Tara

by J G Possum

  “Their leader declared peace, then in a cowardly surprise attack opened fire and annihilated our largest cities and killed a great number of our people without hesitation. We were fooled and surprised. We had been taken advantage of. After much suffering and sacrifice, by using our superior intellect, we were able to pull together, recover, and fight back. Many more of our people were killed, but eventually we surprised them and destroyed their entire ship and all of their crew. So, if we appear to not trust you, you now can understand why.

  “Trust is difficult for us, and freedom must be maintained at all costs. We need to know you and your real intentions. You asked for a meeting to discuss mutual benefits between our nations. We have agreed to this meeting and we wish to hear what you have to say.”

  Lance looked at everyone seated at the table. It was a serious situation and a solemn moment. Everyone remained silent. No one moved; they all focused their attention on Lance.

  Zor looked directly at Lance and said, “Tell me, Captain, what do you want?”

  Chapter Five

  Lance looked around the room, studied each face, and said, “We come in peace. We are sorry for your loss, we understand what persecution is, and we totally reject it. The human race has existed on Earth for over two hundred million Earth years.

  “The human people gradually evolved with time. There were millions of humans on the planet Earth. Some of them were not good people, but only a few. Some didn’t like change. Some didn’t like people that looked different than they did. Some didn’t like people that disagreed with their thinking. Some were never satisfied. Yes, we can understand your mistrust. I tell you I speak the truth, and I do not deceive you.

  “You ask, what do we want? I will tell you. We want to live in peace. our planet was overheating and in turmoil. Many evil people were looking for war; there was constant unrest. Our scientists decided to find another planet and establish a new colony. They searched our galaxy and found this planet. Our ship, the Aquarius, was constructed for this voyage. My crew was carefully selected to colonize this planet. We wanted to live in peace with happiness and freedom. That is why we left Earth and came here.

  “At the beginning of our voyage, a world war erupted, and planet Earth was completely destroyed, all life lost. We are all that remains of the human race. We did not know this planet was inhabited and that you lived here. We do not wish to interrupt or change your way of life. We wish to co-exist. We need a place for the human race to establish a settlement and survive. That’s all we want.”

  “I suggest for your consideration, allow us to settle on the landmass located on the opposite side of this planet that is now uninhabited--the northern continent. In return, we will help you with your needs and help protect you from a future attack. Together we have an increased chance to survive. We can share our knowledge of many subjects. Our objectives are the same. We all want our race to continue and not become extinct. We are the last of the human race.”

  Zor sat in silence, and for a while, no one spoke. Then he said, “Captain, you have made a passionate presentation. I must tell you that the Eron people can only speak the truth. We are telepathic and do not always use our voices. We are sensitive to all expressions and thoughts. I believe you also speak the truth. I am aware you are not all human. I see one of you is a machine; this tells me you have reached a level of intelligence capable of compassion and understanding, that is good. My council has mixed feelings, and General Urgon has concerns.

  “I realize it took great courage to come here and give up your personal weapons. Your spaceship is not designed to act as an attack craft. It would be prudent that we carefully consider your request, as we seem to have a similar background. We will return you to your aircraft, and you shall return to your spaceship. We will evaluate your suggestion and contact you when we have an answer. This planet has room to expand. There is enough hard land, but it is our planet, and we must carefully consider if we wish to share it.”

  Everyone in the room sat in silence; there was nothing left to say. Finally, the escorts entered the room and Zor left the table with his council members.

  Lance and his team were escorted back to the transport and returned to the air field. Their weapons were returned to them without hesitation. They climbed back into the shuttle and put their helmets on. The Eron pilot said, “You do not need an escort to leave. You will be contacted. You may leave now.”

  Andy checked his instruments and Lance said, “Return us to the Aquarius. We will meet in the command center.”

  Andy replied, “Affirmative, Captain.” The shuttle rose into the air, gained altitude, and headed for orbit to intercept the Aquarius.

