Haruka’s driver had returned to the Grantchester house in darkness after the night-time rendezvous with Omeyn MuneMei’s ground transport. The circular drive in front of the house was completely screened by the wall, high yew hedging and specimen evergreen trees. Omeyn MuneMei had absolutely no interest in talking with the driver. A black cloak covered her as she stepped from the car and was met by Haruka. Haruka was known to Omeyn MuneMei from her California iteration and was one of the highest caste Zarnha operatives. This meant that Haruka was accustomed to meeting with Omeyns and was capable of communicating in the highly elaborate customs required so as not to offend the highly developed sensibilities of their tyrant queen. Omeyn MuneMei operated through these high-caste individuals and acknowledged them with actual commands and even requests for information. An Omeyn however did not require their opinions. Advice and opinions came exclusively from the collective council of all the currently existent Omeyns accessed securely from the Mind across the inhabited Spargar worlds. Haruka showed Omeyn MuneMei to her rooms and Omeyn MuneMei found them acceptable. She required comfort and the most luxurious accommodation available locally but this varied considerably from the palaces on Spargan right out to the newest Spargar outpost on the latest inhabited planet. She had no further occasion to leave the Grantchester house from the time she arrived to this point at the start of the new academic year, 2011 Earth time.
Omeyn MuneMei was briefed, prior to leaving The Spyre in Braganza, of the full background to the Zarnha campaign to control Earth. She knew that the current developments were critical to success of her plans for this planet. The primary goal of this iteration in Cambridge was to continue bending the developing internet to Spargar plans and to promote dictatorial cultures to be compatible with control soon to come from The Spyre on Spargan. These goals were being developed in key technology centres and countries with despotical regimes with support from Zarnha across the planet. This primary objective was to continue to develop the computing and network development widely installed on Earth and now accepted globally, if little understood of course, as the internet or world-wide web. This was developing exponentially by Zarnha infiltration of the mysterious companies that owned the major geographical and topological centres of internet development. The Evrisoft commercial vehicle was one such that had been ideal to place Haruka and her peers right at the heart of controlling the formative network as required by The Spyre on Spargan.
This Omeyn MuneMei’s secondary objective was to eliminate risks to the primary plan, notably the risks associated with Dawn of Gaya’s competition to raise the primitive local human population to their enlightenment in direct opposition to her plans. Omeyn MuneMei had contempt for the weak initiatives of Dawn of Gaya and the respect they gave to such naive local populations. They operated through small numbers of resources that were deeply embedded in the local population but she had issued several plans already to track Dawn of Gaya operations locally in Cambridge.
She had first of all despatched her Ghola to collect information on persons of interest in the University community looking for traces of Dawn of Gaya influence. The academic leaders were well known and easy to find. Their circle of influence would include Guides of Dawn if they were making remarkable progress beyond what could reasonably be expected of bright but relatively primitive human minds. Discovering the matrix of local leaders and their circles of influence required plotting all this information from the Ghola into the biological computer that is the collective Mind of all the Omeyn MuneMeis in The Spyre. It was this initiative that had led the Ghola to track Doctor McGregor as a potential Guide of Dawn due to his close association with Professor Kitteridge, the finest astrophysicist of his era. A man of suspiciously abundant scientific theory and discovery, well beyond any plausible innovative thinking of a single individual, no matter how brilliant.
Omeyn MuneMei had secondarily deployed human spies from Earth that had been abducted as children and brought up attached to the Mind computer in Braganza so that they could return to do Omeyn MuneMei’s bidding when required.
TWELVE
Joe and Charlotte settled into undergraduate routine by the end of their first month at university. Joe ran the busier schedule as a scientist with lectures in the mornings, practicals in the labs most afternoons and four lots of weekly supervisions that backed up his coursework. Charlotte did not have the practicals but had more reading and essay work to do for economics supervisions. Their Gayan advanced knowledge helped but they had to be careful not to reveal too much; for both of them it was more a case of studying science and economics history than using their current knowledge. This allowed them the time needed to catch up with Doctor McGregor on progress he was making, primarily with Professor Kitteridge, towards the next great discoveries on the true nature of the universe and methods for travel across the galaxy.
