The Pathfinder Trilogy

by Todd Stockert

  Continuing to study the curving arc of the Earth’s horizon, Noriana smiled. “Adam and I are staying on Tranquility,” she told him. “Thomas and Kari probably will too. We’ve spent a lot of time building up new lives there, having kids, putting new roots in the ground.” She shook her head with dismay. “I never thought we would ever have the opportunity to safely return to Earth in my life time.”

  “It’s nice to have options,” admitted Kaufield. “Especially for all of those refugees we relocated. Many of them are going to get their chance to finally come home.”

  “They’ll fight over land and resources,” predicted Nori dourly. “The same old timeless battles will begin anew.”

  Harrumphing loudly at her pessimism, Kaufield smiled mischievously. “If that happens, we’ll just have Noah or one of our other Proteus colleagues tap them on the shoulder and warn them,” he replied sternly. “If they can’t live peacefully in Paradise, then we’ll kick them out of the Garden of Eden and put them on one of Noah’s prison planets.” He shrugged apathetically. “It’s a simple but effective system that has worked well for them for centuries, especially where troublemakers are concerned.”

  Together the two of them continued to watch the beautiful curve of a perfect, undamaged Earth.

  PROJECT EARTH

  Pathfinder Series: Book Three

  Epilogue: The End Of The End

  Planet Earth, Arizona, present day

  “What is this place called again?” asked a curious Noah, leaning against the safety railing and looking out at the spectacular, breathtaking view beyond. President Kaufield and the Roh brothers stood right next to him, also admiring a scenic wonder they had never expected to see again. “We have many natural wonders on our worlds in the Proteus galaxy, but truly this is another classic to add to the list.”

  “It’s called the Grand Canyon,” said Thomas with a pleased smile. “The Colorado river – running water – formed all of this through steady erosion along with the steady passage of time.”

  The alien mentor nodded. “It is good to see your Earth is as beautiful on the surface as it looks from space,” he commented with satisfaction. “Often in the past I have thought of offering to replace this bombed out world with one of our own. We’ve done so before – moved one of our planets to the habitable zone of another sun. But for you it wouldn’t have been the same. A new planet would no longer have been Earth. It would never really truly be your…”

  “…home,” Adam finished for him.

  “I am glad we did not have to try anything like that. I really like this Grand Canyon,” decided Noah. “It is a remarkable natural wonder.”

  The four of them continued standing there, just watching the canyon and breathing in the fresh summer air. Fresh green grass blossomed beneath their feet and birds flew freely in a renewed, partially clouded blue sky. Boots crunching on the soft ground caused them to turn as Joseph Kaufield stepped into view. “Fleet surveillance reports that the area is secure,” he stated firmly, fully uniformed and notably wearing his sidearm. “Take as long as you like, there’s no hurry. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

  “That’s good to know,” acknowledged the President. He smiled at his son who looked all military, all spit and polish.

  “I’m going to return to this planet again one day and visit other places,” Noah promised, truly impressed by what he saw. “It is amazing that no bombs came near this Grand Canyon after so many were fired.”

  “The Brotherhood was seeking to annihilate large population centers and military assets capable of resisting them,” noted Adam. “So areas like this one were deliberately avoided.”

  “I find it astonishing how many people have requested to come home, now that the miracle of renewal is complete,” said Kaufield. “I’m going to be very busy for a while, trying to do my regular job while figuring out where to put everyone who ends up coming back. Valiana knows where all of the major cities are containing the survivors, so she’s going to try and arrange assistance for us with the logistics of all this.”

  “Will her people continue to reproduce by cloning?” wondered Thomas.

  “Doubtful.” Kaufield grinned at the young scientist. “You’re so deep in thought today. What are you thinking about, Thomas Roh?”

  “Jesus Christ, of course,” replied Thomas with a dry smile. “Adam and I were permitted to see only the best of him – the man who single-handedly inspired huge numbers of people to believe in God and their own self-worth, abandoning the old ways of worshipping mighty Pharaohs and Caesars. His message helped create modern society as we know it, but not before he suffered greatly at the hands of his fellow humans. I’m glad we didn’t have to see the brutality he ended up suffering… it would have torn me apart emotionally.”

