Verron_Birth of a Nation

by Douglas Varnell

  Marcus and Dalhia finally finished the Klelta sized simulator. It required more powerful servo-motors and a new reactor design to create a stronger electromagnetic field. Hon did pull rank in order to be the first in the simulator, but wasn’t selfish, after 1½ hours, and making it to only level five, he gathered six other Klelta scheduled to be trained as fliers and made certain they had a turn. Hon and the other future flyers were measured and sized by a team of engineers that worked for Marcus. The spaceship factory had benefited greatly from law-offs at Boeing, Lockheed and Grumman, but one of the best assets was the family of Donald Williamsson. His father, sister and brother-in-law had worked for Saab Aerospace. When Donald and Leona told them about Verron and what was there, they actually thought he had lost his mind. So, they decided to go see them in person. One look at a young and healthy Don and Leona, and his perfect legs, was all it took. They each managed to bring several of their friends from Saab along with them. The Saab people and the American aeronautical engineers and designers were quickly relearning everything they ever knew about building flying vehicles. Almost every one of them was an accomplished pilot. Nearly half of them volunteered to be part of the Verron National Guard; working full-time jobs, but training to fly military aircraft. It was these people who were now re-engineering two Light Destroyers to be Klelta Fighters. They used the passenger space in the Light Destroyer that normally housed Marines, in order to increase weapons capacity. This was going to be one lethal two-man fighter. Every engineer and designer had to agree to never share the Verron technology with Earth or anyone else without Paul Verron’s express permission. He made it clear that to do so would be an act of treason and no one felt like taking the risk of a death penalty. Besides, not a one of them would even consider going back to what they used to do. They were having way to much fun with the new technology to ever give it up and were actively recruiting friends who were nuclear physicist, structural designers and astrophysicists.

  When the Swedes discovered the unbelievable skiing available on Verron, they were hooked. The mountains surrounding the valley where they now lived had cross-country and down-hill skiing all winter, and the Robert’s Range and the as yet unnamed northern range had year round skiing and even glacier skiing available. The valley reminded most people of the area around Lake Geneva, and the surrounding mountains were very much like the Swiss Alps. Marcus decided to adopt a European building scheme for the villages and homes being built in the area. His and Michael’s homes both looked a lot like Swiss Chateaus. The foothills and mountains now had dozens of mountain villas and chalets that had been constructed at the new housing factory and then flown in to their scenic location. With the increased number of workers, Marcus was able to finish three more partially constructed Gljarne class Destroyers, and had finished the already started Fighters and Transports. The Man of War was being worked on but moving slowly, that was beginning to change with the influx of new people. Once the new people were properly trained, the efforts on the Man of War would increase. Marcus wanted to build at least one more from scratch the following year, his goal being set at two a year, for now.

  Clark continued to bring in farmers and cattlemen and his daughter now had 20 horses on a ranch Clark had chosen for himself. They were already beginning an expansion that would triple the capacity of the beef processing plant. Paul finally managed to find out how Clark had continued to steadily bring in cattle. He had arranged to have several dozen feeder farms buy as many cattle as possible twice a year. Then make that arrangement with numerous cattle suppliers. For example: If a feeder farm had 1000 head delivered from one supplier, he would have another 1000 delivered by a different supplier a few weeks later changing suppliers every few weeks until he came back to the first one. So in six months he would have 6000 cows delivered or 12,000 per year; multiply that times a few dozen cattle farms, most processing more than 6000 at a time, and before long you end up with 500,000 cows. Several of the cattlemen that moved to Verron sold their ranch to developers and transferred their entire herd to Verron. The land was so lush on Verron you could easily sustain one cow per acre. Compare that to a requirement of between 20 to 100 acres per cow in Wyoming; needless to say, the cattlemen were very pleased with the land Clark had provided. Renee’s husband was originally from Oklahoma and they staked out a ranch and built a home for their family in cattle country. Although he was actively establishing the radio and television networks for Verron and Renee was kept busy developing business and trade opportunities, they enjoyed having a home for Hunter and Amber where they could live the country life they had always desired. With Hunter and Amber living on the ranch instead of the Mansion, it seemed quiet around the place. However, there was enough traffic of family members and Xhondarians that something was always going on.

