by Dan Haronian
"Thank you, I'm fine," he said. "Maybe I'll go to Naan City. I think I should talk to Daio."
"Naan?"
"Prophecies that have already been fulfilled are one thing, but what if you're right and these texts give some insight into the future. I think they need to know. The shuttle landed in the area of City of the Chosen, but that doesn't make it our exclusive property."
"I didn't say that the text talks about the future," I hurried to correct him. "I was actually trying to make a point."
"And what was the point?"
"I don't know. Don't you think it's too early for that? Maybe you should study this a bit more before you go there."
He didn't reply, and I continued, "It has been a couple of years since you have been there. It’s changed. I don't think it's wise for you to go there after so many years just to talk about something like…"
"Like?"
"I don't know," I said feeling pressured. "So odd, so weird."
"Weird? The shuttle is real. This room is real. This text is real."
"Yes, but I think you are rushing into conclusions. This all only started yesterday and already you are rushing to tell them. Maybe there is some other meaning, something simpler. Besides, what are you going to tell them? That you found a shuttle with some odd text inside? Why would they be interested in that?"
"It's not just prophecies. These texts have much more in them, and Daio needs to know about them."
I paused for a moment. "Ok, but please don't use the word prophecies."
"What word do you want me to use?" he immediately replied.
I looked at him. "I just don't want you to make fool of yourself."
He ignored my words. "Something fell onto the hull up there," he said pointing toward the lenses.
I followed his gaze. One of the lenses looked darker. "It’s probably a branch. It was windy yesterday," I said.
He closed his eyes firmly. The things I’d said made me uncomfortable. "Do you want me to take you to the City of Naan?"
He shook his head. "Your mom will take me. It will give me a chance to update her." He turned away.
"Okay, I'm leaving," I said.
I walked to the door and went down the stairs. "Prophecies coming true," I mumbled myself crossing the control deck making sure I didn't bump into anything sharp. I nodded to the guards at the entrance but immediately went back to thinking about my father. There had to be some logic in all of this. I hadn't had time to see the text nor my father's interpretations of it, but I had seen my family's name on the wall, and my family's name opening the terminals. I didn’t have a reasonable explanation for either of them. If the shuttle was as old as everyone thought, then the name had to have been written on the wall hundreds of years ago. That fact alone seemed like some kind of prophecy.
I went into my hovercraft, lifted off, and then remembered the branch on the lens. I hovered over the shuttle and descended, hoping that the exhaust would blow away whatever had fallen there. I didn't want to get too close. My father had looked tired and I didn’t want to wake him up. Suddenly a Flyeye appeared in front of me. It spun around several times, opened its wings, and detached itself from the vortex around the hovercraft, then soared rapidly away.
"What’s a Flyeye doing here," I mumbled in panic. I quickly recuperated and followed it. It was close to the edge of the glade when it came into my view again. I watched it make a sharp maneuver and dive between the trees.
"A Flyeye," I said to myself again, confused. I turned back toward the shuttle. My father and his guards were standing at the entrance. One of the guards gave my father a comlink.
"What happened up there?" he asked me.
"It was a Flyeye. That was the shadow you saw on the lens."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. I went after it but it disappeared into the forest.
He didn't answer. "A Flyeye on the lens," I said again. "Someone was watching you."
"Now I have even more reason to visit Naan," he said.
I saw him giving the comlink back to the guard then disappear inside the shuttle.
They landed at Daio's house that evening. As they walked from the landing site they crossed large beds of flowers. Their bright colors caught Su-Thor’s attention, despite the yellowish glare from the landing site. The flowers would not shame the beautiful gardens of the chosen she thought. Daio was already standing at the entrance as they approached. Dug, Naan, and Heneg stood in the foyer near the entrance.
"Su-Thor, Sosi, welcome," said Daio. "I hope everything is okay?" He walked towards them to shake Sosi's hand and kiss Su-Thor’s cheek.
"Everything is fine," said Sosi in a tired voice. He gazed at his brother’s aging face and was reminded of the passing years.
Daio moved through the entrance and invited them into the house. They stopped in the foyer.
"Hello Sosi," said Dug. Is everything okay?" he asked studying the dark circles around Sosi's eyes.
"You're getting old too," said Sosi noticing his observing gaze.
"I know, but you look tired," said Dug.
"Hello uncle Sosi," said Naan walking up from behind.
"Hello Naan, What are you doing here?"
"I came for a short visit," answered Naan.
"Hello Heneg," said Sosi turning to his other nephew. Heneg bowed, his face gloomy, his mood written on his forehead.
They walked into the living room. "I see you have made a few changes," said Sosi looking around.
"Oh, we updated things a few years ago," said Daio.
"Time is passing," said Sosi and sat down, stifling a sigh.
"How is life in the Chosen?" asked Daio. "From what I hear things are booming. You are up to seventeen percent if I'm not mistaken."
"Seventeen percent?" wondered Sosi.
"Yes your sales account for seventeen percent of the overall Gross National Product," said Daio and gazed at Sosi surprised that he hadn’t understood the reference. "If you’d told me twenty years ago that those would be the numbers I would not have believed you."
