by E J Randolph
“Hello.”
This is Kate.” My voice shook. “The aliens are here.”
“We know. The local telepaths received their message. Our tachyon receiver also recorded it as did all the electromagnetic facilities on the planet.”
I sat silent.
“Kate?”
“Yes.”
“What will you do?”
I couldn’t speak.
“Must have lost the connection.” She cut the link.
I looked wide-eyed at John. I opened my mouth but nothing came out.
“Don't worry. We will never, I repeat, never, let them get you again.” He looked at me, frowned and walked over. He put his hands on my armrests and gazed into my eyes. “I am telling you. The crew of Miss A will never, never, let those aliens get you again.” He spoke with all his command presence.
I trembled. “Really?”
“Really.” He glanced at Ricardo. “That’s right. You’ll fly us out of here.”
Ricardo jumped up and feigned a slam dunk. “I did it once. I can do it again.”
I smiled and relaxed.
John straightened. “That’s better. You need to orchestrate a local response.”
“What can I do now? The circle of masters meets tonight.” I chewed on my lower lip. “Someone must organize the maintenance of the schools.”
Dan shook his head. “That can be done locally at each school.”
I frowned. “What about crime? Surely, there is some mechanism for a state response.”
“Oh?” Dan raised one eyebrow. “Why? I bet the circle of masters suffices. I think in a society this tightly knit by ritual, crime is unthinkable.”
I pressed my lips together. “Then I need to meet with the circle of masters sooner rather than later. Maybe Ms Lee knows how to reach one of the masters.” I commo'd the embassy and reached her. “I need to talk with one of the masters about coordinating a planetary response to the aliens.”
“I will bring you to one. They don’t use communicators.”
“Be right there.”
I stood. “I need to get to the embassy, ASAP.” I glanced at Dan. “Will you come with me?”
“Sure.”
John swung to Ricardo. “Take them in the flier. Drop them off and get right back. We have some planning to do.”
Ricardo dropped us off on the landing zone on the embassy roof and headed back. We hurried down the stairs and stepped into Ms Lee's outer office.
~ ~ ~
She rose from her pillow with an aura of unstressed timelessness. She swept past us. “Come with me.”
We followed her through a door at the back of the building across the embassy courtyard to a driver and vehicle waiting in the attached garage. The two of us slid into the back seat and Ms Lee into the front. She gave directions to the driver.
Ten minutes later we pulled into the parking lot of a star-shaped building with open floor to ceiling windows. Ms Lee led the way to the double doors. “This is where many of the masters spend their days.” The double doors swung open at our approach. “They’re telepathic. They knew we were coming.”
Telepathic, yes! Could these telepaths fight the alien telepaths?
Inside, the wide, open space was light and breezy, fragrant with the smell of local flowers. Twelve masters sat on satin cushions. Was that a quorum? Enough to make a decision?
Ms Lee bowed in front of an ancient man meditating on a yellow cushion. His robes were frayed and a shade of brown that looked like it had started out black a long, long time ago. His thin, white beard flowed across his chest and continued around his body. How long did it take to grow one of such majestic proportions?
Ms Lee waved a hand at us. “This is Kate Stevens and her assistant from the Federation. They need your help to fight the aliens.”
The man laughed, a deep, joyous sound. He looked at us with surprisingly alive eyes. “Do you expect me to fight?”
Dan made a deferential bow. “Fighting is not the right word. Perhaps counter or block. Use their strength against them.”
The master stroked his beard.
I sat cross-legged in front of him. “You’re telepathic. The aliens are telepathic. Can you tell them you would like them to leave?”
“Possibly, but that doesn’t mean they’ll listen to me or any of us.” He shrugged. “I don’t intend to listen to them.”
My mouth dropped open. “You don’t understand. They have truly destructive power.”
He smiled. “They’re up there. We’re down here.” He shrugged again.
I looked at the other masters sunk in some inner space. Had they noticed us?
