“No way... We’re out of here... Forget about it...” For the first time, in a long time, they sounded like children their age. Bernie decided to use their outburst to get some control on the situation.
“Fine...fine,” he told them. “This is all conjecture. It will be discussed if...if you’re able to travel off-planet.”
“And that’s a big if,” Philip Margolin chimed in.
“That decision does not lie in your hands, Uncle Phil,” Beam Amato told her teacher, “or anyone else’s.” Her attitude was firm, but not disrespectful. It made Philip Margolin uneasy. New tension seeped into the meeting, and something more. Bernie and Rose sensed resistance emanating from the children, en masse.
“Okay. Let’s all calm down,” Bernie suggested, trying to defuse the situation. He was not ready for an outright confrontation. “Any talk of leaving, or staying, is premature. The fact is, we don’t know if space travel is in the cards for you guys yet, now do we? We don’t know what your parents, or the commanders, or the Antareans will find.” There was an awkward silence. The children glanced furtively at one another. Another secret signal? They kept their thoughts to themselves. “So how about we just be patient and see what develops?”
“Fine, Uncle Bernie,” Joshua Erhardt said calmly, speaking for the group. “You’re right, as usual.”
“Of course,” Bernie said with a wry smile. “Now, I have something important to tell you,” he continued, speaking slowly and carefully, opening his mind to receive signals from the children, should any care to give them. “I have a message today from Commander Joe Finley on Klane...”
“My parents are there!” Beam Amato blurted out. A few silently told her to be quiet. Bernie noted the command, but could not determine who gave it.
“Yes they are. And your namesake, Antarean commander Beam, leads them. They won’t be here for this visit.”
“I’ll see them on Klane,” Beam said matter-of-factly.
“Well, yes. I hope so,” Bernie said sincerely. “Commander Finley’s message is clear.” He chose his next words carefully. “There has been an emergence of a species, a race on Klane called Sloor. These beings seem to be on a course of rapid evolution at a rate much faster than is normal in the general scheme of things.”
“Perhaps it’s an anomaly, Uncle Bernie,” Scott Green interjected. He was bright and handsome - a spitting image of his father, Brigade Commander Ben Green. Although Melody Messina and the Erhardt twins spoke for the group, Bernie suspected that Scott might be the children’s unannounced leader.
“Perhaps,” Bernie answered, “but they have metamorphosed from batrachian to ornithological, from gill to lung breathing, from cold to warm-blooded, from primitive-communicative to telepathic - all in just two generations. That’s unheard of in all Antarean space travel experience.”
“What do the Antareans think is happening?” Melody asked cautiously.
“They’re not sure. No one in the Brigade is either.” Bernie felt he had to be very careful. Joe Finley’s message was still out there as a transmission. He knew that if the children had the ability to find it, they would.
“Do they have any theories?” Melody asked.
“It is possible that their evolutionary leap has been assisted in some way the Antareans don’t yet understand.”
“Assisted? How?” Scott asked. Bernie continued slowly and deliberately.
“Well, Scott...It seems while in their transitory period under their ocean, the Sloor have had outside contact. Human contact. Earth-human contact.”
Melody and Beam exchanged a quick glance, as did several of the others. Bernie detected a slight blush rise on the cheeks of Eric Erhardt.
“What exactly is it that you’re telling us, Uncle Bernie?” Scott Green asked in a way that was clear he was speaking on behalf of the group.
“Just what the message said. It appears that some of you, perhaps all of you, have been in contact with the Sloor. I don’t understand how or why. And more importantly, we don’t understand why you have kept this from us!”
CHAPTER TEN - THE GATHERING
The hundreds of Brigade members gathered in the Antarean’s great meeting hall were a sight to behold. The last time so many of them were together was at the end of their orientation on Antares, twenty-one Earth-years ago. Many had not seen one another since then. People who had once retired to South Florida for the condo life, or were resigned to a life’s end of assisted living, or neglectful nursing home care, now robustly and heartily embraced one another and renewed old friendships.
They discussed the systems, planets, species, races, cultures and civilizations they had visited and worked among. There was very little talk about their past life on Earth, even though many had left families behind. Secret communication, done through Jack Fischer, via Bernie Lewis, allowed any who wished to keep in touch back home. Others, whose families had neglected or abandoned them in old age, never looked back on their Earthly lives, but rejoiced in their rebirth in the Universe.
Singles, widows, and widowers, many of them now coupled with humanoids from around the galaxy’s planetary systems, introduced their mates. The temperature, gravity and atmospherics of the great hall were kept Earthly. For those non-Earth humanoids who required them, special breathing, pressure and gravity apparatus were provided by the Antareans.
Those couples who had left their babies behind at Butterfly House sought out each other. They excitedly discussed the impending trip to Earth, and the long awaited reunion with their children.
The hall was charged with festive excitement and energy. The amenities in the hall had been thoughtfully provided by their Antarean hosts. Among these, the food was the biggest hit. It included favorites such as deep-crust pizza, Big Macs, southern fried chicken, Philadelphia cheese-steaks and several Cantonese and Szechwan Chinese dishes – tastes from another time and place; another lifetime.
