by Kurt Winans
“I figured as much Kristyn, and please believe that this topic is somewhat uncomfortable for me too, but has your transition occurred?”
Feeling annoyed by that question, Kristyn projected, “Yes it has, about four years ago if you must know. You should remember that you helped me when it began.”
“That seems about the right time.”
Still annoyed, she curtly projected, “Well I’m glad that you think so Janet, but why is this personal issue of mine important to you?”
“Sorry Kristyn, but I have a new theory about the virus. Unfortunately, you and Hank seem to be the only ones who could refute it.”
“I see, so what’s your theory Janet?”
“You have known that for years now we have been operating under the assumption that the virus strikes with a level of prejudice based on age, and there is plenty of data to substantiate that theory.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that.”
“Well, now I believe that the virus is striking the youth as each of them enters puberty. That could explain why so many of the girls are becoming infected before the boys.”
Now far less annoyed after hearing the explanation of Janet’s theory, Kristyn projected, “I see. Now I understand why you needed to ask me those intrusive questions, because I would appear to be an exception to your theory.”
“You most certainly are, and so is Hank. Now we just need to figure out why.”
The alien smiled inwardly as he listened to Janet’s projected accounting of all that had transpired up to that point in time. He was then pleased to hear that she had at last come to the most logical of conclusions. Her projections revealed that throughout the next several Earth days the question that she and Kristyn had proposed became their central focus. They knew there had to be an answer, but what was it?
Janet had looked at the Mayan angle first. It had always been believed that an aspect of genetic code was responsible for their immunity to the virus, and that was why their blood had been so scrutinized in the past. If that belief were indeed true, then it still didn’t explain the apparent immunity of Hank and Kristyn. A less likely cause would have been something in their diets, but Janet knew that investigating every possibility was necessary. Everyone here on new Earth consumed the same staples consisting of mainly large amounts of vegetables and fish, so that shouldn’t create selected immunity. Janet then flashed back to the dietary practices on their former home moon. It was true that more meat was consumed by all of them during those years, and Janet remembered Colt teaming up with a Mayan hunting party in quest of the giant Wolf creatures or other wild game on several occasions. One such expedition had even taken place just days after Hank had been born and…
Suddenly the answer occurred to her, and Janet once again became ashamed for not having realized it sooner. That had to be the key. Janet had finally discovered the commonality that existed between the Mayans and Hank and Kristyn that explained their shared immunity. That answer didn’t center on their respective lineage, it centered on where they had been born.
With a broad smile on her face, Janet projected to Kristyn, “I feel certain that I have just discovered the answer to our question!”
The return projection was immediate, “That’s great news Janet. What did you discover?”
“Aside from the apparent immunity Kristyn, what do you and Hank have in common with the Mayans?”
After a long moment of silence, Janet then heard, “I give up. What do we all have in common?”
“It’s the world where you were all born!”
Janet’s telepathic message then turned toward the actions of her species in the wake of the recent discovery, and she was proud to project that many had behaved admirably. Beyond Kristyn, the first to be informed was Hank, and he too felt a measure of shame for having overlooked the obvious commonality. Janet projected that their subsequent verbal discussion on the beach had led to an additional conclusion. The three of them believed it to be a logical assumption that their birth moon had also somehow enabled Hank, Kristyn, and the Mayans to possess the same telepathic ability as Janet and the other long term abductees. If that were true, and the alien was pleased that the humans had arrived at such a premise, then it was possible that many of those still living upon that second moon could possess the same untapped ability.
The next step had been to inform Tikal. As the most senior of the Mayan collective, their customs dictated that the others at least give him the respect of listening to what he had to say. He was not their King, nor did he ever claim the right to any special privileges, but he was the logical choice to spread the word among them. With Kristyn’s help Tikal soon became more proficient with his projecting ability, and they provided a calming influence through the use of their joint telepathy. The task before them was significant, but Janet was confident that they could prepare the other Mayans for future events.
Now more than a year since that process had begun, Janet informed the alien that there were twenty-eight humans on Earth who could telepathically project. As had already been known, many others could receive, but none of them showed any sign of the potential to project as of this time. With the exception of Brittany, each of the aforementioned twenty-eight continued to exhibit either the immunity to, or a complete stagnation of, the virus within their systems. Her most recent blood test had confirmed further slowing of the progression, and it was believed that she would join their ranks soon.
Having brought the alien up to the current moment, Janet then projected, “If you have the time and desire to assist as you claim, then I would like to ask you a few questions.”
Before agreeing to field any of her questions, the alien projected his thoughts of pleasure in Janet’s development and leadership during an enlightening, yet challenging, transitional phase. Then he asked a series of questions, starting with, “Have you and Brittany resolved all of your differences?”
