by Kurt Winans
Although that part of the day’s activity appeared to be a logical assumption, another aspect of the Kings overall agenda had been derailed. Soon after his arrival, the King spotted Janet and left his entourage to move in her direction. His interest in her had not faded, but he now realized that she would never become one of his wives. After a subtle respectful bow, Janet rubbed her visibly pregnant belly while grasping Colt’s hand and said to the King, “I believe you already know my husband.”
The King nodded in acknowledgment at having met the man on several occasions, but said nothing. It was an unfamiliar experience for him, and he was not happy about it. Janet had chosen another man, as opposed to becoming one of the Kings wives. He believed that her actions were impudent, and was once again puzzled by the thought process of the newcomers.
Turning from them in disgust, the King returned to his awaiting entourage. A moment later he stood face to face with Ross, and accepted his outstretched hand of friendship. The grip of his counterpart seemed significantly firmer than the King had remembered, but the customary pleasantries associated with the greeting remained unchanged. With Gabriela’s help, the King said, “Thank you for inviting me back to your colony.”
She translated Ross’ reply of, “My friend, you know that you are welcome to visit our colony anytime you wish, but you and your entourage invited yourself for this occasion.”
Surprised by the bold statement of his counterpart, the King replied, “I thought you would be pleased to have the battle fought within your domain.”
“There shouldn’t even be a battle.”
“According to our customs, a battle for the woman in question must be fought.”
“The woman that you speak of is my daughter, and our custom is that she doesn’t have to marry any of your hunters.”
Gabriela interrupted Ross by adding, “Sir, please be careful how much you push the King on this matter. It could lead to a larger problem.”
“Back at the Mayan city you advised me to wait for such a conversation until my supporting cast was more substantial. Well, that cast will never be more substantial than it is right now, so we are going to have this conversation!”
“Perhaps you are correct sir, but please tread lightly.”
“I understand what you are saying Gabriela, and thank you for the concern. Now please ask the King if there is an alternative to resolving this issue without the bloodshed of at least two of his hunters being killed.”
Ross focused on the King’s facial expression as Gabriela presented the question, and knew instantly that the answer was no. After another of the King’s lengthy responses, she said, “Please excuse me for this sir, and remember these are the Kings words. In order to maintain the peace, he would have accepted Janet to be one of his wives. That would have been the case only if Aurora refused the victorious hunter, and you were not man enough to fight for her honor. He regrets to inform you, but that option is no longer available. The King has no desire to have a woman who has been impregnated by a man that he believes to be of inferior stock.”
“Is that so? Did he have anything else to say?”
“Yes sir, he asked how soon we could get started.”
Ross fought back the anger within created by the King’s insults. Feeling as if there was nothing else that could be done to avoid the spectacle, he then replied, “As soon as the hunters are prepared for battle, we can begin.”
The King nodded and asked, “Where should my people prepare an arena for the upcoming battle?”
After pointing toward a clear area near the base of the steep hillside, Ross said, “If you follow me, I know a good spot where we can watch your hunters do battle.”
Several minutes later the three hunters, armed with nothing other than spears, emerged from the crowd to stand alone in the center of the circular clearing. In turn, they each stepped forward and bowed to their King before taking up a position along the defined perimeter. Before the King could signal for them to begin, a large shadow suddenly moved across the plateau and stopped directly over the field of battle.
Shielding his eyes from the midday sun, Ross looked up and quickly realized that the shadow had been cast by a familiar object. It was a three seated scout vessel that belonged to the alien species who had brought the pilgrims from Earth to the new world, and eight more completed the hovering “V” shaped formation. All eyes of both human civilizations began looking skyward within seconds, but the Mayan reaction to the ships was one of fear. As one ship lowered itself from the formation, the spectators created an opening for the craft to land.
Turning to the King, Ross said, “Please excuse me for a moment, as I would like to go welcome our guests.”
The King said nothing, but cautiously followed roughly twenty paces behind with Gabriela close on his heels. When the hatch of the alien vessel hissed opened, the King was absolutely astonished at what happened next. With his own eyes, he witnessed Ross greet the three creatures with the same outstretched hand of friendship that he had used during all of their meetings. What was amazing to the King was how they had responded to Ross. It was unbelievable, because Ross had not kneeled at the feet of the Sky God or his two companions. Ross was also speaking freely with the Sky God and even laughed out loud a few times. To the King, that behavior was either completely foolish or incredibly brave. The even more puzzling aspect to him was that the Sky God showed no signs of anger toward Ross for any of his actions.
A few moments later, when Ross and the alien began moving toward the King, he gulped in fear. What had Ross told the Sky God about him and his intended actions? Not knowing what else to do, he motioned for all those in his entourage to kneel and bow their heads with him until informed to rise.
