As father and daughter continued to hold one another, Christopher Peterson stepped forward and shook Adrian’s hand. “Thank you, Chris,” Adrian said. “Thank you for sacrificing your life so that we could be here today. I owe you.”
Chris smiled appreciatively at the legendary general. “No, sir. You don’t owe me. The pleasure was mine. It was an honor to meet and serve with you, sir.” Then, he stepped back, stood at attention, and saluted General Adrian Palmer.
Adrian saluted back. “You are in charge here now, Lieutenant Colonel. Stay close to John and follow his advice. I have a feeling that this war isn’t over on Earth.”
“I will, sir,” Chris said, shaking Adrian’s hand again.
* * * * *
Kevin held his daughter in a viselike grip. He didn’t want to let her go. Even though he had told her that she should stay with Chris because of her feelings for him and the fact that she would be safer, he still had an overpowering feeling to protect her. Tears began to trickle down his face. “Be safe, Ash. Be safe.”
He felt her tears on his face as well. “I will, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey.”
Tears began to pour from his daughter’s eyes as she buried her head into his neck. He closed his eyes and stroked his hand through her hair, not wanting to let go. He knew that he had to go with Adrian, but the thought of leaving his daughter terrified him.
Opening his eyes, he saw out of the corner of one of them that Chris was standing silently, waiting for them to say their good-byes. Kevin appreciated the gesture and held his daughter a few moments longer.
He then let go of her, wiped the tears from his eyes, and reached a hand out toward the strong and courageous soldier. “Take care of my daughter.”
“I will, sir.”
Ashley smiled and moved next to Chris, locking her arm into his.
Kevin put the best smile on his face that he could and pulled Chris into an embrace as well. Whispering into Chris’ ear, he said, “Promise me.”
“I promise, sir. She will be safe.”
* * * * *
John waited patiently for the crowd gathered around Adrian and Kevin to disperse. It took awhile because everyone wanted to offer their thanks and good-byes to the men who had helped save their lives. Patience was something he was a master of. After all, he had over 2,000 years to hone this unique characteristic while waiting patiently for the return of his Master and Savior. But this was urgent. Just last night, he had received a revelation – a revelation that had stunned him beyond disbelief. Now, he needed to speak with Adrian and Kevin alone. At last, after a few more minutes, the remainder of the crowd finally left, and Ashley gave her uncle and father one last hug and kiss good-bye.
As she left with Lt. Col. Peterson, she glanced at John and smiled. He returned a warm smile of his own before concern fell over his face, and he quickly turned his attention to Adrian and Kevin.
Adrian recognized his concern. “What is it, John?”
John hesitated, trying to find the right words. “Last night …” he paused and took in a deep breath, reorganizing his thoughts. “Even though I have been blessed and privileged with knowledge and powers unbeknownst to most mortals, I do not know all of the mysteries of our Father in Heaven.”
Adrian and Kevin both nodded, understanding John’s point.
John then continued, “Last night, I had a revelation.” He paused again.
“About what?” Kevin asked.
John looked down. He knew that the information that he had been given was both sacred and extremely confidential. Not many mortals were privy to this kind of information. And even though he trusted both men before him implicitly, they were still mortal – flawed and imperfect. He looked back up, this time with a steely gaze spread across his face. “This is something that I never believed would be possible, but it is, even after I was privileged enough to receive the revelations put forth in the final book of the Bible. As you know, in the final prophecies of that book, Christ returns and Satan is banished for one thousand years.”
The two men nodded again, entranced by the edge in John’s voice.
“And I know that both of you understand that one of the greatest gifts that God has given us is our free agency; the freedom to determine our own destiny. But our decisions have consequences, both good and bad. And the decisions we make affect the decisions of others and so on.”
Again, both men nodded. John wasn’t trying to insult their intelligence about prophecy and free will; he was just trying to paint a picture for them so that they would be able to understand what he was about to reveal to them.
John took in another deep breath and let it out slowly. “Our Father in Heaven is omnipotent. He can see past, present, and future at the same time, and to God there is no time. He can see the outcome of every decision we make and its consequences. For example, Adrian, if you were to have chosen a path of wickedness, your life would be much different from how it is now. For each of you, every decision you have made creates another future, and God sees and knows all of those futures,” John paused again, letting the words sink in a little.
Adrian stepped forward a little with concern on his face as well. “What are you getting at, John? What did the Lord show you?”
John then looked directly into the eyes of one of the most important men in human history. Even though Adrian didn’t know it, he had been foreordained for this time. Every decision he had made had brought him to this point. And now, more than ever, he needed to return to Terrest to defeat Koroan Chast.
Adrian took a step backwards, almost fearful from the look in John’s eyes. Kevin recognized it too, and with a soft whisper, he said, “John, what is it?”
John’s voice trembled as he spoke. What had been revealed to him last night terrified him, and it cut him to the very core of his being. “Lucifer …” he cleared his throat. “Lucifer can still achieve what he truly desires … He can dethrone God and achieve godhood himself.”
