“Finally,” Bernie continued, “I would like you to meet two people who had a great deal to do with getting you all born safely and secretly.” He gestured toward Malcolm and Marge Teller. “We don’t have the facilities to play ‘Hail to the Chief,’ but here are President and Mrs. Teller.” Everyone applauded.
“Thank you,” Malcolm Teller began. “It is thrilling to be here and see all of you, grown and vital. Have sixteen years really passed? It seems only yesterday that we visited you as infants in Houston. And now you are about to embark on what I know will be a great and wonderful adventure.” The ex-president walked among the children and their parents with the same warmth and friendliness, the common touch that had endeared him to everyday people, and had won him two terms in the White House.
“On the way here, Jack Fischer and Rose Lewis informed us of your amazing progress, and some of your wonderful abilities. I wish you could all stay here on Earth and help humanity understand that we share a small, beautiful planet in an endless universe, and that we have to learn to take care of it. But I know your calling is out there.” He gestured toward the starry sky. “I know you will enrich all life that you encounter. I know you will think of us and your home planet and keep us in your prayers as we will you. We wish you Godspeed and safe journey.” As the applause echoed off the cliffs, President Teller and his wife continued to walk among the children and their parents, clasping hands and embracing as many as they could.
It was time to leave. Rose and Bernie said their good-byes to Phillip, Alicia and their children. They embraced Jack Fischer, Andy Doyle, Mad Man Mazuski, and gave a warm handshake to Mr. DePalmer.
“Safe journey back to Florida on Mad Man’s boat. And take good care of yourselves and Butterfly House,” Bernie told them. “The next group of Brigade couples will be her before you know it to bear their young on our home planet.”
“We’ll be here, Bernie,” Jack Fischer told the departing commander. They had been close friends for more than twenty-one years. “And,” he added, “one of these days, we’re gonna be seniors, Bernie,” Jack kidded. “Right, guys?”
“Oh yeah,” Phil Doyle said.
“Can’t come too soon,” Mad Man said. “So keep a nice place ready for us out there. Okay?”
“You got it,” Bernie said. “I’ll personally come get you.” He turned to Ruth. “Chief Commander, I think it’s about time to get this show on the road.”
“Just a few more Earthly matters, Bernie,” Ruth said. She walked up to a higher part of the beach. Her back was against the cliffs. “I am delighted that we leave Butterfly House in such good hands. On behalf of the entire Geriatric Brigade, now scattered throughout this galaxy, and in galaxies beyond, we thank you.” She was addressing the Margolin’s; Peter and Tern Martindale and their children Laga, Lucas and Rode, and Ben and Mary Green. All would remain as protectors, trainers, communicators and teachers for the next generation of Brigade children. “Our leaving Earth was only a first step. These wonderful children are the next. Many more will come here to be born and follow us out into the Universe. But we will remember that Earth is our home-planet; always in our hearts and thoughts.” She turned to President and Margo Teller.
“The children asked me to bring you here this night because they have things to tell all of us about Earth and its future. Scott?”
As he stepped forward, so did the rest of the children, until they, as a group, faced their parents, the commanders, and those who would be staying behind. Scott was an imposing figure, dressed in the light blue Geriatric Brigade jump-suit that all now wore. All, that is, except Joshua and Eric Erhardt and their parents.
“Before we leave to fulfill our destiny, we want you all, our parents, commanders, Earth-bound friends, and especially President and Margo Teller, who have expressed their desire for us to help this troubled planet, to know that we will always regard Earth as our home-planet too. We are not leaving it without giving it our help. During the three years that we were away from Cayman Brac, we visited every continent, every country and every people. We saw great promise, and great danger. By now, most of you know that we have also traveled to the farthest corners of our galaxy, and beyond, meeting with many beings and life forms. Yes. Our work is out there. But we could not abandon Earth to extinction – a course it is clearly set upon. And so we have planted the seed of survival in hundreds of young people all over the world. We have taught them to raise their mental capacities. They can telepath to each other, and to us. They can effect change, should the greedy fools of this world continue to degrade Earth’s environment and inhabitants. They will learn to control their powers and to use them wisely. Our hope is that they will eventually guide the beings of this fair planet away from disaster.”
