Earth To Nole: It begins at the end

by Kumar Lomash

  “It looks like you know all about modern human technology now. I see that Ibu has done a fine job.”, Joti said.

  “Yes, Joti. Deserted by you and Golli...”, Kevin was clearly joking, he had his usual playful face on. “...I was pushed into the vast knowledge that Ibu and Boris had to share.”

  Hearing Boris’ name reminded Joti of the difference of opinion she had with Kevin. She knew she had to try the Francis option while she had time before getting back to work in a couple of days. She decided to give it a try that night.

  “Will you have dinner with me, tonight?”, Joti asked.

  “Sure, Madam secretary. Is the same old canteen ok for you or do you have something special figured out?”, Kevin asked.

  “Canteen is fine. Will Gollow be joining us?”, Joti asked. She needed Gollow to execute her plan.

  “Really? Can’t we spend the evening together, just the two of us?”, Kevin asked.

  “I don’t want to steal you from Gollow tonight. He must be celebrating.”, Joti said.

  “Why?”, Kevin asked

  “He is now second in command and reports directly to Gollard. I am told that he is now the Union’s contact for all matters pertaining to defense.”, Joti informed Kevin.

  “Wow! All my friends are being promoted. This definitely calls for a celebration!”, Kevin was happy for Gollow.

  “I thought so. Why don’t you invite Gollow to have dinner with us and meanwhile I will freshen up. See you at 7 near the canteen?”, said Joti.

  “Sure.”, said Kevin as he left.

  Kevin found Gollow in his cabin and they started talking about the promotion. Kevin showed his excitement at the fact that both Joti and Gollow were now top leaders in the Union. He joked that he was now a very powerful human who had influence at such top offices. Gollow honestly showed concern that it was too quick a promotion for him. He told him that most people chosen for this trip to Nole were intentionally young for obvious reasons and now that they had finally reached Nole, the lack of experience and wisdom in the new leaders of the Union was a big concern, at least for him. He felt that young, inexperienced people were being promoted to high positions because the ministry had no other choice.

  “So, you are saying you don’t deserve a promotion?”, Kevin asked.

  “A promotion… maybe yes, but this promotion, I am not sure.”, Gollow clarified that he knew he could be a leader but being in charge of the whole defense was something he was not sure about.

  “Don’t underestimate yourself, Golli. Throughout history young commanders and majors have won battles for their countries. You will do just fine, and who says you have to go to war tomorrow? It’s peace time, you will have time to learn on the job.”, Kevin shared his thoughts.

  “Peace? It seems you are living in a different world my friend. The aliens are at our door.”, Gollow explained.

  “Yes, but have they attacked us?”, asked Kevin.

  “The spacecraft with Gambhir and other Ks that was hijacked earlier, what was that?”, Gollow had a point, it seemed.

  Kevin knew it was not an act of aggression by the Hums but he had to keep things to himself. Speaking of the hijacking being a decoy might put Gambhir and others in danger. So, he tried explaining indirectly. “Golli, my friend, I hear your concerns. Gambhir is my friend too and I care for him as much as you do. I am not saying that Hums are perfect. They have similar constraints as us. Some of them are bound to be corrupt and selfish but in general the Hum society is not against humans. You have to be careful in forming opinions especially when you hold an office which represents the whole Human society. A common man is allowed his fears and reservations and I won’t be concerned if a handful of people protest against the Hums. But you, my friend, cannot allow prejudice to guide your decisions and your personal feelings to get in the way of what the human society’s next steps are going to be.”

  Gollow was not fully convinced but entertained Kevin’s point of view for the sake of being optimistic.

  Kevin realised that they had both spoken on the topic and it was time to move on to other things. They started drinking while waiting for Joti at the canteen and by the time she arrived, they were drunk. Many people came to their table to congratulate Joti and Gollow on their well deserved promotions. The canteen was full of such celebrations thanks to many promotees. The rest of the people were just glad they were finally on the planet. Joti and Gollow looked around and wondered if it was too soon to celebrate. They kept smiling and drinking for appearance sake but deep down had their concerns. Amidst all this, Kevin saw Boris sitting alone at a distance and felt like giving him company for some time. He told Joti and Gollow that he would be back soon and left.