Gabriela, sensing a moment of weakness in the Kings position, took it upon herself to speak with Ross. She said, “I’m sorry to interrupt you sir, but I believe this unexpected visit has created a wonderful opportunity for you.”
Turning his attention from his old alien friend, Ross noticed that all of the currently present Mayans, including the King and the three battle ready hunters, were in a position of complete submission. He replied, “It looks as if you are correct, and I have my new supporting cast to thank for it.”
“Shall I use this opportunity to pry some information out of the King?”
“That’s an excellent suggestion. Based on his behavior this morning, perhaps we should play a little poker with him. I don’t want you to embarrass the man, but see if you can find out what is on his mind without giving away our position.”
After lowering herself to the ground in order to hear what the King had to say, Gabriela informed Ross, “Sir, the King recognizes the alien scout ships based on stories from the elders and previous visitations that he has witnessed. The alien ships have not been seen by any of his people for dozens of eclipses, but he and the Mayan people believe that your old friend is their ‘Sky God’. They will not rise from their current positions until they are informed to do so.”
“That’s very interesting. Did he say anything else?”
“He did indeed, but I’m hesitant to disclose everything that he told me.”
“Why is that?”
“Because what he believes may go to your head.”
“I would hope that you know me well enough by now to take that risk. Besides, how will we know if you don’t tell me?”
Not being able to resist the moment, she then playfully added, “You make a good point Mr. Demigod. Having seen your interactions with the so called ‘Sky God’ and his companions, the King now believes that you are here as a representative to enforce their will. Accordingly, the King wishes to apologize. He realizes that any perceived weaknesses that he had in your leadership abilities must be completely false.”
“I can see why you thought that information could go straight to my head, especially when you call me Mr. Demigod. Please don’t address me that way ever again, or even sir for that matter. I know you meant for the first to be humorous in
the moment, and the latter has always been as a show of respect. I appreciate that, but I would prefer it if you just called me Ross.”
Smiling at his show of humility, and the perception of having just broken down another one of his walls, Gabriela replied, “Alright Ross. Do you have any specific instructions as to how we should proceed with the King?”
“Give me a moment to speak with my alien friend. I’m interested in what he thinks about this recent development.”
“Yes sir. I mean, alright Ross.”
After a brief exchange with the alien, Ross turned and said, “We should probably make him believe that he needs to remain submissive while we gather more information. Please thank him for the apology, but ask the King why he wishes to anger me by insisting that his hunters do battle for Aurora.”
Rising from the ground once again, she said, “Ross, the King says he has no desire to anger you with any of his decisions or actions, because that will also anger the Sky God. He asks for your guidance in how he should proceed.”
Without hesitation Ross scanned the area, but could not locate his daughter. He called out, “Has anyone seen Aurora?”
From behind a wall of spectators he heard, “I’m over here dad. Give me a minute to get through all these people.”
When she arrived at his side, Ross asked, “Which one of the Mayan hunters is the one you’re in love with?”
Pointing to Ross’ left, she replied, “That one.”
“Gabriela, could you please have the King raise his head so that he can see which hunter Aurora is pointing at. I want him to instruct that man to get over here right away.”
Within seconds the hunter sprang to his feet and ran toward his awaiting King. Then he dropped to the ground again at Ross’ feet as a submissive gesture. Ross pulled the man to a standing position, lifted his chin to look him in the eye, and then moved him next to Aurora’s side. Turning back to Gabriela, he said, “Can you please inform the King that if he wishes to make me happy, then there will be no fight to the death on this day. This is the man that my daughter will marry, and the other two hunters will just have to accept that as her decision.”
“To use an old cliché, that was nicely played Ross. Is there anything else you want me to tell him?”
“Yes there is. Please ask the King if he would like to make the Sky God happy by maintaining the peace between our two civilizations, or would he prefer the opposite? After that, tell him that he and his entourage should rise to their feet and be comfortable. The wedding will begin within the hour.”
Early the following morning, after the Mayan entourage had begun their journey home, Ross finally had a chance to sit quietly with his old friend. The purpose of the alien visit had been made quite clear just moments after their arrival. They had returned to the moon known as ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2 to check on the progress of those from ₹-829-Ԅπ-3 who were most recently transplanted. That action would include a detailed discussion with Ross, but before they could do so, Ross requested that his alien friend field some questions from the general population. Unfortunately, that created a seemingly endless procession of inquiries that lasted throughout the night. The lengthy process was hampered by the fact that most of the questions had been presented by people who were unable to hear the answers in their own mind. Ross, with assistance from Gabriela and others, needed to translate the alien thought projection for them.
As to the Mayan situation, peace would prevail. True to the Mayan custom, Aurora had kept her word and became the wife of a hunter that had saved her life. The entourage had seen the King preside over a wedding as he had done countless times before, only this time; the ceremony was in the presence of the Sky God. He was also comforted by the knowledge that when he returned to the Mayan city, word would spread quickly among the people. The Sky God had been kept happy when the King had decided to maintain peace with the newcomers.