The faces of the mortals standing before him went white. Both men were speechless and looked like they were going to pass out. After a few more seconds of shocked silence, Kevin said with barely a whisper, “That can’t be possible, John. Our savior redeemed us all. Because of his atonement, we will not only be resurrected but have the opportunity to have eternal life.”
John nodded in agreement. “Yes, there is no questioning what Christ has done for us all. Our eldest brother volunteered for the most important mission in the entire galaxy and universe. But, remember, there is another member of the Godhead.”
Recognition of what John was talking about flashed across Adrian’s face. “The Holy Ghost.”
John managed a small smile, nodded, and finally decided to reveal everything that he had been shown the night before. “As you both know, God has outlined the Plan of Salvation for us. But unbeknownst to most mortals on Earth and all of the other worlds in the galaxy, there are three worlds that are vital to the plan - Earth, Terrest, and Gnolom.
“And like I said before, God can see the results of every decision his children make, both those with bodies and without. That is why he has prepared another way for Satan to be defeated. But like with any plan of God, Satan has used that plan to his benefit. This was knowledge that Satan was not supposed to know. But in our pre-mortal existence when Satan was vying for the souls of men, he discovered this knowledge before he was cast out.
“The Lord, of course, knew that Lucifer had discovered this knowledge. But Satan was banished along with his angels to Earth to tempt man until the end of the world. Because of his banishment and consequence of never having the opportunity to receive a body, God knew that Lucifer could never use that knowledge. Until—”
“Until one of his angels hitched a ride off of Earth on Mars I,” Adrian interjected.
John nodded. “Now you understand. Why didn’t Lucifer and his followers give up after our older brother redeemed mankind? The simple answer, of course, is that he wants to bring as
many of our Father in Heaven’s children down to Hell with him. And while that is true, he also knew that there was still a chance that he could receive a body and achieve his ultimate goal – to achieve the glory and honor of God for himself.
“God could see this possible future and planned accordingly. To prevent Satan from his goal, he gave three ancient prophets on Earth, Terrest, and Gnolom a golden plate. Christ wrote the symbols upon each plate with his own finger. But each prophet could not read the language because it is the pure language of God.
“The Lord also revealed to me who two of these ancient prophets had the privilege of being the caretakers of these plates. On Terrest, the ancient prophet’s name was Moriantun. For Gnolom, it was an ancient prophet named Coen Chast.”
“Chast?” Adrian questioned with surprise.
“Yes, Coen was an ancient ancestor of Koroan Chast.”
“Talk about the white and black sheep of the family,” Kevin interjected, obviously trying to ease the mood with a little humor.
John cracked a small smile.
“Why didn’t the Lord reveal who the prophet was for Earth?” Adrian asked.
“The Lord told me,” John said, “that knowledge was to be kept secret until the chosen one was to come forth.”
“It’s the Holy Ghost, isn’t it?” asked Adrian.
“Yes, but in mortal form. And just like when we received mortal bodies, he will come into the world not remembering his pre-mortal life.”
Adrian’s eyes began to grow, indicating to John that the realization of what he had just said hit him like a lightning bolt.
“Jake and Celeste! The Holy Ghost? H-he is going to be their mortal child,” Adrian said with emotion creeping into his voice.
The ancient apostle nodded. “Yes. But like any child, his character and the type of man he is going to be is molded by his parents and the people that love him.”
This time Kevin’s face went from concern to complete shock. “And just like any child, he can choose good or evil.”
The consternation written all over John’s expression deepened. “Yes, he does have that choice. And … you cannot fathom what would happen to mankind if a member of the Godhead chooses to follow Lucifer with the power to decipher the gold plates. That is why you need to get to Terrest, Adrian. Tell Celeste and Jake everything that I have told you, kill Koroan Chast, and find the tablets of Terrest and Gnolom before everything that our Heavenly Father and Christ have worked for is lost forever.”
CHAPTER 19
Earth Time: 3 days later, August 2, 2042 – Wormhole near Mars . . .
“Wow!” Kevin said.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Adrian responded, referring to the wormhole near Mars.
The ripple in space was beautiful indeed. The gigantic distortion was a near perfect circle. Inside the circle appeared what looked like water, rippling out from the center. Wisps of bright blue light shot out from its center in a beautiful light show.
Memories of the last time he had seen the wormhole flashed through Adrian’s mind. Yes, the wormhole was a beautiful sight to behold, but it also brought back memories that he didn’t want to remember. His stomach began to wind in knots as he thought back to that fateful day when he and his crew were trapped in its gravity field and sucked through. He thought of Gloria and the horror she must have experienced, watching her crew members disappear through the wormhole and leaving her alone in space. He only hoped and prayed that she didn’t suffer too much, knowing that the gravity from Mars would have pulled her in.
Looking past the wormhole and down to the red planet, he wondered where her final resting place was. Of course, he knew that her body would have disintegrated upon entering Mars’ atmosphere.
“Why’s it open?” Kevin asked.
The question startled Adrian out of his thoughts. “Uh … I don’t know. Maybe Koroan’s scientists found a way to hold it open, so that he and his forces could come freely from their solar system to ours.”