  Paul finally got a chance to catch his breath and have a little time alone. He got up early and decided to go for his first run in over a week. He promised himself that he would never allow his Kingly schedule to keep him from getting his exercise at least every other day. It was a Sabbath Day morning and he knew he could get in a couple hours of running before he had to get ready for church. He went to the kitchen to grab a few cereal bars to keep up his energy and there sat Hon, eating a breakfast of Kinfu eggs prepared by his new friend 99. Paul thought, “99 is everybody’s friend.” He had hoped to get out of the house without being seen, but when Hon asked, “Where are you going so early?” Paul would not lie, and admitted he was going for a run. He fully expected the next response, “Can I go with you; the rest of the Guard is home with their families, mines a little far away for that.” Paul could tell he was homesick and decided he would let him go. He answered, “I’ll tell what. If 99 will go with us, you can go; that way if I lose you two and you get lost, he can make sure you get home.” They both agreed and Paul made a jump to the back side of the Robert’s Range. He knew 99 could stay with him, but was shocked and delighted to see the big Prince hanging in right alongside his friend. The youngster had been using his genetically inherited telekinetic ability moving things around the rock quarries all his life. He had no problem using it to propel him across ravines and crevasses that he couldn’t already clear using his own natural strength. Paul could only imagine what he would be capable of if he had the enhancement required to use The Power. Paul could easily outrun both 99 and Hon, but just barely. He made a decision about halfway through the run. This kid had everything needed to be part of the Dragon Guard. It would also be an excellent political move to have the son of a King as a member of the Guard. He would not mention it to anyone until after he had a chance to discuss it with Hon’s mother and father, but who better to be the leader of an all Klelta Military than a Prince who was a member of the Dragon Guard.

  When they returned to the Mansion, Paul excused himself to get ready for church. Ninety-nine for some reason had never been, but when Hon asked, “What’s church?” Paul realized he had not been setting a very good example as the leader of a Christian Nation. He had been so used to his friends and family being Christians and going to church, it just hadn’t crossed his mind that there were at least 72,000 individuals who knew nothing about being a Christian. He immediately stopped what he was doing and sat down with 99 and Hon to explain. He first looked at 99 and asked, “Has anyone ever invited you to church?” Ninety-nine answered, “I just thought it was something only humans could do.” Paul thought a moment and responded, “There have been times on Earth were people actually believed their particular race or nationality were the only ones who could be Christians. My Bible says Jesus died for all our sins and I guess since he created all the Heavens and the Earth, I see no reason that would not include you. He did after-all create you.” Poor Ninety-nine quickly replied, “He may have created Hon and you, but I’m a creation of a genetic experiment.”

  Paul thought how to answer that and told him, “No one can create a living thing except God. Humans and Aliens may be able to manipulate DNA and cells and control growth processes, but lif
e itself can only be created by God.” He looked at Hon as he continued, “You just came from a planet where a man was claiming to be a god. We’ve had the same problem on Earth and I have no doubt it is a problem in other solar systems. Anytime you get powerful men or women who are free to do whatever they desire without regard to others, it goes quickly to their heads. I’m here to tell you that without a doubt there is but one God, who created the Universe and everything in it. He took the form a human and sacrificed his own life to pay the price for everyone’s sin, including yours. Do you know what sin is?” Neither one did. Paul continued, “Without going into a lot of detail and trying to name them all, I’ll quote Jesus’ brother, James who said, anyone who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn’t do it, sins. I have sinned by not telling you about Jesus. You no doubt have sinned when you didn’t do the things you know you should have done.” Both nodded they understood.