  “Most of the people of that time had absolutely no moral compass,” concluded Kaufield. “The Hebrews did… they had their ten commandments and thrived in spite of all the persecution. Their faith has always kept them strong and helped them survive through even the worst of times.”

  “I believe both of our cultures have been allowed to ascend another rung on the ladder of evolution,” suggested Noah suddenly. “Think about it… we are builders and creators ourselves now! We create worlds and cities and even artificial intelligences that could be sentient if we wish them to be. Our cultures found each other across vast distances during a tough time on your world and ended up working together to try and do something positive. And as a result of our efforts the David entity has allowed us to glimpse a few more of his secrets… but not all of them.”

  “I don’t want to know all of them,” Adam responded with a chuckle. “Everything shouldn’t be perfect and predictable and under our complete control. What kind of world would that be? Everyone would behave themselves, no one would call in sick to work, and everyone would respect and help each other. There would be no possibility of wars or madmen annihilating people by the billions…”

  “No elation, no compassion, no exhilaration at finally solving a problem that previously stumped you,” continued Thomas, beginning to grasp his brother’s point. “If there was only good in the world, and everyone always did the right thing, what would be the point of it all?” He shook his head. “Sure, your life would be perfect but it would grow very dull very quickly.”

  “Why would you say that?” Noah inquired. “What makes you believe it would be dull, Thomas?”

  Thomas cleared his throat softly before answering. “Well, most of the best memories I have in my life have involved helping others who were hurting or down on their luck. Contributing to the betterment of society also makes me feel wonderful because society always seems to need to be bettered,” he concluded with a slow smile. “Making dinner for Kari and the kids when I know she’s had a tough day, giving a couple of extra bucks to charity at Christmas time, assisting in the design and construction of a transit drive that revolutionized our concept of space travel.” He sighed heavily. “Without the ongoing battle against life’s obstacles, there would be nothing to overcome, nothing to inspire us to better ourselves.”

  “Are we bettering ourselves?” asked the usually skeptical Adam.

  “We found the Proteus galaxy at a time in our lives when it would have been easier to simply give up.”

  “I’ll grant you that. How about God? Do you really think He made us in His image?”

  Thomas studied his brother’s expression. “Yes I do, and he copied His own traits perhaps a little too perfectly, if His early behavior in our history books is any indication. Our emotions are what make life worth living. They’re what take us from being a simple automaton and really help us take advantage of our sentience… of our soul. The spark of life is itself is a wonder. When you think about it, simply making it through everything that has to happen in order to be born is a miracle of its own.” He held up a hand with his thumb and forefinger separated by a mere half inch. “If your parents had done one small thing differently in their life, any small t
hing at all, prior to your conception, then someone else would have been born instead of you.” He folded his arms and grinned. “I’d call that a miracle that we’re all capable of each and every day.”

  Groaning audibly, Adam shook his head. “Not that poem of yours again,” he protested.

  “What poem?” inquired Kaufield curiously.

  Adam sighed before explaining further. “When we were kids our parents used to remind us that no one is perfect,” he told them. “They pointed out errors in judgment during their own adolescence, mistakes that affected them for the rest of their lives. It was parent speak for children they knew were going to screw up once in a while. They wanted us to know that it was all right to be imperfect, to be human. Thomas reacted as Thomas always does and wanted to make them feel better about those bad things in their past so he wrote them a poem. It was for a birthday, an anniversary, something… so long ago I don’t really remember now.”

  “Let’s hear the poem,” Noah suggested. “I would very much like to hear it.”

  Shaking his head Thomas looked away from them, slightly embarrassed. “Come on Thomas!” prompted Kaufield boisterously. “Let’s hear this poem that you wrote to make your parents feel better.”

  “Okay,” the younger Roh decided suddenly, folding his arms together. “It goes something like this:

  ‘Each and every day to Mom and Dad I say… a prayer,

  Thank You so much for the blessed spark of life,

  Its touch warms me to this day.

  I’m part of God’s world, thanks due to you,

  Guided by your kindness.

  Just growing up was difficult for you,

  And getting by each passing day.

  There must be things that bother you,

  Or things that simply happened and made you wonder… why?