From Ross’ point of view, it was spectacular that the Mayan King and his people chose to believe that the alien species were Gods. His only desire was an insured long lasting peace between the two civilizations of Earth, and that belief could help to make his wish reality. Gabriela cautioned him to not abuse his status within the Mayan belief structure, but Ross knew that the leverage it provided could be useful. If a conflict should occur, he would remind the King that war between their two civilizations could anger the Sky God.
When Gabriela excused herself from Ross and the alien so they could commence with their private discussion, she saw that Jessica was waiting for her not far away. Once face to face, Jessica asked, “Gabriela, can I speak with you for a moment?”
“I’m sorry Jessica, but it has been a very long night with all the translation that needed to be done. When you add that to the events and festivities of yesterday afternoon, you can just imagine how tired I am right now. Can we talk after I get a few hours of sleep?”
“Of course we can. I just wanted to quickly convey my thanks for all your recent help. You have provided a wonderful service for Ross and the colony, and have helped us all to avoid what could have been very difficult times.”
“Thanks Jessica. I hope Ross feels the same way.”
“I’m quite sure that he does, and I know that he will tell you how he feels when he has an opportunity.”
“That would be nice.”
“Don’t worry, he will. Now go get some sleep.”
Meanwhile, the communication between Ross and his alien friend had begun in earnest. Centering on the progress of the pilgrims, Ross answered several thought questions of the alien as to how difficult the early days on the moon had been. He explained how their overall numbers of population had suffered drastically due to animal attacks and fatigue during the relocation process. Then reported how awful it was that the number had been nearly duplicated when the colony faced the extreme cold of their first eclipse cycle. Ross did present some good news though. The rapid population decline had slowed considerably since those early days, and just recently began a reversal. Aurora, and a small group of pilgrims with accounting backgrounds such as hers, had been keeping meticulous notes. Those notes included the names of each respective colonist that died, and when the death occurred. Now the records included a few births. The most recent post eclipse population count had confirmed that there had been more births than deaths during the last forty-four day cycle. It was the first month on the new world that the colony had experienced population expansion as opposed to contraction, and Ross gained a measure of optimism from the count. He was well aware that a significant amount of time would be needed for the population to increase up to and beyond their original numbers, but it was a start.
In that regard, Ross felt it was important to establish a moon calendar so everyone born after the establishment of the colony would have an actual birthday to celebrate if they were so inclined. Thanks largely to the information provided by the Mayan sundial, and having now lived through several of them, the duration of each cycle, or month, was well known. There was however, one factor of time that remained a mystery.
That unknown element was only one aspect within a list of topics that Ross wished to discuss with his old friend. For some strange reason, none of his upcoming questions had been brought up by anyone during the all-night session, so Ross felt this was a good time to do so. He began by saying, “I would like to be able to inform our astronomers how to properly measure a complete year on this moon. A record of how long we have been here has been maintained by them, but it is incomplete as far as I’m concerned. The duration has been calculated in both days and cycles on this moon, as well as the length of each day using the time measurement system of Earth. Can you tell me how many eclipse cycles are needed in order for this moon’s host planet to complete a full revolution around the host star?”
In an instant the answer of sixteen popped into his head via thought projection from the alien.
Ross said, “Well, that was easy enough. Thank you.” He then brought up a topic that many felt was of no consequen
ce, but Ross for one was curious. While pointing directly toward the massive lake, he stated, “Some people in our colony have reported seeing, on multiple occasions, a strange life form that lives in the water. It is supposedly half human, and half fish. Even though a creature of that makeup was always thought to be myth, on Earth we called them Mermaids. Can you tell me if our people are just imagining them, or are they real?”
As quickly as the previous answer had popped into his head, Ross heard that the life forms he referred to as Mermaids were in fact real. Yes they did indeed live in the waters of this moon, but that was not the only place they could be found within the cosmos.
The next question had not been on his original list, but Ross proceeded with the obvious follow-up. “Did the Mermaids live on Earth as well?”
Although Ross had never cared one way or the other about their existence during his entire life on Earth, it came as no real surprise to him that the answer was yes.
Now thoroughly intrigued, Ross then asked, “Did you bring these mermaids from Earth on the deep water vessel with the long term abductees?”
He learned that a few of what now lived in the nearby lake had indeed been saved from Earth, but most were already thriving on this moon. Ross was also informed that the so called Mermaid species living in the deep waters of ₹-829-Ԅπ-3 had been transplanted there countless centuries before. As stated, Earth had been one of many worlds to receive them in an effort to avoid their extinction.
Before moving on to his next intended topic, Ross had to know one more thing about the Mermaids. He asked, “Why were they in danger of becoming extinct?”