The master shook his head. “They won’t help you.”
“Why not?”
“The aliens aren’t hurting us.”
“But they will. They won’t let you ignore them. Bellasport stopped them with a large, ground-based laser weapon.”
The master closed his eyes.
The interview was over. I’d failed to get help. I glanced at Ms Lee. “No!” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper.
“Let’s go.” She spoke with crisp authority.
I pulled myself up and followed her through the door. Dan followed.
Outside I waggled my forefinger at her. “Not one of them took this seriously.”
“I know, I know. But did you ever think they may be right? The aliens are up there and we’re down here. Live and let live. The masters don’t fight. No one here can even conceive of killing or hurting anyone. It’s literally unthinkable in this culture. It’s why I love it here.”
I commo'd John. “We’re done. Ran into a blank wall.”
“Roger that. Get back and we’ll work on something here. Do you need transport?”
Ms Lee turned to me. “I will give you a ride to your spacecraft.”
“No need. We’ll be there shortly.”
~ ~ ~
We entered Miss A and headed to the control room. John and Ricardo had the hologram planner out and were going through a space combat routine.
Dan’s head jerked. “You’re doing short flicks.”
Ricardo grinned. “Yeah, Miss A and I have been calculating how we can defeat the alien ships. Load up the g's getting to the first one, shoot it in the rear, the most likely spot for their power supply, then flick to the next ship, give it a laser blast, same place. Repeat for the third ship.
Dan frowned. “That initial boost would require extreme g loading. We couldn’t survive.”
John shook his head. “There is no we here. This would be Ricardo and me, period. We’re the only ones fit enough to withstand an apparent loading of twelve g's.
Dan whistled. “That’s a biggy.”
John nodded. “It’s a Himmel Fahrt's Commando, but we may have no choice.” He pointed at me. “You got nowhere.”
“They see no need. Hurting anyone is inconceivable to them.”
John's mouth twisted. “They’re good people.” His voice sounded like a sob. “This shouldn’t be happening to them.”
Ricardo shrugged. “It’ll take some flying to pull off our plan. The Federation Navy isn’t coming. These people can’t fight. That leaves us. Miss A gives us a sixty/forty percent chance. We’re the forty percent.”
My throat clenched. These guys were the best. They were ready to protect innocent people even when it was a long shot. They were willing to give it their best under extreme circumstances. I needed to try again. If only I could prevent John and Ricardo from facing extreme danger. “I’m going to the masters circle tonight. I want to give it another shot.”
John nodded. “Fine with me. I hope you can get some cooperation because while I’m willing to give this a try, I’m not looking forward to it. Far from it.”
“I need some tea.”
A few minutes later I sat in my chair in the commons and savored the first few hot sips of a strong brew. I set the cup to one side and pulled out a screen. I typed in The Lotusandrans cannot hurt anyone. I sat and looked at thi
s statement. This imperative was deeply ingrained. Sure, it was sweet and nice, but right now it was getting in the way of effective action against the aliens.
I entered another fact. Many of the inhabitants meditate and quite a few are telepathic. I took a sip of tea. They could combat the telepathic aliens with their telepathy. That was a plus.
I added They do everything with a ritual. Talk about wasting time. Why not do just a few things with rituals? That should suffice to avoid conflicts. I pounded on my arm rest. They did everything with a ritual, absolutely everything. How could they get anything done? All this time wasting! I leaped up and paced. Lotusandra faced a serious emergency, and the inhabitants kept doing rituals instead of anything meaningful or effective. Rituals! Rituals! Rituals! Nothing real. Certainly, nothing to stop the aliens. I thrust my fists onto my hips. How frustrating! How wasteful! Just because of a little war on their way here.
Wait! I lowered my head onto my hands. What was I thinking? Their history mattered. Everything they’d built here was predicated on that war. I’d gone about this whole thing one hundred percent wrong! I hadn’t been willing to accept the Lotusandrans for who they were. I’d put everyone in danger by not understanding these people!