  But remember this next time you’re feeling down,

  And questioning God’s will:

  We’ve all done things good and bad,

  Or lost our way in life for a time.

  But it’s your strength and courage that endure,

  Along with the resolve to build a better life,

  Together… for you and your children.

  And if, during all those years that passed before you married,

  Even one small thing had happened differently,

  Then I would not be here.

  That’s why I’m so grateful to the very both of you,

  Regardless of when you met,

  Or others that you knew.

  That’s the gift God gives us,

  Brothers and Sisters all,

  The choices we make create new life,

  And that’s part of His great plan.’”

  A steady silence followed for a brief moment. “A child came up with all that? Thomas, it’s absolutely beautiful!” Noah applauded lightly in appreciation before studying the young scientist with interest. “You continue to mourn for this Jesus and yet his death is what offers you salvation,” observed Noah. “Why? How does that work, exactly?”

  “I think his death is precisely why God sent him,” decided Thomas after thinking the matter through a bit. “According to scripture, the God of the Old Testament was fearsome and punished the enemies of the Hebrews relentlessly. Instead of a non-interference policy like your people have, He picked a side and backed them unconditionally. Think about that carefully! I believe he sent Jesus to correct that mistake, after he matured and recognized the danger of choosing sides. He sent his son to expand His Covenant to include everyone.” Thomas glanced toward Kaufield. “Remember sir? Back aboard the Pathfinder, you weren’t required to offer mercy to Patrick Warren, the Brotherhood traitor, but you did. Now here on Earth you are offering sanctuary to all Brotherhood members who will renounce their old ways. Why?”

  Kaufield laughed lightly in response to the query. “I guess… because someone who lived a long time ago, possessing a great deal more wisdom than I do, taught our ancestors to treat their neighbors as they themselves would like to be treated,” he told them. “Somewhere along my way in this life, I must have picked up on that little lesson.”

  “Do you ever think we’ll ever build another Pathfinder-Class colony ship?” wondered Joseph curiously. The President’s son was back again, having moved in behind them at some point during the reading of Thomas’ poem.

  The President walked over to his son and put a friendly arm around him. “Right now, I’m just happy we’ve got Earth back in one piece and friends who are helping us from the Proteus galaxy.” He nodded respectfully toward Noah. “Honestly if we’ve got our loved ones around us and a safe place to live, shouldn’t we just try being happy for a while? We have lots more to learn from our alien allies, so how about we begin this next stage of our lives by contenting ourselves with a simple appreciation for all that we have?”

  “I can live with that,” Joseph decided.

  Together the five of them looked toward a very bright future.

  T H E E N D

  PROJECT EARTH

  Pathfinder Series: Book Three

  About The Author

  The author has always lived in small town North Dakota in pursuit of the simpler lifestyle. He appreciates a good cheeseburger or the fresh air on a lazy summer evening as easily as a rich man would fall in love with a snazzy sports car or yacht.

  During his college years, he wrote a couple of really crappy novels that taught him an awful lot about writing. After more than a decade working in programming and analysis, he was able to merge life experience with a wild imagination and begin writing science fiction.

  The author is a lifelong Star Trek fan. If you are too and are in search of new episodes, visit FanFiction.net and search under the author name SonOfTed. He has also written dedication episodes to this wonderful science fiction series that are available for FREE. They are best read in the order written: Star Trek TNG: Absolution

  Star Trek VOY: Eternal Soul

  Star Trek: Dark Archon

  Star Trek DS9: Reign of Terror

  Star Trek ENT: Infinite Diversity.

  Each of these stories utilizes characters and elements from all FIVE of the “Star Trek” television series and some of the movies. To date, the author has not heard of anyone who has equaled this achievement.

  If you like detective stories, there is also a wonderful little story to be found there that he put together called Mr. Monk Meets Lieutenant Columbo.

  Here’s hoping you thoroughly enjoyed reading “The Pathfinder Project” and “Project Wasteland”. It was the author’s Dad who challenged him, as a youth, to wonder just what specifically might be lurking beyond the boundaries of our galaxy and universe.

  Thanks for purchasing (and supporting) “Project Earth”!

  Sincerely,

  Todd