Christopher, Joe and Charlotte went their separate ways to lectures and coursework but met up most evenings in the college bar or to go into the town. Daniel, being at the other end of the town at Jesus College, met them once or twice a week. The three Gayans would meet out of town at country pubs in the local villages when they wanted privacy. To Christopher it seemed that Joe and Charlotte were closer than ever, and Daniel as a new member of their group seemed enviably easy in their company making him feel even more awkward. Joe and Charlotte still appeared to be a natural couple but Christopher noted that they did not seem to have quite the same immersion in their relationship, or seem to spend nights together, like the other couples that had met in the first few weeks of their university careers. This continued to be odd to Christopher, not least because of his frustrated feelings for Charlotte but also because he was becoming increasingly intrigued by the strange relationships in the group. When he had been a child with them at primary school he had thought it was because he did not fit in, now he was not so sure as he could see that he was the normal undergraduate whereas they acted with an unnatural maturity, like teaching staff embedded in the undergraduate community.
One Saturday morning Christopher was heading out of the Porters’ Lodge to do his shopping and he bumped into Joe and Charlotte walking together towards the street exit.
“Hello, Charlotte, Joe,” he greeted them. They were wearing coats and scarves against the chill of the morning as if they intended a long walk. There had been a hard frost earlier and low mist pooled over the river.
“Morning, Chris,” Joe and Charlotte chimed together. Christopher was looking at them dressed up warmly so Joe responded, “We have been invited for lunch at Doctor McGregor’s house past Newnham,” he said.
Christopher was studying physical sciences so had no work with the well-known zoology doctor and would not expect a similar invitation. As he registered that thought it occurred to him that Charlotte had no conceivable academic relationship with the eccentric doctor either so this must be an invitation extended to both of them as a couple. Christopher was confused some more, “Maybe we can meet up later this evening then,” he volunteered. “It’s a nice morning for a brisk walk!”
Charlotte took Christopher’s arm and gave it a hug. Her side felt warm and interesting, even through the thick material of their winter coats. She was pleasantly fragranced. A picture of health and vitality. “Yes, see you later Chris,” she said, then broke free and walked through the sturdy doors turning right onto Silver Street with Joe. Christopher watched them set off, not arm in arm, walking separately.
“Chris seems to be getting more suspicious than ever,” offered Joe as they walked along the broad pavement past the tall trees, freshly bare of leaves, that skirted Queens’ Green on their right.
They crossed Silver Street to turn left into Newnham Road towards Doctor McGregor’s house some half a mile away in the terraced streets south of Newnham College. “I agree that in terms of the five-stage integration process Chris has been stuck in Development for a very long time now as he has pretty much been there all the time we grew up with him. But I still
don’t think he is ready for Revelation just yet. We need to put it in the context of the other work going on here with Doctor McGregor, and Chris would be very immature to cope with the truth just yet. I would hate to mess him up with it.”
“You are much better at that kind of judgement than I am,” Joe replied. “I think on the one hand any bright local human being should be able to get their heads round the truth as we know it in Enlightenment. On the other hand it’s so big to deal with I know it could mess with their minds. And that’s without even mentioning the threat from Spargar being also amongst them. That’s scary enough for me let alone these innocent souls.” Joe waved inclusively at some passers-by who turned to look and indulged it as student behaviour. “I guess we will just wait till you think the time is right.”
“I think that’s for the best, Joe,” Charlotte concluded and took the responsibility on board as usual when it came to the guiding aspects of their missions. This was more her line of work and Joe was happy to leave the subtle personal judgement calls to her.