Panatoy, the Subaxian who had mated with Chief Commander Ruth Charnofsky, chatted with some Brigade members who had served on his planet years ago. His breathing device was on minimal setting because of the carbon dioxide being generated by so many Earth-humans. But the incandescent light was beginning to cause his ultraviolet sensitive skin to itch.
Panatoy ignored the problem as he waited impatiently for Ruth and the other Brigade Commanders to return from their meeting with the Antarean High Council. Then the tall chemist, taller than any adult Antarean, saw Amos Bright enter the hall escorting an Earth-human that Panatoy vaguely recognized. His interest was tweaked as he watched Bright introduce the man to several of the Brigade guests. He took note that they did not greet the stranger with the same warmth or enthusiasm that they held for one another. Their response was polite, but cold. He was obviously not a Brigade member. Although considered impolite to do so, Panatoy’s acute sense of hearing enabled him to eavesdrop. He listened intently as Bright approached the group that had arrived on the Shar-Barkat transport.
“I believe you know Gideon Mersky,” Amos Bright said to the group that included Annabella Costa. Several nodded. Annabella smiled.
“Why, of course we do, Counsel Bright,” she said with her syrupy southern drawl. She had deliberately kept it as a reminder of her past and as a playful irritant to some of the “Yankee” Brigade members. “Why dear Mr. Mersky and I met on that utterly dreary Shar-Bakart transport.”
She stepped closer to Mersky and offered her hand. “Shall we have that dance y’all promised me, Mr. Secretary?” He followed her lead, smiling sheepishly back at the others, as Annabella led him away onto the dance floor.
The Antareans had done their best to recreate an Earth-like ambiance in the great hall. A large mirrored sphere hung from the ceiling. Colorful incandescent lights were aimed at it; their reflections scattered multi-colored moving pinpoints over and above the gathering. The effect was much like a ballroom, circa 1930.
The music consisted of original radio broadcasts captured from that era by Antarean deep-space modulation scanners,
a device they had developed to determine signs of life on planets. There were several civilizations in the galaxy able to capture electronic transmissions, and emissions, from distant sources. The Antareans had perfected a process of recording these and rejuvenating the original sounds and pictures to extremely high definition and quality.
The current selection was a pleasing mix of the Glenn Miller and Count Basie bands interspersed with ballads by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Round tables, seating groups of thirty, surrounded the vast dance floor that was now packed with swaying Brigade couples. The china, silverware, tablecloths and napkins were exact copies garnered from a 1955 Good Housekeeping Magazine issue that featured elegant table settings. The centerpieces were Turlian duplications of Lilies of the Valley and American Beauty Roses, set off with sprigs of white Baby’s Breath and pink Astilbe framed with ferns. They felt real to the touch. Their fragrances were everywhere.
Artificial sunlight and temperature were matched to that of January in Southern Florida, where most of the Brigade had originated. With the exception of two discoveries of rare, water/oxygen planets similar to Earth, most Brigade members had not been in such a familiar environment since they left home. Most had served on planets with caustic atmospheres, major geological disruptions, multiple suns and moons, increased or decreased gravitational pulls or severe weather, worked on brutally hot desert planets that were a common occurrence in a universe where liquid water was a rarity. Some planets had atmospheres and weather so hostile that on occasion even the impervious hull-seals of Antarean Motherships had nearly been compromised.
The homey setting reminded all how far they’d traveled from what were to be their “golden years” on Earth, as senior citizens. Now they were all vital and energetic deep-space ambassadors and teachers with an indeterminate life span ahead of them.
Two unfortunate mishaps had claimed twelve of their number. During an exploratory landing on planet Pelli, in the Alphard solar system, an unexpected volcanic eruption occurred directly under a shuttlecraft, moments after landing and shutdown. Four were lost there. And an older Mothership, returning from the ice-moon Callo, in Orion, was overcome by a proton storm emanating from a nearby blue dwarf star as it went nova. Eight Brigade members perished instantly. In both instances, no parents of Butterfly House children were involved.
Myriad dangers that accompany journeys through the galaxy, or work on harsh worlds were part of the Brigade’s daily life. They had all adjusted to the possibility of encountering danger, and accepted the challenge. Now, the thought of exploring beyond their own galaxy increased their excitement and aroused their curiosity.
But among those lost, three couples had family members on Earth. Details of the tragedies were sent to Bernie Lewis. He then had Jack Fischer deliver the sad news to the families. Most knew of their relatives’ decision to leave Earth, and had sworn to keep the secret. But nearly twenty years had now passed. The image they had was of their relatives as elderly, and frail, close to the end of their lives. Most family members took the news of the accidents in stride, knowing their relatives had gone into space voluntarily. A few still refused to believe such events had occurred and, although they treated Jack Fischer politely, they maintained that their loved ones had passed on and out of their lives long ago.
Commander Frank Hankinson’s philosophical take on that attitude was, “Well, I guess we’re a bit distant from South Florida, but at least we’re not attending a funeral once a week anymore while that’s all they have to look forward to.”