Scott’s words were a great surprise. The idea that such powers had been given to a few young Earth-humans might be construed as meddling in the evolution and destiny of a race and planet. Had the children decided to reject the code of space travelers and traders? His words troubled the parents and commanders. That emotion passed silently among them. This was neither the time nor place to confront the children. A purple glow in the east signaled the first light of morning.
“We know there are more than fifty Brigade matings, some mixed, who have already conceived in space. Many more will join them. The good people gathered here to run Butterfly House will need help. The young people we have taught will be contacted by my parents who are taking on the role that the Lewis’s so ably filled.” Ben and Mary nodded to the applause of the group. “Joshua and Eric Erhardt, and their parents, Lillian and Abe, are also staying behind for a while, to help prepare the way for those arriving to give birth here in eight months.” Scott then gave a silent signal to the children. One by one, they bid farewell to the Erhardt’s, Green’s and the others they were leaving behind.
In a matter of fifteen minutes, the travelers had boarded the Probeship. As the first faint rays of morning turned the deep purple eastern sky deep rose, and then pink, the sleek craft rose out of the water and streaked toward a rendezvous with the Antarean Mothership parked on the dark side of the moon. Eric Erhardt was on board. He would fly the Probeship back to its hiding place on the underwater reef, offshore from Butterfly House.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - COSMIC CONSIDERATIONS
The Parman Guides transported the Mothership from Earth to Antares in real-time. It took a mere two Earth-hours from the time the passengers from the Probeship boarded on the far side of Earth’s moon, to the moment they were welcomed by Head Counsel Spooner, at the Antarean sub-surface spaceport. She personally welcomed each of the children in the unprecedented manner of taking their hands with both of hers and bowing. Part of her action was a genuine welcome. And part of it was to see if she might sense something about the children by making physical contact. But the children blocked her, showing her nothing but a warm greeting, respect for her position, and their gratitude for bringing their parents out into the Universe.
The Earth atmospheres and 24-hour cycles from the gathering were kept in place for the visitors’ comfort. While the children and their parents settled into their quarters, Ruth and Scott met with Gideon Mersky and Annabella Costa in the apartment the lovers now shared. Nothing of the future of Butterfly House, or the anticipated arrival in nine months of a new crop of Brigade children, was discussed. Although the children had foiled Mersky’s attempt to become a commander, Ruth still did not trust Mersky. He would have to prove himself. Now, by his demeanor and tone of voice, she knew she had made the right decision.
“No matter what you two think you can do,” Mersky told Ruth and Scott in a strong, defiant voice, “I am here. I am processed and as capable as any Brigade member. I won’t go away. And I am not bound to any arrangement you have made with the Antareans.”
“There is no arrangement, Mr. Mersky,” Ruth told him. “We serve with the Antareans by their invitation and our choice. You are a guest here, as are we, far from Earth, in an environment that assures your su
rvival and nothing more. You have been given a gift. What you now make of the long life ahead of you is your choice alone.”
“And if I choose to return to Earth?”
“We will not transport you, and neither will the Antareans,” Scott said. He was not as concerned about Mersky.
“And if by chance you get someone else to take you,” Ruth added, “be assured that your fellow Texas conspirators will turn on you. They will see you as a commodity – just as you saw the children as such. They will use your genetically altered body as the next best source to exploit. You will be milked like a cow and bled like a patient in the Dark Ages.”
“Not a very pretty prospect, Darlin’,” Annabella told her lover. “The last thing I’d care to see is your yummy body poked, probed, dissected and squeezed dry.”
Mersky’s agile mind rapidly reassessed his position. He blocked those in the room from listening in, while he ran down several scenarios of escape. All ended in a blind, dark alley. Checkmate...for now, anyway.