I called the control room on the intercom. “I’m a pathetic excuse for a diplomat.”
Footsteps ran down the passageway and Dan skidded to a stop in the room. “What’s wrong?”
“I did everything wrong.”
“How so?”
“I talked to the masters. Don’t you see? I didn’t use rituals to express what I wanted to say. They couldn’t hear me. They weren’t prepared to hear me. They need a ritual first. This is a real need, a necessity. Not some time wasting bit of fluff.”
“I don’t understand. We’re using rituals.”
“But, not the right way. Stay here. Help me.” I called up the list of rituals and searched through them. “Here is one. May I Speak?” I looked at him. “Obviously that’s an essential. You have to say the responses.”
I bowed to him. He bowed back.
“I request the honor of your attention.”
“You have it.”
“May I speak?”
“Yes, you may speak and I will listen.”
I bowed and he bowed.
We went through it several times until I had it down.
I returned to the list. “Ah, here’s a good one. A Heartbreaking, Sad Event Has Happened.”
I bowed and he bowed.
I placed one hand on my heart and one on my face. “I feel sorrow.”
“A sorrow shared is a sorrow lessened.”
“A heartbreaking, sad event has happened.”
“I would be honored to listen to your sorrow.”
I looked at Dan. “OK, here I tell them the problem.”
He nodded.
I clasped both hands in front of me. “Thank you for letting me share my sorrow.”
He clasped his hands. “I understand your sorrow and feel your pain.”
We bowed to each other.
We went through that several times.
He sighed. “Are we done?”
“No. I need to get action.”
I went back and forth through the list. “Aha! Got it. There Is Something That Must Be Done.”
He gave the responses for me and headed toward the hatch. “Got to get back to help plan the attack.”
I shook my hand at him. “Just two more. These are great. One for guaranteeing honesty and truth and one for pledging one's highest honor and integrity as an embodied, eternal soul.
He rolled his eyes but helped me practice.
It was nearly time to leave for the circle of masters. Dan returned to the control room, and I ran through the rituals one more time in my mind.
“May I interrupt?” The sultry voice came from the overhead.
“Certainly.”
“A bit of advice. I could not help overhear you practicing the rituals with Dan. I suggest you speak slowly. Sound like you have all the time in the world as if you were meditating.”
“That’s good. I will sound like the Lotusandrans. Thanks, Miss A.”
“Any time.”
On my way out, I stopped at the control room. John, Ricardo, Dan, and Nick concentrated on their screens, working out the fine details of their attack plan.
I knocked on the hatch. “I’m leaving.”
John nodded without looking up. “Yeah, sure. Uh, keep us informed.”
“Will do.” I clenched my fists. There had to be another way. This had to work. John might not have confidence in my efforts, but I was on the right track… finally.
I rode in a robotaxi to the hall. Black robed figures glided across the floor to their seats. I walked to a master sitting cross-legged on the center dais.
I bowed and gave the first line of May I Speak? He responded instantly with the second line. We bowed to each other at the end of the ritual.
“My name is Kate Stevens.” The acoustics were superb, and I didn’t have to strain to be heard. I did A Heartbreaking Sad Event Has Happened followed by There Is Something That Must Be Done. The master on the dais made the correct responses, and a murmur of approval rose from the crowd.
He did the Please Tell Us The Problem. I had seen that one as a possible response to the ritual I’d memorized, and I had the responses down perfectly.
I looked at the masters. “Up above us, circling like birds of prey, are three alien warships. The aliens want you to give them your emotions so they may use them as military weapons. They also want to insert a parasite into your brains that will take over your minds.”
A collective gasp met my words.