Adrian then tightened his hands upon the controls of the ship. He was far enough away from the distortion that its gravity had not yet locked onto his ship. A distressful thought suddenly entered his mind. If Koroan had managed to hold the wormhole open, then on the other side would be a squadron of Gnol fighters waiting for anything to come through. He snapped his head to his older brother who sat in the copilot’s seat to his right. “There is a plasma gun turret on the top of the fuselage of this shuttle. Get to it and strap yourself in.”
Kevin looked at him with an uncertain look on his face. “Wha … why?”
Adrian returned his gaze back to the wormhole. “Because I have a feeling that when we go through that thing, we are going to have company. And it’s not the kind of company you want to keep.”
“B-but I don’t know how to run a gun turret.”
Adrian frowned. “You’re telling me that one of the most brilliant minds of the twenty-first century can’t figure out one simple gun turret.”
“Don’t mock me, Adrian.”
“I’m sorry. All you need to do is turn the computer targeting system on and move the controls. When the computer targets an enemy fighter, pull the trigger.”
Kevin nodded, unbuckled himself, hovered his way out of the cockpit, down through the passenger bay, and up into the gun turret. After a few more minutes, his voice crackled back through the comlink. “I’m in, Adrian.”
“Okay,” Adrian responded. He then took a deep breath and began to maneuver the ship toward the wormhole. “Here we go.”
The gravity from the wormhole locked onto the ship. The shuttle began to tremble violently as it rapidly approached the distortion. Alarms began to sound throughout the entire craft just as the nose of the shuttle penetrated the watery ripple. Instantly, the stars elongated and the shuttle was pulled into the wormhole. The ride was amazing as the ship sped through what looked like a white spiral, zigzagging its way across space. The sensation was unreal as the ship and the passengers within were transported across space in a matter of seconds.
Finally, the shuttle came through the other end. Adrian regained his bearings and tightened his grip upon the controls of the ship. Sure enough, his fears about the Gnols holding the wormhole open were realized.
He looked left and then right. On each side of the wormhole were two enormous space stations. Both stations were circular in shape with large orbs in the center, which were obviously the command bridges. Corridors extended out like spokes on a wheel connected to another circle, which must have contained observation decks and living quarters for the crew. Each station’s outer ring contained four gigantic energy arrays pointing toward the wormhole. Bright blue plasma energy arced from each array into the wormhole.
Adrian was astonished, and his brother was too, as he spoke from the gun turret. “Unbelievable. The energy needed to hold open a wormhole is … well, it’s unimaginable. The Gnols must have found a renewable energy source capable of sustaining this type of output.”
Adrian didn’t respond. He just nodded and looked out toward Terrest. His instinct was to jerk his controls and flee to the planet below. But he maintained control, knowing that would be suicide. Directly ahead of him was a Gnol warship. He was always astonished with the similarities between the Gnol battle cruisers and warships to the Mars I space shuttle. Only this ship was much larger, painted all black, and had wings that were curved downward instead of upward. The command bridge seemed to have eyes that glowed, indicating to him that the ship’s viewscreens were activated and looking directly at him.
His comlink crackled, indicating someone had tapped into his communication’s frequency. “This is Commander Raopish of the warship Rapere. Identify yourself and your destination.”
Sweat began to drip from Adrian’s forehead. He knew that he could buy some time to try and escape to the planet below. He didn’t have the Gnol pilot’s name that had been assigned to the shuttle he now flew, so he had to improvise. “Commander, sir, we are warriors of our most re
vered savior and lord, Koroan Chast. We are survivors from the defeat on Earth and wish only to return to the safety of our Gnol brethren.”
There was silence on the other end for a few minutes.
“Uh … Adrian,” Kevin uttered. “We’ve got more company.”
Out of nowhere, four Gnol space fighters surrounded the shuttle. Their gun turrets were raised and hot, ready for a confrontation.
Commander Raopish spoke back through the comlink. “You will be escorted to the Rapere, where you will dock with the ship. We need to verify the identities of you and your crew.”
Adrian knew that was out of the question. He quickly cut off the frequency from the Rapere and typed in an emergency message into his computer’s terminal using his authentication codes. He hit return, sending the encoded distress message to the rebel base on Terrest. He just hoped that there was a rebel force still alive that could decipher the message. Knowing that the message would more than likely be intercepted by the Gnols, he frantically issued orders to Kevin. “Kevin, try and lock onto at least one of those fighters. Fire when I give the order.”
“Won’t the pilot know that my turret is locked onto his fighter?”
“Yes, but that’s what I want.”
The Rapere tapped into his frequency again. “I warn you if you do not comply, you will be destroyed,” Commander Raopish said.
Just then, Adrian heard the tone of the gun turret, indicating that Kevin had successfully locked on to a fighter. Adrian gripped his controls and yelled, “Fire!” as he sent the shuttle straight down to the planet below. Kevin fired the plasma blast just as all four of the Gnol fighters fired.
“I got one!” Kevin shouted as the fighter he had locked onto exploded.
Another Gnol fighter exploded into a bright red and orange fireball from the blasts that Adrian had managed to avoid.
Worlds Without End: Aftermath (Book 2) Page 32