They continued along in comradely silence to Doctor McGregor’s house, enjoying the view of the Granta mill pond as it came into view on their left side then continuing down Newnham Road. They soon reached Doctor McGregor’s house which looked neat and trim in a long row of desirable terraced homes. There was a low wall to a shallow garden that was no more than a border accessed by a gate painted a glossy royal blue to match the front door. They stood on the step and knocked. They heard Doctor McGregor approaching from inside and saw his distorted shadow loom in the obscure glass panel in the top half of the door. The bottom half was solid wood with a grey plastic cat flap inserted low and central.
Doctor McGregor opened the door and treated his fellow Gayans to a huge grin, humorously accentuated by his few teeth jiggling about in the otherwise bare gums.
“Charlotte, Joe, come in, come in.” He ushered them in to the cosy house and sat them in comfy chairs in the lounge area closest to the street. The house had been refurbished and the kitchen and lounge were now one big open area; the original separating wall had been removed. The kitchen was contemporary in light wood and kept tidy for his guests’ arrival. An exceptionally large cat with complex tabby markings strode over to greet them and wrapped round their ankles, staring deeply into their eyes in turn. Joe and Charlotte felt the tiny red threads connecting to the impressive cat just the same as with the large animals on their own world.
“Duncan!” Charlotte exclaimed Doctor McGregor’s Gayan name in her surprise. “You have brought your cat all the way from Home!”
Doctor McGregor looked sheepish. “I know, when I came out here last time I couldn’t leave Tabitha behind and I persuaded the Cavallos to bring her out for me. We only have each other in the world, don’t we, Tabitha?” Tabitha stared at Doctor McGregor knowingly and he ruffled the fur on the top of her head as she closed her eyes in pleasure and raised her head into his hand. “Anyway, Tabitha is one of us too and completely trustworthy. Isn’t that true, my dear?” Tabitha did not reply and continued to enjoy the attention.
Doctor McGregor brought plates and a large ploughman’s platter of crusty bread, cheese, ham and pickles for lunch. Gayan students get just as hungry as earthly ones so they tucked into their lunch with gusto, discussing local university gossip until the plates were empty.
It was Charlotte who opened on Gayan business matters, “How is it coming along with Professor Kitteridge?” she asked, referring to his progress along the five-stage Gayan enlightenment programme.
“Oh, he has been ready for Revelation for quite some time now,” Doctor McGregor replied. “It’s almost become a game for him, trying to work out what is actually going on. He really is very intelligent and spends his whole life wondering at the Universe, trying to get the inspiration to understand it all. None of us managed that on our own! My plan is that I take him through Revelation as part of his next big paper about practical methods of warping space for practical space travel.”
“We have Christopher who grew up with us at Revelation stage also,” Charlotte replied. “We plan he will be part of the next generation behind Kitteridge but much too early for him to be credibly capable of genuine insight. I would like to position him as part of Kitteridge’s student group so we get some back-up and continuation of Kitteridge’s work.”
Doctor McGregor approved of this plan. Gayan guides spent whole lifetimes preparing and aiding locally developed genius in readiness for enlightenment. Accident and illness of their often physically vulnerable local talents could deprive them of fulfilling their meticulous plans. Occasionally family members were developed together, as credibly genius could manifest in close family members. In this case Christopher could be developed as the continuity candidate within the same high-flying Cambridge University astrophysics team.
Joe was thinking of the overall success of their mission and was concerned about managing the Spargar risk that could derail their plans. He asked, “What do you think of the competitive threat to our mission? Do you have an assessment of their capability here?”
“There has always been the usual low-level Zarnha activity locally but I don’t see it as threatening us right now,” Doctor McGregor said. “They have their usual UFO activity around the USAF cruise missile bases out in the countryside near here but that’s unrelated to us. They are abducting some locals as they always do when they have UFO activity but I haven’t seen any kidnappings associated with my work here. Outside of the military angle, they do have to be focussing on the prominence of Professor Kitteridge right now. He is emerging as the primary genius of his generation and they will know that someone is helping him, one way or the other. His public image is very strong for a scientist which is great to get our messages out to the broader population but makes him very conspicuous. It’s only a matter of time before Zarnha try to infiltrate Kitteridge’s group but the only suspicious outsiders I have come across so far are you guys, and I am very pleased to see you!”