  Joti saw the opportunity and asked Gollow if he was too drunk to take Kevin to Francis. Gollow replied, “I am not drunk, Joti. I will do it if you want it to be done. But trust me, don’t do it. Kevin is right. We cannot take the aliens head on. We need someone on their side who cares about us and if Kevin is what he thinks he is then he is the best chance we have.”. Gollow was right. He was not drunk out of his mind just enough to be able to confront Joti.

  “You may or may not be right Gollow. I don’t know if what he has been told is right or not but it all looks like a big conspiracy. Holum is hand in glove with them. Why didn’t he tell me all this earlier, before I found out on my own? He has still not told me about Kevin. He knows I love him but still keeps things about him from me.”, Joti teared up as she replied.

  “You love him?”, Gollow asked.

  “Why else do you think I want him to meet Francis? I don’t know what this Boris wants from him but I will not let these politicians use him for whatever filthy plans they might have. I am prepared to fight the Hums if I have to…”, Joti was now talking authoritatively, “...but I cannot watch Kevin become a bait. He is new to the Union and doesn’t understand that politicians might have hidden agendas and not everything is what it appears to be.”

  “You think Kevin is that naive?”, Gollow was surprised at how much Joti loved Kevin but completely underestimated him. “I am surprised. On the one hand you say you love him but on the other you think he is an idiot? He is a smart guy, Joti. Don’t be fooled by his light heartedness and euphoric nature. He has a pretty good hold of reality and is perfectly capable of understanding whom to trust”, Gollow replied.

  “He still trusts Holum. Tell me, do you trust Holum after what happened?”, Joti asked.

  Gollow didn’t know how to answer. He knew Holum had hidden important information from his colleagues and other ministers but still wanted to believe there were good reasons for it. Joti saw that Gollow didn’t have an answer so she asked another question.

  “And do you trust Boris? He is not even Human.”, Joti asked again. She looked on the edge and had good reasons to doubt Holum and Boris. But maybe she was on the edge because she was not using her brain. Kevin was at the center of all of this and it made her heart take over.

  “I understand, you have a point. But I think you are overreacting, Joti. Let’s give Holum another chance. Ibu still trusts him and the rest of the ministers still have faith in him. Otherwise, they would have accepted his resignation long back.”, Gollow was right on the money.

  “Please Gollow, I need your help. Please help me bring Kevin to Francis, just once tonight. After that I will not try to change his opinion again, I promise. I know you both are close and he would not deny both you and me at the same time.”, Joti begged Gollow.

  “Fine.”, Gollow agreed. He could see that Joti was desperate to convince Kevin.

  They waited for Kevin to come back and soon enough, Boris was back to his cabin as Kevin joined Joti and Gollow. By the end of the meal, they had convinced him to visit Francis. Joti explained to Kevin that Francis didn’t know he was coming to meet him tonight. He only expected Joti and Gollow after dinner.

  Kevin remembered that Boris had asked him not to leave level 20. Boris and Holum had both told him that very few people knew about
him still being on the ship. Kevin was supposed to be on the spacecraft carrying Ks which was now under the custody of roco.

  “You know I am not supposed to be outside level 20, right?”, Kevin clarified as the 3 walked towards the elevator.

  “You have the defense leader and the secretary escorting you Kev. Don’t be afraid.”, Gollow joked.

  “Not afraid, just saying.”, Kevin entered the elevator but was not happy about it.

  Francis looked surprised at seeing Kevin.

  “Hello Kevin, I am surprised to see you.”, Francis said.

  “Hello sir. Yes, I am not supposed to be here. Can you please not share this with anyone?”, Kevin showed his concern and a little unwillingness to be there.