  “You become a Christian when you believe with all your heart that Jesus is the son of God and that he died for your sins and that you are willing to accept him as your Lord and Savior. Do you understand that?” They both nodded yes. Paul continued, “It’s not my job to save you, only tell you how. The one true God knows everything you think, do, or say. He created you for a purpose. When we pray to him he not only hears what you say, he also will speak to you through His Holy Spirit that he places inside you when you believe. We go to church to worship and honor Jesus and learn more about how to live a life that will please him. You don’t have to be saved or even be Christian to go to church, but it is often the place where people learn about Jesus and decide to become Christians. I’ll tell you what, you two get dressed and meet me back here in 30 minutes and I will take you to church with me. You will be the first nonhumans to attend a Verron church service. I know you will not be the last. I don’t want either of you to have the wrong idea about God and who He is. When we get back, I’ll answer any question you may have about accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Oh, yea, I almost forgot. The benefit of becoming a Christian is that not only do you get to know Jesus personally, you also get to live with Him for eternity when die. So basically a Christian lives for eternity in a place called Heaven; an absolutely perfect place. I apologize that I am not very good at one-on-one witnessing to people. On Earth, I could stand in front of hundreds of people and sing or preach my heart out, but I must admit, I seldom did what I am doing right now.”

  When Paul walked into Christ’s Church, as they had named the first church built on Verron, there were a lot of stares when he escorted in a 7 foot-tall blue/gray Klelta and a 4 foot-tall genetically engineered goat/monkey. As far as he was concerned, God loved them just as much as he did Paul and everyone else in the sanctuary. Paul was proud of his Dragon Guard. Every one of them came and sat with their friends three rows from the front. The people behind Hon had to move to one side to see. When the lively praise and worship music began and people began to clap their hands, sing and even dance a little to the music, it didn’t take long for their two church visitors to join in. Paul was holding his breath hoping 99 wouldn’t get down with his little goat/monkey jig. Ninety-nine had been listening to English for almost three years now and understood every word preached. Hon had learned a lot from the Guard but would no doubt need some explaining done after the service. Paul had tears in his eyes just watching these two enjoy being in the Lord’s house. He also realized he needed to do whatever he could to lead 71,999 more people to the Lord, plus anyone else from Earth who was not already a Christian. He also realized that if they did become born again, he’d need to build a bigger church. To his and everyone else’s shock, both 99 and Hon walked to the Alter at the end of the service. There was not a dry eye among Paul and the Guard. Paul also noticed it had the same effect on many, many more who were no doubt being convicted by the Lord to do the same thing he was being convicted of. Paul smiled when he thought about the five foot six inch pastor trying to baptize a Klelta. He would probably need a deeper pool; a problem he would gladly deal with.

  Over the next several months there was a revival on Verron. Katelyn and Tala lead Calanyo to accept Jesus. Hon IV was so on fire he began witnessing to his people right away and even had Paul’s mother and a few of the pastors in the Verron family spending time with them to witness and explain the plan of salvation. Even more amazing was the number of human refuges from Klelta who came to the Lord through the witnessing and influence of the now motivated Klelta Christians. Close to half of that 72,000 had accepted Jesus within six months. Everyone knew there would be more to follow. They were having church services in the Mountain City auditorium, three services on the Sabbath Day at the church in Capital City, and church services in the Dorm/Vehicle Storage Bay for the Klelta. There were also church services being held at every populated location and new churches under construction. It wasn’t long before some of that Christian love and forgiveness began to shine; when Klelta refugees and Klelta natives began to work together and worship together and even became friends. Not all the tension was eliminated, but the transition was made much easier when most of those hatreds were eliminated.

  Churches and the followers of Jesus Christ were not the only things being built during those months. Combination school and recreation centers were soon to open in every settled community. There was nothing worse than bored children running the streets getting into trouble. With advanced learning techniques being applied, even students with a difficult time learning or paying attention were able to comprehend things they never imagined before. The schools were not like normal Earth schools. Each child was screened, tested and interviewed to determine just what they were interested in. A motivated child doing something they enjoy will amaze you what they can learn. Music, art, dance, writing skills, computers were all learned by any who desired to learn. The recreation centers, where all children had to go after school until they had a parent home to receive them, offered gymnastics, soccer, tennis, swimming, basketball, karate, and weekly special events; backpacking trips into the mountains, snow-skiing and snowboarding trips, mountain bike rides, archery and rifle marksmanship and the most popular was created by the Dragon Guard.