  Lance, using the shuttle transmitter, immediately contacted the ship and talked to Ashley. “We are on our way back to the Aquarius. All is well; there are no problems. We will meet in the command center.”

  Zor watched the shuttle head for space on his monitor. He turned to his council and said, “You all heard what was said. We must carefully consider our most logical course of action. They are a peaceful people, and they have a right to survive.”

  General Urgon stood up and said, “What if they turn on us after they have an established base?”

  Zor replied, “General, they are only a small force, based on the size of their ship, while we are a force of forty thousand. Why are you concerned?”

  The general nodded and sat down. He did not want to show fear, but he knew that numbers may not matter. The council had been deliberating amongst themselves.

  One of them said, “Logic dictates that if they could harm us, we must destroy them first.”

  Zor replied, “They have as much right to survive as we have. The humans have experienced much of what we have experienced. They would be foolish to attack us. They also want to live in peace. They cannot afford to lose a single human, and we can’t afford to lose a single Eron. All people should have the right to exist.” Zor stood up and said, “Let us consider the benefits. We can work together to improve our knowledge. They are also a stronger people, which can be helpful for construction and survival, and they were intelligent enough to arrive here. They may be biologically compatible with our people, with the possibility of improving our race and increasing our population.”

  The council grew restless, then settled down. One of them said, “Leader, as always, you are wise. Would they settle on the north land mass as mentioned?”

  Zor answered, “Yes, across the great water on the surface land that is presently unsettled wilderness.”

  The council remarked, “We found that land too difficult to habitat, due to the hostile creatures that exist there.”

  Zor replied, “That is true; however, the humans are a stronger race and will find a way to survive. They are motivated and desperate.”

  Andy maneuvered the shuttle into orbit alongside the Aquarius. The hangar door on the front of the ship slid open, and the shuttle entered, and settled into its nest. The air lock closed and pressure stabilized. Lance and the crew climbed out of their space suits. Wasting no time, they headed directly to the operations control center. When they entered, everyone cheered. Ashley ran into Lance’s arms, and they embraced. “Welcome back,” she announced.

  Lance motioned for everyone to be seated at the conference table. Andy took his chair at the main control console. Walter held Lois in his arms and kissed her. Lance explained how they were treated. He said, “The Eron people appear to be friendly but very cautious. They have been persecuted and betrayed and now find it difficult to trust again.

  “The Eron are extremely intelligent. Their heads are slightly larger than ours, they have no hair, and they look frail. I believe they have advanced weapons systems and have been able to survive for over five hundred years. They have an organized army.” Lance looked at everyone and then said, “Zor, their leader, is compassionate and understands our situation. I explained our history and that we want to settle here and live in peace. Zor told us the Eron cannot lie, and they are t
elepathic. He said they would contact us with an answer.” Lance stood up and said, “We will wait for their decision.”

  The next morning, Aqua announced, “Captain, we are receiving a message from Tara. Attention Captain Roberts of the Aquarius. We have considered your request. We suggest you open a video com link for discussion concerning our future relationship.”

  Lance turned to his crew and said, “Walt, you and Andy put up a screen behind the conference table, I don’t want the Eron to see our instruments. Aqua, send a message to the Eron as follows: Attention Zor, we are establishing a video com link as requested.” Andy adjusted the communications transmitter.

  Lance gathered the operations crew around the conference table. The com screen lit up and Zor, along with his council, appeared. “We have decided you may settle on the northern land mass that is not inhabited by intelligent life. It is, however, inhabited by hostile creatures that roam the land, both night and day. We have conditions. You are to give us twenty percent of your food harvest for five years and not disrupt our lives. And if we are attacked, you must help us defend our planet—to the death, if necessary. Do you agree?”

  Frank said, “We can defend ourselves, whatever it takes.”

  Hikaru said, “Twenty percent of our harvest may be more than we can afford to give, when we are trying to survive.”