  “Absolutely, as far as I am concerned, I didn’t see you here.”, Francis replied with a smile which gave Kevin some confidence.

  “Tell me Joti. What is the important matter you wanted to discuss?”, Francis asked.

  Joti went ahead and told the whole story about Holum knowing about aliens and meeting with them frequently. She shared all the details with him except for the bit about Kevin’s lineage. She never intended to put Kevin at a greater risk than he already was. By declaring him an alien in front of people who clearly despised the Hums, she would have made him a public enemy. She just wanted Francis to, in general, talk about conspiracies relating to aliens and how the Union had always tried to overpower any voice which asked questions about aliens. Francis was not surprised at hearing that aliens were indeed real.

  “I knew this. We all knew this, isn’t it?”, Francis seemed relaxed.

  “Now we know for sure.”, Gollow interrupted and sounded concerned.

  “I am sure with capable soldiers like you on guard, we are not in danger”, Francis acknowledged Gollow for the first time and then continued, “I always thought the Union was being controlled by the Hums but Holum being their agent never crossed my mind. I have always seen him as my mentor, as a wise friend. I can now understand why you sounded so disturbed my girl.”, Francis agreed with Joti completely.

  “But..”, Kevin wanted to argue.

  “You have yet to see a lot, Kevin. I know you respect Holum and many like you on this spaceship would swear by him but as we see more evidence, we must revise our opinions and allegiances.”, said Francis. He continued, “I have seen Holum work as an angel for the better half of my life and trust me no one in this room has been closer to him than I have.”

  “What? Holum is an angel?”, Joti and Gollow both looked at each other with surprise.

  “Was, he was an angel. We worked together for some years, back when we were young men. And then one day he suddenly decided to leave and join politics. I was as shocked as you are now, but I believed he had the best intentions at heart. I never thought he would go against humans but I have nothing else to believe now. Did you see it with your own eyes, my dear, that he went to Peele?”, Francis wanted to confirm.

  “Yes.”, Joti replied sadly. Both she and Gollow realised that their doubts about Holum were after all real. Gollow asked, “So, him being an angel and then leaving to join politics proves it, huh?”

  “Yes, a true angel would never join the Union, certainly not in its current form. The Union is a puppet in the hands of the aliens, prospering in the shadows of lies and deceit.”, Francis seemed disgusted.

  “Why didn’t you say anything before?”, Joti asked.

  “I had my doubts and God knows I confronted him as much as I could. There were huge objections to Holum’s decision back when he disclosed it to the other angels but he had at least me convinced, that the best way to lead was to be a part of the system. I can now understand that being in the Union for so many years has corrupted him. He sees no other way to save himself from the hums than to trade with them”, Francis explained.

  Joti looked at Kevin who was listening very carefully. On the one hand she was relieved that he heard all of this. She had wanted him to hear it from Francis himself so that he understood she was not making any of this up. On the other hand however, she was now more worried about humans and their stay on Nole. She had always felt that Francis had in him what it took to be a leader, after all he was angel all these years. She immediately asked Francis to step up.

  “Francis, we need you now more than ever. I am going to propose impeachment of Holum as soon as I join office the day after tomorrow. I want you to take his position.”, Joti said.

  “Oh, you are on leave? I am afraid dear that the timing of your leave is rather unfortunate. We need honest people like you in the Union to keep a check on what the ministers are up to.”, Francis sounded worried.

  “Yes, I was told I needed to rest.”, Joti replied implying that she was made to take the time off.

  “Let me guess, it was Holum’s idea?”, Gollow asked.

  Joti looked at Gollow, even more worried now. It seemed Holum’s evil plan was now completely out in the open.

  “Francis, as I was saying, would you please accept the position of President. Please don’t say no. We need you.”, Joti asked. She knew someone like Francis, who likes to work behind the scenes, would have difficulty in accepting such a position.

  Gollow also came on board now. He had had his reservations against Francis earlier but after hearing so much against Holum he joined Joti in trying to convince him. He wanted Holum out as much as Joti did.