“Yes we have. She has matured significantly since we arrived back on Earth nearly ten years ago, and I realized that I may have been too harsh in my previous judgement of her.”
“That’s good to know Janet. Your realization will only assist with your own evolution and both of you have already become an important aspect of what is to come with regard to the evolution shift of your species.”
“I don’t understand. We have both become?”
“All of that will become clearer to you in the not too distant future, but for now, I have additional questions.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“Now that you believe that the lower age limit of the viral infection has been determined, has your species collected data or run any tests to verify the theory?”
“Yes we have. There have been several more cases of young people entering puberty and almost immediately testing positive. We have also been closely monitoring those that we believe to be on the verge, and the tests remain negative until they begin their personal transition.”
“So what does that tell you Janet?”
“Well, actually that leads to my first question of you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Although I believe that the young children will always be safe from infection, my concern is that none of them will ever be able to reach full adulthood.”
“So what’s your question?”
“Will every one of our children eventually become infected when then transition into young adulthood?”
“Yes they will.”
“Then how can we possibly continue to repopulate our numbers? There can be no denying that Brittany and the ten Mayan women have done their part with regard to the gene enrichment program, but the females of our species are not capable of producing offspring forever!”
“That’s correct Janet, and very few species are. So, what do you intend to do about that?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know what to do!”
“There is a way that you can continue to repopulate your numbers, but it will not be easy. As you have discovered
that the immunity to the virus belongs to those who were born on ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2, you must now discover what has been the cause of the viral spread throughout all the adult members of your species.”
“And how do you suggest that I proceed with that?”
“Stay focused Janet. Think of the possibilities.”
A moment of contemplative silence followed before Janet resumed her projection of, “Well, because the immunity isn’t genetically based, as had been originally believed to be true, then it would be reasonable for me to theorize that the spreading of the virus isn’t based on human genetics either.”
“That’s correct.”
“So perhaps it’s something external.”
“Yes, and?”
After another moment of silence, Janet projected, “Sorry, but it’s just not coming to me.”
“Try going back to the inception. The virus began with Ross on ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2, but it didn’t become lethal and then spread to epidemic proportions until?”
“After you brought us back to…”
“Go ahead Janet. Complete the circle.”
“Complete the circle? My God, is has something to do with Earth doesn’t it?”
“Perhaps, now expand on that thought.”
“Alright, so if it’s not the food or water, maybe it’s the air. That’s it isn’t it? The problem is atmospheric.”
“Congratulations Janet, you have solved another piece to the puzzle.”
“Thanks. I think!”
“We were as surprised by the problem as you are now. Throughout the centuries upon ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2, many of your species had innocently contracted the virus and spread it to others just as Ross did, but it was never fatal. Somehow when we returned your group to Earth, the natural atmospheric conditions of this planet altered the matrix of the virus.”
“But if the cause of the continuing viral spread is somehow related to the atmosphere, then we are doomed!”
“We have encountered this problem before Janet, and the answer is still the same. You know more than you think you do. In fact, in this particular instance you know within your heart and soul what needs to be done. Just accept the truth, inform me that you understand the implications of that truth, and get on with the process of developing a plan!”
After a much longer than usual moment of silence, the navigator turned toward his commanding pilot and projected, “Do you really believe that she has the internal resolve to take the next step?”
“Yes. I do believe that Janet has the resolve within her, and she will take that next step. The thought of such an action had been entertained by her several times throughout the past few Earth years, but the fear of that reality kept her from broaching the subject with members of her species. I know Janet nearly as well as I knew her oldest offspring Ross, and a firm resolve for taking on extreme challenges is rooted within that family’s genetic makeup. She will arrive at what is the logical conclusion for resolving the problem that they currently face, and then proceed with a plan of action to carry it out.”
Their telepathic exchange was then interrupted when Janet chimed back in. As predicted, she had reached the logical conclusion of, “Alright, it’s obvious that I can’t deny the facts any longer. It certainly won’t be the easiest of tasks for my species to prepare for, but we must all leave this planet if we hope to survive.”
With a sigh of relief, her alien friend projected, “Thank you Janet for recognizing what is necessary and for taking a huge evolutionary step forward in the process. I’m sorry to inform you that it’s the only way to halt further contamination of the virus. Your species must escape the natural atmospheric conditions that exist on your home planet, and if you can accomplish that most challenging task, then those of you who have not yet become infected will remain that way!”
“Alright, so we have lots of work to do then. Can you tell me how long that I have to prepare everyone before your transport vessels arrive?”
“I don’t think you understand Janet.”