  Since Paul had insisted that they were vital to establishing good relations with the young people of Verron, they came up with an idea that had interested children studying harder and exercising more vigorously to be a part of it; since only the best could learn to fly. Much like the Civil Air Patrol or Air Force ROTC, children as young as ten could develop flying skills. The Guard first convinced Paul to install shooting simulators and flight simulators in the recreation centers. The kids used them like a video game. When they reached a certain level then actual flying lessons would begin. The Guard had taken Tala’s Mini-Fighter and installed a remote controlled system in it. A child could be placed in the little fighter and connected to teaching controls. One of the Guard, usually Chase or Daniel, would then fly the fighter by remote control in a restricted air space with the child inside being taught how to duplicate every move made by the controls, using children and young teens as instructors helped them realize that they could do it too, and it wasn’t just an adult thing. One day, many of them would choose to become pilots in the Verron Air Force and Marine Corp.

  Buildings and houses were going up all over the place, especially in the Capital City. Everyone was amazed at the progress since the Klelta had arrived. The mall had been erected and the towers were now going up. It was just the structural part; there were still months of plumbing, electrical, and every other aspect of finishing the interiors of the buildings. Paul and Michael often walked the Capital Building watching the progress. The Chemical and Pharmaceutical Company was closest to completion and the hospital was coming along nicely. Michael was most pleased with his Bank and Financial Center. Paul, Kenneth, Hon IV and the Klelta supervisors had spent hours walking the mountaintop overlooking the bay on one side and the city on the other. Paul wanted a Hotel to rival Buckingham Palace. He knew that there would one day be royal guests
, state dinners and receptions. He wanted a place that exceeded anything anywhere else. He remembered the splendor of the palace on Klelta and knew that between his architect and Klelta engineering it would soon be a reality. He finally got so frustrated trying to figure everything out on his own, he finally turned to Benny and asked, “You studied all over Europe, right?” Benny nodded his yes. “Then I’m leaving it up to you and the Klelta. I don’t want anyone coming here to visit or for a state function, regardless of what planet they come from, to leave thinking they have ever seen anything grander. My mansion is my home. I will entertain there regularly, but this will be the Verron people will remember.” He looked at the others and said, “This will be a showplace of the Klelta skills and a symbol of our united countries, make me proud. Money is no object.” He then turned to leave.

  As he was walking away Benny and Michael yelled for him to wait a minute. He turned and realized that his brother Joe and cousin Wendal were also walking over to speak with him. He knew something was up, but had no idea what they were wanting. Dr. Joe Verron spoke first, “I know you’ve got a lot going on and this may not be a great time to catch you, but you’re also hard to run down. I know you haven’t skied since you left Alaska, but all of us and a lot of Verron’s residents are avid skiers and snowboarders. Since you’re in the mood to spend money, why not spend a little extra and let us pick a nice spot for a ski resort that will make Innsbruck, Austria or Vail, Colorado envious. We’ve been using the transports to get dropped on top of some of the finest skiing any of us has ever experienced. Your Scandinavian transplants agree, there is no better skiing in the Universe than Verron. If we make it part of the package offered by this hotel and maybe even use the same basic designs, it will be like having a North and South location. You could offer every possible water sport at this one and every possible winter or mountain sport at the other.” Paul smiled and knew his brother and Benny had been scheming this up for a while and was looking for just the right moment to spring it on him. He laughed and asked, “Can I ski free?” Benny smiled and replied, “Since you’ll own it, I think that can be arranged.” Paul laughed and once again turned to leave, as he said jokingly, “I can tell you haven’t given this much thought. Maybe you should take a little time off from the hospital and get with our friends from Saab. I believe two of them were actually Olympic Skiers. Their insight could be very helpful. Leave Rebecca in charge of the medical center for a while, she can handle it just fine. Make sure we have a Biathlon Course that meets Olympic standards. I’ve always wanted to do that, and I’ll just bet we’ve got a few others who will be very good at it.”