Joe and Charlotte laughed at that. “I think we can expect more Zarnha activity soon and it may be desperate at that,” said Joe. “We know they too are trying to get their plans to fruition so that Earth can soon be controlled by them and not us. They want to grow the internet locally so it’s ready to connect out to their Mind on Spargan. If that happens then we can forget about all our efforts in the short term at least. Plus we can see their political targets in dictators in other countries. Spargar must be pleased to see so many other parts of this world developing in their image, totally the opposite of us trying to develop enlightenment here in Cambridge.”
The Zarnha Ghola was observing the innocent-looking lunch from its vantage point perched in the front garden of Doctor McGregor’s house. It would not cross indoors as it did not know whether the Gayans would somehow be able to detect it in close proximity. Tabitha appeared at the window to check on possibly interesting bird or rodent activity in the garden while the others were finishing their lunch. She looked straight and unblinking into the dark, nervous features of the Ghola and arched her back, extending her claws and sharply hissing at the spectre, which retreated swiftly away from the window.
“Hmm, what is it, Tabitha?” Doctor McGregor turned to speak to his cat. “Must be a bird.”
“Does she do that a lot then, Duncan?” Joe enquired.
“Sometimes, she does seem to be getting more nervous lately,” Doctor McGregor replied.
“It may be nothing, it may be something. I suggest you be extra watchful as things are bound to heat up over the next few months,” advised Joe. “Let’s all compare notes on anything that could be Zarnha activity against our group. Best we take any risk seriously from now on.”
THIRTEEN
Christopher, Charlotte and Joe met a few days before Christmas. They had returned home the week before, their parents picking them up at the end of term. They had been jaded from the end of their first term and the various Chris
tmas events leading up to it. That first term had flown by and they were quite surprised it was time to head home. Parents were really pleased to see their offspring still in one piece and not half starved after being responsible for feeding themselves for the first time. They all had Christmas to look forward to and it was all the more poignant for getting the families back together again. Except that Christopher’s family were decamping to Edinburgh where his grandparents still lived and were gathering the clans. Christopher was the only one who had a job over the Christmas holidays as he needed the money and they wanted him to work shifts over the holidays.
“Don’t tell me you are spending Christmas at home on your own, Chris?” Charlotte was shocked when he explained.
“Afraid so, Charlotte,” Christopher confirmed. “Mum and Dad say I am invited to the neighbours’ for Christmas dinner but that won’t be the same.”
“Well, you must come to ours for Christmas dinner,” Charlotte insisted.
Christopher looked sideways at Joe, who seemed interested in his pint of ale. “That would be really nice,” he said. “But I wouldn’t want to impose. What would your mum and dad think?”
“Oh, they will be very keen to have you when they know the circumstances.”
“What do you think, Joe?” Christopher asked carefully.
Joe seemed genuinely surprised to be consulted. “Well, if they will have you, Chris, I would think that’s a much better idea than being foisted on the neighbours or worse still, having a frozen pizza with the Queen’s speech.”
“I know Mum and Dad will love it, Chris. I won’t hear any more arguments. You are coming to us!” Charlotte was certain.
Christopher’s parents were indeed delighted at the idea. They did not like leaving Christopher on his own for Christmas, but it was family tradition to take turns to host Christmas and this year they were due to go to family in Scotland for the holidays. Charlotte inviting Christopher for Christmas Day was the perfect solution. They approved of Charlotte and Christopher could see his parents were overly excited about him visiting Charlotte and enjoyed making little comments at his expense about how much fun he would have on Christmas Day.
Star Matters Page 21