“It’s a difficult concept to grasp,” Scott said. Mersky wondered if the young man, who he now suspected had been responsible for Spooner reversing her decision to upgrade him to commander, could read his blocked thoughts. “You are only recently departed from Earth and a life of privilege and power,” Scott continued. “Among most civilized, cognitive life forms, that kind of primitive structure no longer exists.”
“How do you know?” Mersky asked. “You’ve just left Earth yourself.” Scott smiled.
“Not really, Mr. Mersky. We’ve been traveling out here for several years.”
Annabella was surprised by Scott’s statement. This was the first she had heard about it. Mersky had told her he had no idea why his processing to commander had been stopped by Spooner. Now she suspected that the children had something to do with it. She queried Ruth, but her Chief Commander’s mind was blocked with her own thoughts.
Ruth was listening to Scott intently, remembering the display of projection the children had made to Antares and Klane. She had witnessed Melody, Scott and Beam project, but they had not explained how it had been accomplished. They did say more would be revealed when they reached Antares.
“Traveling out here for years while you remained on Earth?” Mersky said sarcastically. “Do you take me for a fool?” Scott just smiled and nodded.
“I think your plan to exploit was that of a fool. Look... we have all been granted a giant genetic leap. Maybe by accident. Maybe, as the Antareans believe, as part of The Master’s Grand Plan. No matter. We know what we must do. In time, you too might come to understand the Universe, and your place in it.” Mersky shuddered a bit as felt the power of the young man standing before him.
“The choice is yours,” Ruth told Mersky. “Head Counsel Spooner said you may travel with the Brigade to a new assignment.”
“On a probationary basis,” Scott added.
“Annabella will be with you. If things work out, you may join the Brigade in the future,” Ruth said.
Mersky glanced around at the room’s Spartan furnishings. Artificial sunlight streamed through the window. Outside, was a holograph of his boyhood home, the hill country near Austin, Texas. He had enough contact with the Antareans to know they were an unemotional race, dedicated to their mission of spreading their Master’s Grand Plan. He was a born-again Christian, and thus rejected any belief different from his own. Jesus Christ was the one and only savior, and the road to heaven meant total commitment to that belief. All others with different beliefs, he had learned and accepted, would be destroyed in the Rapture with the second coming of Christ. But that was on Earth. What would Jesus say about Antares, or the seemingly thousands of other planets and beings that the Antareans had encountered? Has Jesus visited all those places? Would the beings out there all be destroyed in the Rapture? Mersky’s brain ached with questions. His body trembled with doubt.
“You have far to go, Mr. Mersky, and much to learn about the Universe,” Scott told him. “Processing did not give you wisdom or tolerance.”
“How is it possible that you read my thoughts?” Mersky asked. “I am blocking you.”
“People like you, who wish to impose their will on others, cannot block those aspects of personality.”
Scott’s words went deep into Mersky as truth. A shiver of fear moved down Mersky’s spine. “And if you choose to travel in space and meet other races, you will find your own narrow, parochial beliefs crumble like the walls of an ancient city whose time has long passed.”
Mersky felt contempt for this boy lecturing him. He now knew that Scott Green, and not Ruth Charnofsky had somehow convinced Spooner to halt his upgrade to commander.
“Think about Earth, Mr. Mersky, so small, existing in a cosmos teeming with life. Think about your belief that only those like you will enter, what you call, the kingdom of heaven. On Earth, that means billions of people are doomed. Now think of the billions upon billions of beings who live in a universe unknown to fanatic religious leaders on Earth. Do you think there is a God who has fathered sons on all those planets? Do you think that your morality, your so-called values, your rituals, your taboos, your concept of God’s word, is the only truth? Standing here, on a planet light years from your own, aware that life is everywhere, can you still believe that humans on Earth are the only living beings that your God and his Son care about? Is the rest of the Universe pagan and unworthy?”
Mersky felt his mind invaded by doubt. Was this boy the devil’s messenger or, perhaps, the evil one himself?