  Lance looked directly at Zor and announced, “Thank you for your consideration. The division of the planet seems wise. We are both peaceful people that can co-exist. I understand you wish to form an alliance between our two nations. We most certainly would join you in the defense of the planet from outside aggression. We accept your offer to settle on the northern land mass, or what we call the northern continent. We will name it Earthland and we will provide for ourselves. We do not intend to interfere with your culture or your way of life and stand ready to help you when called. We intend to be good neighbors and will not forget your generosity.

  “We agree to ten percent of our yearly vegetable harvest for two years. If you need more, we can establish trade agreements as necessary. We need our harvest for our own food source. We suggest providing a map of X241, whicht we would like to name ‘Tara,’ and to document our agreement and have it approved for all our people to understand as Tara the alliance of Nations.”

  Zor and his council went into deep discussion, glancing back and forth between themselves. Zor faced the screen. “You are very wise, Captain Roberts. We accept your proposal. That is all.”

  The screen went blank. Everyone in the control center breathed a sigh of relief; this put to rest the possibility of a hostile encounter between nations. Lance and the operations crew were excited and relieved. Zor and his council were also pleased with themselves and actually smiled. They hadn’t smiled in a long time.

  Zor said to Tron, “We need to populate this planet in order to protect ourselves from future invaders that may follow. There are others throughout the galaxy that will also discover what this planet may have to offer.”

  Lance asked his crew, “Is everyone satisfied with our plans to land on the northern continent? If not, speak now.”

  There were no complaints. Frank said, “I wonder what the hostile creatures look like?”

  Ashley replied, “I’m glad they gave us a heads up.”

  Lance asked, “Andy, do we have a topographic for the north continent?”

  Andy replied, “I will have Aqua prepare a map, Captain.”

  Lance had the alliance agreement prepared for his review and approval. It had been a good day. Lance and Ashley sat with Walter and Lois. The four of them discussed the day’s events. They agreed the coming days would be difficult and they never expected their life would be easy.

  PLANET TARA ALLIANCE OF NATIONS.

  PLANET TARA HAS TWO GREAT LAND MASSES. THE NORTHERN CONTINENT SHALL BE NAMED EARTHLAND. THE SOUTHERN CONTINENT SHALL BE NAMED ERONA. THE PEOPLE OF EARTH CALLED HUMANS SHALL INHABIT EARTHLAND. THE PEOPLE OF ERONA CALLED ERONS SHALL CONTINUE TO INHABIT ERONA. EARTHLAND SHALL GIVE ERONA TEN PERCENT OF ITS YEARLY VEGETABLE HARVEST FOR TWO YEARS AS A SIGN OF GOOD FAITH AND SHALL ENGAGE IN FAIR TRADE PRACTICES AND FRIENDLY RELATIONS. THE TWO NATIONS SHALL DEFEND TARA AND EACH OTHER IF ATTACKED.

  Chapter Six

  Lance said, “We need to find an ideal location to land the Aquarius.”

  Andy left the table, and after a few minutes returned with a chart depicting the landscape showing several large mountain ranges, valleys and plains. Frank, Terry, and Takeo, as well as Lance, went over every inch. Andy scanned it and said, “See here, where the two large mountain ranges end, there is a flat valley that extends to the ocean.”

  Lance agreed, “We could land the ship there. We can build our city right here near the ocean.” He pointed with his finger. “If the area we select is not stable, or there is a problem, we will relocate along the coast. We know what to look for.”

  Ashley, expressing her heartfelt feelings, said, “I can’t help but feel like we were destined to come here, and finding the Erons is almost too good to be true. They think a lot like we do. How amazing is that?”

  Lois said, “I know what you mean. This entire voyage was an incredible experience. I believe in destiny.”

  Lance said, “We will name our new city Phoenix, as we came up from the ashes of Earth.” Everyone laughed. They felt relieved from the tension of the past week.