  Francis seemed uninterested. He said that he was too old to begin his political career now and since he had always considered Holum a friend, it would look bad for him to replace Holum under suspicious circumstances. He didn’t want it to look like his ploy to impeach Holum.

  Joti and Gollow were not in the mood to give in easily, they argued that Humanity needed Francis more than ever now and that a true angel would never cease an opportunity to contribute. After a lot arguments from both sides, Francis finally agreed. Although he made it clear that he must talk with other angels on the ship to get their approval.

  “How many angels are there right now on the ship?”, Joti asked.

  “You know I can’t answer that dear. Let me talk to them and I will get back to you by tomorrow. OK?”, Francis replied.

  “I am sorry, Francis. All communications have been stopped. In fact, I myself made sure nothing worked as soon as we landed so that Holum and his friends are cut off from the Hums.”, Joti stated the situation.

  “Oh, I see. When would it be back on?”, Francis asked.

  “A couple of days probably. The communications people are trying to find a way to filter out calls being made to Peele. I thought it would be a good idea for us to keep an eye on such communications.”, Joti replied.

  “Nice idea, my dear. At least now our enemies cannot talk to their agents here.”, Francis felt relieved.

  “I am not so hopeful, Francis. They keep telling me that it is virtually impossible to filter Hum specific calls. We will most likely have to turn on the communications anyway because we need it to coordinate amongst ourselves.”, Joti replied with a concern.

  “Can you just enable it for me? I need to get in touch with my angel friends.”, Francis asked.

  “I am afraid this cannot be done Francis. Can you not meet your friends personally?”, Joti asked.

  “That would be difficult. We agreed to not meet till Stage 12 is over.”, Francis explained.

  “OK. In that case I will issue orders for it to be turned on tomorrow. We are not going to be successful in creating the filter anyways.”, Joti said.

  Joti looked at Kevin who was still processing all of this. She thought it best not to push him immediately into changing his beliefs. She knew with the kind of revelation that had occurred, it was only a matter of time before Kevin realised the truth on his own. Kevin respected Holum a lot and Joti knew this. She wanted him to think about it overnight. She thanked Francis for accepting her proposal and then everyone left for their cabins.

  Kevin went to his cabin wondering if all that was told to him by Boris and Holum was a lie
. Both Joti and Gollow seemed to agree with Francis and Francis looked like a nice man, he thought. Francis had nothing to do with any of it until Joti pulled him into all of this so this could not be have been Francis’ evil plan to impeach Holum. There was no reason for Francis to lie or for him to plot against Holum. He considered himself an old friend of Holum, after all.

  The next day Kevin woke up late. He was still pondering over the previous night’s incident. He tried finding Gollow and Joti to discuss the topic but found that both of them were back in the Union.

  People around him waited for their turn to exit the spaceship eagerly. Everyone looked excited and prepared to disembark. Those who were not chosen for that day flocked around the windows and looked at the beautiful planet outside. It looked exactly like Earth from the history books.

  Later in the afternoon, Kevin was surprised to see Holum knock on his cabin door. He had never seen Holum on his level, ever.

  “May I come in, Kevin.”, Holum asked.

  “Yes, Sir. Please do.”, Kevin still felt respect for the old man.

  Holum came in and sat next to Kevin on his bed. He then turned on the monitor kept near Kevin’s bed and switched to a particular channel. It was showing the area around the spaceship on Nole.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?”, Holum asked, his eyes fixed on the monitor.

  “Yes Sir.”, Kevin answered with lack of enthusiasm.

  “It seems as though you don’t like Nole that much,”, Holum asked.

  “It's not that sir. Just that beyond this beautiful scenery, I see a storm approaching.”, Kevin replied.

  “Did you think it was going to be easy? It was very likely that this spaceship would have never made it to Nole. So much could have gone wrong up until this point. Now that we are here, we forget that simply being here is an achievement in itself.”, Holum insisted.