“The older, wiser civilizations in the Universe, like the Antareans, learned long ago that religious fanatics use fear, myth and mysticism for only one purpose - to control others. Those who espouse ‘only one true way’ bring subjugation, misery and death. It is a murderous and selfish madness that can destroy all on Earth.” Ruth and Annabella listened to the passionate young man with great pride. “I believe you are a test, Mr. Mersky,’ Scott continued. “A test as to whether all Earth-humans will be able to join the family of space travelers. Our hope is that you pass that test,” Scott concluded.
In the silence that followed, Gideon Mersky began to examine his innermost motives. He felt as though he was opening a door to a far greater meaning of existence than any minister, priest, pope or president had ever envisioned. His attempt to use the powers of the children for his own personal gain seemed irrelevant, as the handsome young man standing before him suggested.
Ruth was now certain that this new race of Earth-humans, and all those who would follow, were destined to carry a special message throughout the Universe. Annabella Costa’s take on what had transpired was a little different.
“You listen to that boy, Gideon. He’s straight talkin’ and wise beyond his years. You’d best get your act together quickly, Honey mine,” she chided. Mersky’s brow furrowed.
“I’ve listened. What’s the rush?”
“The rush, Lamby-Pie, is ‘cause I have a little appointment back on Earth in about eight months, and it would be real nice if y’all were there to hold my hand when our darlin’ little son pops out to say hello, and thank you for his life. Fact is, he’ll probably be a talkin’ to us sooner that that.”
CHAPTER THIRTY - WHAT WE ARE
A large area had been cleared for an unprecedented assembly in the Great Hall of Kinnear, close to the Earth exhibit. Seating for several hundred, divided into four sections, was installed around a raised center stage. It was crafted of the same forged, translucent magma as the floor. Unlike the floor, it was not lit from beneath.
The first section was occupied by the Lewis’s, Perlman’s and Brigade members made up of the children’s parents, and those who had remained on Antares after the gathering for inter-galactic training. Gideon Mersky sat with Annabella Costa in one of the uppermost rows. Brigade Chief Commander Ruth Charnofsky sat alone in the front of the section.
The second section held many Antareans from government, space exploration and trade. Among them were Commander Beam, recently
returned from Klane, and Commander Alya Mark.
In the third section, the Antarean High Council and their aides occupied seats in order of their rank. Head Counsel Spooner sat alone in front. Ambassador/Counsel Amos Bright, also returned from Klane, sat in the row directly behind her.
The fourth section contained the children of Butterfly House, except the Erhardt twins and Laga Martindale who were back on Earth, and the three children who had been raised on their father’s home-planets. Scott and Melody sat alone in the front of that section.
The phosphorescent Chorlian stone ceiling, normally glowing brightly from the light of Antarean heat-crystal chandeliers, was subdued. One chandelier, positioned directly over the stage, had been lowered. Its golden light spilled gently onto the audience. The stage remained dark. As the audience settled into silence, the setting resembled a theater in-the-round moments before a play was to begin.
Spooner rose to her full height. As she gracefully glided up the steps and onto the stage, her long diaphanous robes swept along behind her.
“With the destruction by an asteroid of Antares Quad-Three, our base on Earth, the Master did not reveal that we were soon to enter this new chapter of space exploration and trade. At the time, we mourned the loss of our base, and the cocooning of our diplomatic army.” She turned toward the Brigade section. “And when a mission, led by Commander Amos Bright, returned to reclaim our army, we had no idea of The Master’s plan for you, our Geriatric Brigade.” Spooner bowed deeply toward the Brigade. Ruth rose and returned the bow. The entire section rose and bowed toward the Antarean leader. “When Counsel/Ambassador Bright brought you into our lives,” Spooner continued, “little did we know how important you would become to our missions of trade and exploration. Not only did you replace the functions of our diplomatic army, you have endeared yourselves to many races and beings, including the Parmans, our inter-galactic Guides. Now, as we expand our missions to galaxies beyond, your extraordinary communication skills have become critical to our success. We welcome your partnership in this new and great endeavor of The Master’s Grand Plan.”
The Cocoon Trilogy Page 66