“I am asking you to come up with a way to make them go away. Why you? Because many of you are telepaths, and because the aliens are also telepathic, you can give them a message. Also, all of you are meditators. If you meditate together, they can pick up your collective message. I ask you only devise a message that will make them go away. You don’t need to harm them. They just must go away and not pervert our esteemed emotions into weapons of war and death.”
I turned to the master on the dais and began the ritual My Statement Is The Truth On My Honor As A Living Soul. We finished, and I bowed to the audience. I gave the first line of Thank You For Your Time.
The whole building of hooded, black robed masters stood as one and bowed. They spoke the last lines of the ritual in unison. “We are honored you brought the problem to us. We will give it our utmost consideration.”
I wiped tears from my cheeks. They were going to work on the problem. I walked out of the hall. My job was done. The ball was in their court, and they’d accepted it. I’d succeeded in delivering my message.
I slipped out the door and stood for several moments in the dark shivering. A black shape silhouetted against the stars slid to the ground next to me. The hatch opened, and Ricardo waved to me. “Kate, over here.”
Wonderful! I ran to the hatch and jumped onto the seat. “Thank you. I appreciate this bunches.”
“We got to talking about you all alone out in the night. The idea hit everyone all at once. Go get Kate. So here I am.” He pulled the flier up and set her on a course to Miss A.
At the spaceship I headed to the commons for a hot cup of tea. I cradled it in my hands and inhaled the full-bodied, acrid aroma. I walked to my chair.
The guys entered and circled my chair. John scuffed his foot. “How did it go? Dan leaned toward me. “Did the rituals work?” Nick squinted at me. “Did they have any ideas?”
I laughed. “Good, yes, and don't know yet.”
John’s mouth tightened. “Tell me everything.”
“I have something better.” I tapped my wrist computer, and a hologram leaped into the middle of the floor. “The viewpoint is a little odd because it plays out as seen from my wrist and goes up and down when I bow.”
But the guys heard my words. Better yet they saw the final standing and bowing of the whole group of masters
as they answered my final ritual in unison.
John relaxed. “Outstanding. Excellent all the way around.”
I beamed. He never gave insincere praise.
Ricardo threw me a thumbs-up. “Way to go.”
Dan smiled. “Nice use of ritual.”
Nick shook his head. “I doubt those fuzzy-headed meditators will come up with anything.”
~ ~ ~
The next day Ms Lee commo'd me at lunchtime. “The masters want to see you.”
“I’ll be there right away.”
John stopped his fork midway to his mouth. “Ricardo will take you. Finish your lunch. It may take a while, and you’ll need the energy.”
He sure was getting bossy. OK, more bossy than usual. I finished my meal and hustled to the flier.
Ricardo flew me to the embassy. “Commo me when you’re done.” He flew off.
I hurried down the stairs to Ms Lee's office and knocked on her door.
“Come in.” She rose from her pillow. “We’ll leave right away.”
Within minutes the embassy driver drove us to the star-shaped building. Ms Lee led me to the ancient we spoke with yesterday. “We’re here as you requested.”
I whipped out the I Am Here At Your Most Honored Request. A few spoken lines and two bows later, I stared into his smiling face.
He initiated the ritual I Have Considered your Problem and Have A Solution.
I had boned up on that one. I was hoping someone would use it on me, and I made the correct responses.
“We have a consensual solution. The subject is vomit. Everyone has been sick before, knows what it feels like, and can meditate upon it. The telepaths can augment and direct the message. We believe the aliens will feel sick and won’t want to stay.”
“That’s wonderful! You’ve found a truly creative solution I believe will work.”
He smiled.
I executed the ritual Thank You For Your Decision.
We finished the gavotte of exchanges, and I hugged Ms Lee.
She straightened her robes. “We must be going. They have a lot of work to do organizing this event.”
I turned to the master. “When will this happen?”
“Tomorrow morning. The telepaths will meet at the Soul's Journey Institute at sunrise. The whole planet is being organized all day today. We’re set up to send messages to all the masters via telepathy. They in turn will organize their communities.”