"Yes, we have talented people, you know. The Naanites can be very good at what we are doing."
Daio nodded. "I'm very happy to see you, but I understand that this is more than a social visit.”
"Yes," said Sosi with another sigh. "You probably know about the shuttle that crashed here a while ago?"
"Yes, of course," said Daio. Heneg sat up a little straighter on the couch listening more intently.
A noise came from the foyer and the Doctor was suddenly standing in the entrance to the living room.
"I'm sorry I’m late," he said. "The message was delayed."
"Doctor," called Daio. "Please come in."
The Doctor walked into the living room and Sosi and Su-Thor stood. "Sosi, Su-Thor, It is so great to see you!" he said.
"Doctor," said Sosi and shook his hand. "It's great to see you as well."
"Su-Thor," said the Doctor, smiling. He walked over and pulled her into a hug. "You look great," he said backing away and gazing up at her.
"You haven't changed a bit," said Su-Thor.
"Time doesn't affect him," said Daio. "He is as vital as he was thirty years ago."
The Doctor smiled. "Thank you. You two look great as well. I'm sure it's all of these unique natural products your community is producing."
"Seventeen percent," said Sosi shooting a small smile at Daio.
They all sat down, the Doctor taking up a position on one of the couches in front of them. His short legs dangled above the floor as he leaned back.
"I was just talking about the shuttle," said Sosi and looked at the Doctor. "Yes, yes, I heard about it," said the Doctor.
"I understand it's still a mystery," said Daio.
"Yes. I have been busy with this mystery since the crash," said Sosi. "I was there when it happened, camping on a mountain near the crash site. We saw the fireball flying over us."
"That must have been quite an experience," said Daio.
&nb
sp; "It was very shocking. The fire would've consumed the whole forest if we hadn’t acted fast."
"I understand it's a very old shuttle," said Daio.
"Very old. Hundreds of years."
"And do you know where it came from?"
"It's hard to tell but my feeling is that it somehow came from here," said Sosi.
"From here?" Said Daio.
Heneg's eyes opened wide.
"What do you mean it came from here?" asked Naan. "You mean from Naan?"
"Yes. I don't know where it was heading but I’m pretty sure it's from here."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Dug.
"Like a said I'm not entirely sure," said Sosi. "There wasn't much left of the shuttle, but whoever designed it made sure one room, one very unique room, would survive the crash. This room is right above the control deck. It has walls this thick," He lifted his hands spread wide. "Like a safe."
Now it was the Doctor who’ eyes went wide.
"We found two terminals in this room. After we managed to break in we found something amazing."
"Something amazing," repeated Daio. "Well, don't leave us in suspense."
"We found Naanite Writings."
"Writings?" asked Daio.
"Naanite Writings," corrected Sosi.
"Very interesting," said Daio and gazed at Dug and then at Naan. He twisted his mouth, wondering.
"They talk about some kind of wisdom. Onimin Wisdom."
"Onimin," said Dug. "Is this a Naanite name?"
"I don't know, I thought that maybe the Doctor would know," said Sosi turning to the little man.
The Doctor shook his head. "I have no idea," he said in a squeaky voice.
"It starts out like a song," said Sosi and started to recite the first paragraph, "Onimin wisdom hidden in machine, flew circuitous ways until his brain sanctioned, he all its secrets revealed, waited for world sanctioned, to tell until seven and its secret where to, it will carry them."
"You have already memorized it?" said Daio.
"I’ve been staring at it for a couple of days already," said Sosi. "The text is not simple as you can see, but I think I have found the secret."
Daio looked him surprised.
"You all know the skipping game."
They didn't answer. Only exchanged surprised looks.
"As odd as it sounds, these writings hide messages just like in the skipping game."
Daio sat straight up. "Your tale is becoming more and more surprising." He glanced at the Doctor who sat with his face kept carefully neutral.
"What kind of messages?" asked Naan with a trace of contempt in his voice.
"They talk about the history here on Naan," said Sosi and paused for a moment. "They talk about things that have happened in the time since the ship was launched. Prophecies."
"Prophecies?" said Naan and Dug started to smile.
Sosi looked at Daio and said, "In one of the paragraphs I found it says 'three from one escaped to Naan.'" We are three from one mother. Another seems to refer to the plague, "Gases need weight to drown in the water." Do you understand? That is how we stopped the plague. These sentences describe events from our lives here yet they were written hundreds of years ago."
Dug smiled at him. "You can't be serious about this."
"I am inviting you to see this for yourself."
"And where was this shuttle hundreds for years?" asked Naan. "Who sent it? And to where? What happened to it during all that time? How did it disappear for hundreds of years and reappear only now?"
"Those are good questions. The same questions I have been asking myself," said Sosi. "The fact that I don't have any answers doesn't mean my interpretation is wrong."
"What if this shuttle is not hundreds of years old?" asked Dug.
"Yes, maybe it picked up this information on its way over from wherever it was launched?" continued Naan.
"The terminals are not connected to anything. You can come and see for yourself if you would like. As for its age, everything inside is ruined but clearly very old."
