollow’s question was simple.

  Kevin realised that it was not just the alcohol talking. Unmasked by the drunkenness was the raw, basic instinct of a G trying to take the threat head on. He knew everyone tries to solve problems in their own way. A fighter wishes to fight and destroy the threat. That is all that Gollow had to offer and he wished that a day would come when people like him would redeem the fate of humanity.

  “I would fight, Golli and to my last breath too but
in my own way.”, Kevin responded.

  “That's more like it. Cheers!”, Gollow went back to drinking. As Kevin continued his dinner, he realised that similar sentiments would be finding supporters on the other side as well. It would be really difficult to negotiate a peaceful existence if such sentiments were allowed to deepen their roots. The dark forces would try their best to exploit people like Gollow on both sides to wage a war. However, there are people like Holum and Boris who would not let it happen. He told himself that Gollow is just a patriot and may feel differently if he knew that aliens were not so different after all. He thought someone like Joti, who is much more mature and wise would be able to understand the situation better. He continued eating without trying to convince Gollow otherwise but he knew Gollow would understand when the time came.

  After dinner, Kevin left a note at Joti’s door and went to his room. He waited for Joti to come to him but fell asleep again. The next day he looked for her all around during breakfast but she was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t find Gollow as well. It seemed everyone was busy and he was left alone.

  Back in a meeting room, Joti, Garry and a couple more officers of the Union were seated with Holum, Ibu and the rest of the ministers. All of them already knew about Hums but none of them liked the fact that the information was hidden from them for so long. Holum took responsibility for it and offered to resign. The people in the room felt cheated but still believed Holum to be the best person to lead the Union, for some time at least.

  Moving along, Holum asked Garry to relieve Joti of her duties.

  “Do you want to fire her for finding out the truth?”, Foss asked impatiently.

  Holum looked at Foss and replied, “Of course not minister. I am offering Joti a position in the president’s office, if she accepts.”, Holum turned to Joti.