Annabella Costa’s curvaceous body, wrapped in a silken blue evening gown, felt familiar and pleasant to Gideon Mersky as she snuggled against him on the dance floor. The music was from
Frank Sinatra’s 1958 Wee Small Hours album. They did a fox trot to the title tune. Annabella’s hair smelled of mint and lavender – a sexual stimulant to Mersky’s memory of their love-making on the Shar-Bakart transport. They had not been together now for six days. He was aroused. Feeling his response, she pressed harder against him.
“I missed you too, Pumpkin,” she whispered in his right ear. Her breath was warm and sweet.
“Mmmm...,” was all he could muster. The reawakened sexual feelings rising in him were still wondrous. He reveled in the feeling.
“Where did y’all disappear to after we docked?” she asked.
“I had some, uh...business. With the Antareans...” Her generous breasts rubbed against him as they turned and dipped. His knee slid softly up against her groin. He lifted her, enjoying the strength of his arms. Her eyes smiled. “What?” he asked, enjoying the sensation of her nearness and her female scent.
“Listen up, Honey-Bun. We all have ‘business’, as you say, with the Ants. I thought we...you and me...well, I figured y’all was fixin’ to be with me. You take my meanin’?” She gently pulled away from his embrace. They stopped dancing and stood swaying in place.
“Of course I was. I am...” he said, looking back into her large, fetching, brown eyes. “But I’m his guest and...”
“Amos Bright’s guest?”
“Yes.”
“He’s a big mucky-muck. On their High Council, you know.”
“I know. So what?” She studied Mersky’s face. His intelligent, piercing, hazel eyes revealed nothing. A stoic, almost blank expression hid his true nature. He blocked entrance into his mind. Perhaps later, when I have him alone, Annabella thought to herself. She returned to his arms.
“So? So fiddle-dee,” she said in her best Scarlet O’Hara imitation. “You’re here now, and I don’t want you to leave my side for the rest of this celebration. There are just too many unattached women with hot, rejuvenated libidos floating around.”
“And yours isn’t?” he said playfully.
“Now y’all know better than to ask a lady a question like that, Mr. Secretary.” She slid her knee up between his legs.
He pressed back against her. “Yes I do, Annabella... Oh do I ever!”
“That’s better, Gideon darlin’. Much better.” They continued to dance close while she silently pondered what business this newcomer might have with the politically powerful Amos Bright. She glanced over at the tall Antarean and noted that in addition to his council robes, he now wore the respected insignia of Ambassador. My, my, she thought. Now aren’t we moving up the ladder quickly.
Panatoy, amused and curious, kept listening and observing. He would have, as his dear mate would say, a juicy story to tell Ruth later.
CHAPTER ELEVEN - GOOD TO GO
A popular space-physics theory among intergalactic travelers, including the Antareans, was that travel at light speed bends time, much as gravity, a force between masses, bends space. Following these theorems, travelers at light speed could gather unto themselves the mass of the universe, and thus its substance, time and distance. But when the incredible ability of the crystalline Parmans to absorb light was discovered, and tested within the Milky Way Galaxy, a new theory was formed that eventually proved to be correct.
Known as Starlight Absorption Warp (SAW), it was first proposed by the Chig-Hackla Space Center on Makk-Hallag, the ninth planet in the Pleiades system. It became a proven fact when the starlight consuming Parmans, were able to project Antarean spacecraft beyond light speed.
Before then, Antarean Motherships traveling across the galaxy at sub-light speeds spent time getting to their destinations. In other words, time passed from the moment they left a destination to the moment they arrived. With the Parman’s light gathering capability, intra-galactic travel at greater than light-speed proved that time was a universal constant. Time was the same everywhere in the galaxy and, it was theorized, in the Universe.
The Antareans, under the leadership of their renowned physicist, Lage Marinin, developed and built a new navigation system and energy drive that could be coupled with Parman starlight absorption capability – the engineered realization of SAW. Marinin restated the Chig-Hackla theory this way:
“A
s one attains light speed, one moves from
light present toward light past, but does
not go back in time. Rather, at light speed,
time is frozen in place. As one approaches a
destination, the light from it being absorbed
by the Parmans gets younger and younger, until
upon arrival, time and space have adjusted
the traveler to the local present, which was
the same time as when light speed was first
attained. For any given time measurement,
from eon to nanosecond, time in one place in
the Universe is simultaneously the same time
in all other places. Remaining time-current,
or “on time”, is only a matter of getting to
one’s destination without spending time”
“getting there at less than light-speed.
However, one cannot go back in time this
way. The current moment cannot be replaced
by time past.”
Additionally, a radically new hull design incorporated a spacecraft skin of Herite — a new alloy consisting of fused titanium, silicon and helium that could withstand the incredible temperatures and stresses of faster-than-light travel. This new inter-galactic Mothership’s skin also contained properties that, when faster-than-light speed was reached, deflected all matter. Although most of the Universe is a vacuum, it is not a void. Objects such as nebula, stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets and meteors were only a tiny part of its mass. Solar winds, neutrons, protons, electrons, quarks and the ever present, changing and becoming ‘stardust’ were everywhere. The deflective properties of Herite served as its own shield against almost all space debris, from huge, rogue asteroids, to sub-atomic quarks.
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