"You're forgetting one thing," said Su-Thor suddenly, interrupting Sosi. "The password. Tell them about the password."
Sosi pulled his pad from his pocket and placed it on the small table that ran between the couches. "This is a photo of the wall in front of the terminals. Do you recognize anything?"
Daio lifted the pad and looked at the picture. "Interesting graphics," he said.
"Look closer. Do you see anything interesting in the design?" asked Sosi.
Daio stared at the picture again scrutinizing it closely. "May be some Naanite words?"
"Not only words, but our family name," said Sosi.
"Yes, I see it now," said Daio.
"This was the password that opened the terminals. Our name," said Sosi.
"That's incredible," said Daio and after another short gaze at the picture handed the pad to Dug.
"Can you explain it?" asked Sosi. "It's our family name."
"Maybe it's all a big fake," said Naan.
"Who would do something like that? Who would go to that much trouble? And for what reason?"
Daio stood up and paced the living room. He stopped near the windows and then turned to look at Sosi. "I don't really know what to say about all this. If it's real, and if your interpretations are correct, then it's really impressive. But why are you telling us this? What are we supposed to do about it?"
Sosi looked him. "I have only worked on this for a few days, and I'm far from extracting and understanding everything that’s there. Still, as I said, I have found descriptions of things that have already happened."
"Yes you said that," said Naan.
"But what about the things that haven’t happened yet?" asked Sosi, ignoring Naan’s contempt.
"What do you mean?" asked Daio.
"The fact that the interpretation has made accurate predictions confirms the validity of the text," said Sosi. "And if that is the case what should we do with the information that relates to the future?"
Daio stepped forward and sat on his couch. "I don't know where you are going with this," he said hesitantly.
"Me neither. That is why I'm here. The shuttle crashed in our territory, but it could have crashed here. I thought it was only responsible to let you know what I have found. I think we should work together to decide what to do."
"Can we get a copy of these writings?" asked Heneg.
"Of course," said Sosi. He hesitated for a moment and then added, "I'll send you a printed copy. I don’t want this to get into the network."
"A printed copy?" called Naan. "Prophecies? What is this? Are we back to the times of the Sinners Plague? The more I think about this the more it looks like an elaborate scrambling ploy and nothing more," he said impatiently.
"Relax," said Daio. "I can’t say that I know what is really going on either, but I understand Sosi's fear. If it reaches the network it will certainly be scrambled."
"Pages can be uploaded to the network as well," said Naan.
They sat silent for a few moments and Daio picked the pad from the table to look once more at the picture. "Did you find out something about the future Sosi?" he asked.
"I don't know yet. I was so busy trying to understand things that I didn't think about it. It was Raban who brought it up this morning. I think it's possible that some sections talk about the future."
"Can you give me an example?" asked Daio.
"There's a blanket prohibition on any information scrambling," said Sosi.
"That's not new," said Daio.
"No, but it seems to say that we should avoid contact with Mampas because of information scrambling. I don't know if it related to the past or the future."
Naan snorted.
"You want us to stop our relations with Mampas?" asked Daio.
"Our future is intertwined with that of Mampas," said Naan with anger.
"I don't want anything," said Sosi. "The decision of what to do or what not to do is not up to me."
/>
He gazed at the Doctor’s blank face. "You're very silent today. I remember you being more opinionated.”
"What you are saying is very interesting," said the Doctor as if he’d just woken up. "Clearly it's not anything very scientific though. Still I wouldn't discard those Books before doing a thorough analysis."
"Is there something we don't know about Naan's past?" asked Sosi. "What was here thousands of years ago?" his mind immediately froze.
"Thousands of years?" asked Dug.
Sosi still gazed at the Doctor and tried to recall everything he’d said so far. He was sure he hadn’t mentioned the word Books.
"There was nothing here thousands of years ago," said Dug with certainty.
Sosi shook off his thoughts. "I think if anything, these writings are more ancient than the shuttle."
"Why's that?" Asked Dug.
"I don't know, it's just a feeling," said Sosi and went back to thinking about the Doctor.
"As you know Naan doesn't have a documented history," said the Doctor. "But of course that doesn't mean there was nothing here."
"Forget about the history," said Daio shifting his gaze from the Doctor to Sosi. "But honestly what am I supposed to do with all this."
"As a said, I don't know myself," said Sosi. "These Writings made me think. Possibly after we get deeper into them things will be clearer."
"Clearer?" said Naan with a grin.
"Yes, I don’t need to remind you that everything that happened here in the in the last thirty years was quite complex, still many of these events are mentioned in the Writings. It's like someone from the past is trying to deliver a message to us. In an environment where every piece of information is immediately scrambled to have countless meanings, however odd it may seem, this method is probably the safest way."
"You want to me to believe that this shuttle is a messenger?" asked Daio.
"A messenger from the past," corrected Sosi.
"To me it looks more like a journey to the past," said Naan.
Dug nodded. "And to me these messages seem to agree with your style of life," he said looking at Sosi. "Would you have come here if the messages favored technology instead of making it a taboo? Is this why you are here? Are you asking us to change our way of life to fit yours?"