“Sure I do. You need to take us all back to that pale green moon in system ₹-593.”
“No. I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”
“What do you mean that won’t be possible? Why not? You just informed me that all we needed to do was escape the natural atmospheric conditions of our home planet, and that would seem to be the most logical place for us to go. We can’t get there on our own, so we need help from you.”
“I know that you think so at the current moment, but returning to that moon is not the answer for you. Your current evolutionary shift on this planet is progressing at a different pace than those of your species on ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2. Remember that most of this new Earth society as you like to call it had the benefit of twenty-six of your centuries after the apocalypse to evolve differently from a spiritual, philosophical, technological, and perhaps more importantly, a cooperative sense. Blending that mindset with members of your early twenty-first century society, or those that came before, wouldn’t necessarily mix well. No Janet, we can’t, and won’t, return you to the moon they live upon. You must find another way.”
After hearing that thought, Janet fell to the floor from the tremendous weight of what had been brought to light. The few remaining people of Earth already faced an enormous problem, but now they were expected to somehow magically relocate to another world. Then she took a deep breath and collected her wits before projecting, “Well if that’s the case, then we are in big trouble. I don’t know what to do about this, and I think that your species may have just written our epitaph here on Earth.”
“Janet, as we have discussed before on many occasions, you must remain focused. Don’t concede to this daunting challenge and therefore allow the stagnation of your species ongoing evolution. You must think of an alternative solution, and then do whatever is necessary to make it happen.”
Janet thought for a moment, and then rose to her feet. With a regained stern resolve, she expanded her telepathic reply so that Hank and Kristyn could also hear. The projection was short, but not so sweet, “I will need a tremendous amount of help from both of you, and you may find this difficult to believe. We must leave this planet if we are to survive!”
The modern society of Earth had exhibited numerous examples of global cooperation throughout the most recent of centuries, and although that held true for multiple disciplines, it was especially poignant with regard to advances in engineering. As wonderful as that had been, none of those previous efforts had approached the needs of this particular endeavor. If a portion of those that remained of the human contingent on Earth were to have any hope of sustained survival, then they would need to relocate to another world. That daunting task would require undertaking not only the design and construction of a vessel that would be capable of transporting them to a different marble in space, but in also determining how to properly supply it for the voyage and needs of the subsequent new colony.
Thanks in part to the historical discs revealing Earth’s previous ventures into space, and to a larger degree the more advanced unmanned probes of the modern era, a decision had been made that the logical choice for a colony would be on Mars. Although massive amounts of information had been learned about Venus during both space ages, that planet had been ruled out for a hugely significant reason. With a closer proximity to the host star than Earth, extremely high surface temperatures existed. Even with modern scientific advances, the orbital path of Venus made it unrealistic for long or even short term human habitation. As the nearest of the outward planets, that was also believed to have sustained life at one time in the distant past, Mars then became the most viable option for the historic effort.
The engineering brain trust of the planet, which now included Hank, communicated with each other on countless occasions to discuss various design specifications of what had been tabbed “The lifeboat”. Their task was to design a vessel not only large enough to transport the precious cargo of human passengers, but then upon arrival subsequently become one
aspect of the future habitat. Additionally, the vessel would need to contain everything necessary to ensure that the cargo at least stood a fighting chance to survive.
Hank began their most recent group conversation with, “So who knows how we are going to launch, and then obtain orbit, in such a massive vehicle?”
After a long moment of total silence followed by a few murmurs, one young engineer from Kutaisi upon the eastern shore of the enlarged former Black Sea replied, “We don’t! We will need to build the lifeboat in orbit.”
As the murmurs resumed, Hank glanced over at Kristyn with a smile and shrugged his shoulders. Then he looked back at the communication screen and said, “You sound quite sure of that, and it’s an interesting idea. Do you have any thoughts on how we would accomplish such an undertaking?”
“Yes I do Hank. Each community would first need to construct a modified version of our existing shuttles that are capable of obtaining low Earth orbit. Then we could use those vehicles to transport the necessary materials for the assembly of our much larger lifeboat.”
“That’s a fantastic concept, and I really like the way you think. Thank you very much for speaking up. Now, let’s begin with that aspect of the overall plan. We can tackle questions and problems associated with the lifeboat after we have figured out how to modify our existing shuttles. Can anyone else add constructive suggestions to what has been proposed?”
A young woman from Rio Paulo was first to respond. She said, “We could employ the same propulsion method for escape velocity that our exploratory probes currently use. All it would take is a modification for the larger size and payload of the shuttle.”
“I agree that would be a good place to start. Will you take the lead on looking into that aspect of the modifications?”
“Certainly, I’ll get started right away.”