  Two days passed while the entire crew prepared to land the great ship. They put their training to good use. Lance announced to everyone, over the ship’s intercom about the visit to Tara and described the Eron people and the alliance that was negotiated. All good news. They were overjoyed to hear they were soon going to land.

  Lance announced, “All personnel are expected to follow the chain of command and military law. After we land, we will live within the ship until a village can be constructed and a national charter defining our government is documented. Everyone must be aware that the area will be hostile and safety procedures must be followed at all times outside the ship.”

  Lance asked Andy to prepare a chart showing a map of Tara with details depicting the proposed area in relation to Eron City and the ocean in between. Lance reviewed the terms of the agreed document, titled PLANET TARA ALLIANCE OF NATIONS. At the bottom was an approval line. Lance, signed his name as Commander Lance J. Roberts, Captain of the Spaceship Aquarius and Commander-in-Chief of the nation of Earthland. The document was transmitted to Zor, Leader of the Eron Nation with the statement Greetings. For your approval. Return approved copy to the Aquarius for our records. That is all. The operations crew gathered around the transmitter console.

  Ashley held Lance by his arm. She thought, What if there was a misunderstanding? Is this really happening? You could feel the tension in the room. What would we do if Zor changed his mind?

  Lance looked at Walter. “What’s the ship’s status, Walt?”

  Walter replied, “Captain, we’re prepared to land when you decide. I do agree with you, we need the alliance to be approved before we land. There must be no mistake.”

  Lois kept watching for any sign of changes from the planet. Frank was thinking, What do we do if we come under attack when we enter Eron air space? The ship can’t take a direct hit; it’s not built for that. We will be at their mercy. Terry, Frank’s wife, continued with checking the ship’s weapons systems. The ship carried a special mega laser mounted on the top dome with a shielded turret, and also a variety of rocket missiles and automatic heavy -duty machine guns. She thought, We will not go gently into the night.

  Hikaru and Takeo Moto had gone to the agriculture laboratory. They were concerned with the status of the specially prepared seeds they had stored in protected containers. They could be the base of human survival. Takeo thought, I hope there is enough sunlight and water to have a decent growing season. If not, we will have to resort to hydroponics or we will use whatever we need to grow our food. Too soon to tell.

  Mike and Sue Adams were deeply involved in studying var
ious construction techniques. They had noticed the Eron had dome-shaped dwellings. Mike said, “Tara must have strong winds.”

  Sue replied, “I wonder how strong the winds are, and if they are subject to tornadoes?”

  Lance commented, “A lot depends on location and temperature changes. We will analyze weather conditions later so you can design our city.”

  Andy reported, “Captain, we have received our copy of the Alliance of Nations.”

  Lance quickly looked it over and said, “It is signed by Zor. It is an approved document.” Lance addressed the crew. “Attention, this is your captain speaking--we will land the ship tomorrow at first light, we have an alliance.”

  Andy announced, “Captain, Aqua has analyzed the alliance document, and it is considered approved as written with no changes.”

  Lance replied, “We can’t expect more than that. File the document in the ship’s records for future reference.”

  Lance went to the main control console. He needed to take action now, before things could change. He decided he must land the ship and protect his crew. He was aware this could be a trap, but he couldn’t help feel that Zor was an honest man. The Eron were not an aggressive people, and they agreed to defend the humans. He thought, God, I hope I’m right.

  Lance said, “Andy stand by to contact Zor--tell him, we are going to land the Aquarius but wait until we leave orbit tomorrow. I don’t want to give him advance notice.” He thought, If I’m wrong, they will have less time to react.

  At first light, Andy maneuvered the Aquarius, positioning the front of the ship at a ten-degree angle to reduce friction, and dropped out of orbit. Lance sat in his captain’s chair. They entered Tara’s atmosphere. The base of the ship glowed bright red as they flew over the northern continent. Lance stood up in front of the command console and watched the main screen.