by Todd Fries
She knew it would take a major leap of faith to persuade these people to accept such risks, but there were many leaders in the past; good and bad, who had been able to galvanize the masses to embrace even greater changes, but it was hard to think of anything more important than preserving the human race. If these people understood what was at stake, they might be convinced, but if they wanted some sort of proof, that would be difficult. They didn’t experience the last mission first hand, so how could they begin to comprehend the series of events that lead to this meeting today.
Nickolas had an uphill battle. He had no proof of murder. Mark, Lori and Jillian never saw the General after he died or the puncture wound in his skull. These people knew little or nothing about the messages in the ship and from Voyager 2. They had no concept of the triune language or the books of the bible found inside SM1. They never met Jin Lei or were told that he died on the Moon in a nuclear blast. These were forbidden subjects and according to their agreement with the government, was punishable by prison or death. But now that contract was about to be breached. It was finally the time for full disclosure and she prayed for a positive result.
It was decided to hold the meeting in a remote section of the base, free from prying eyes and ears. It was a small, grassy courtyard with a few picnic tables complete with umbrellas to block the Sun. Usually this was full of people during the lunch hour, but at this time of the morning, everyone was working, so there would be little chance of interruption.
She had spent several days walking from one lab to the next, trying to find the best time to meet and if one person couldn’t agree, then she had to start all over again, tracing her route through the base and personally delivering the message to each attendee. It gave her a new appreciation for the internet. Using email, they could have quickly come to an agreement on a time and place, but having to correspond without the use of technology was a physically demanding effort and why she volunteered for this strenuous duty.
Now that she had agreement from everyone, the meeting could proceed as planned. Whatever came out of this summit would determine the fate of herself and everyone else involved in the conspiracy. She paused at the word “conspiracy.” It never occurred to her that she was involved in a treasonous plot, but that’s exactly what this was; a treasonous plot. They were planning to steal government property, which was a form of theft, but this act could affect the security of the nation and in the eyes of many would be putting the country at risk.
Pursing her lips, she wondered why a person with such good intentions like herself, was already a mutineer and was now about to commit an act of treason. She didn’t consider herself a bad person with evil intentions. In fact, quite the opposite. She felt as if she was making moral and correct decisions with the lofty goal of saving an entire race of beings, and if they put her to death for it, she could die knowing that she did everything possible to advance the cause of God himself?
But why did God need her? He could get this done with a blink of an eye, so why involve her and the rest of the team? Jacob had explained it to her. He said that while Abraham was called the “Father of the Faithful” and the recipient of God’s unconditional covenant of grace to his people, Moses was a man chosen to bring redemption to His people. God specifically chose Moses to lead the Israelites from captivity in Egypt to salvation in the Promised Land.
God wasn’t dependent on anything or anyone. He suffered no lack, knew no limitation and experienced no deficiency. He was and is “IAM THAT I AM” with no qualification or exception. If he needed anyone or anything to stay alive or to feel complete, then He wouldn’t be God. But because He Loved us so passionately and wanted us to live with Him forever, He sent his Son to die for us on the cross. In the end, we needed Him and not the other way around.
When Jacob explained it, the reasons became clear. By doing the work He commanded, they were displaying to one another God’s greatness, kindness and love and building their faith by helping them to love and trust Him more. By doing these works on Earth, they were displaying the character of Christ God to other people, allowing them to observe His glory in action. Jacob had shared a bible verse from Genesis 12:3;
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
What He was saying is that they were being asked to be a blessing to all the other people and groups in the world. So by taking action against the Pharaoh of this modern age, they would be leading His people to a new home, protecting them from their own self-imposed destruction. Everyone was welcome. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindu’s. In fact Jillian Green was a Hindu. So for all of them, this would be a major leap of faith.
As she entered the courtyard, everyone was seated except Nickolas who was pacing in front of the table as everyone greeted each other and settled into small talk. This was a pivotal moment for him. Everything was riding on his presentation. When he saw her cross the grass, he relaxed and pointed to an open seat on the bench next to Jillian. When she sat down, Jillian smiled and offered her hand in greeting. After the courtesy of acknowledging her, Nickolas cleared his throat and began to speak.
“Thank you for coming here today. I’m sure all this cloak and dagger stuff has probably fed your curiosity, but it was a necessary precaution.”
Mark interjected.
“Precaution? Why?”
“I’ll get to that immediately. As you all know General Reynolds is dead. Some worked with him longer than others, but I think we can all agree that he was a unique personality and will be missed by everyone who crossed his path. For me, I came to respect him for his loyalty, guidance, leadership and most of all his understanding. He had a heart of forgiveness and a tolerance for us that can never be duplicated in our lifetimes.”
There were a few chuckles from the table. Nickolas continued.
“All kidding aside, this group is probably the most diverse and eclectic group of people ever assembled and that’s not by chance. It’s by design and a testament to our former commander. He had a singular vision that was developed over time and built stone by stone using the discoveries we made and presented to him on an individual and group basis.
The four of us – Caleb, Hannah, Kathi and I have been through a lot more than you know. We no longer exist as people, but have been declared dead by our government and can never leave this facility. We are in essence prisoners of both our successes and failures. Let me be clear. We’re not complaining and we have no desire to break our vow and communicate with or return to the ‘real-world’ around us. Like you we have a duty to science as well as the remarkable messages found in our search for the truth.”
Lori perked up.
“What messages?”
“Good question. As you already know, your part in this project has been compartmentalized. You’ve only been told what you need to know to do your job. What you don’t know is how we got to this point. What I am about to tell you can be confirmed by my colleagues. I tell it to you in direct violation of my non-disclosure, but I don’t take this lightly.
Before you refuse to listen or get up from this table, please consider that what I’m about to tell you will affect every person on this Earth, including those you love most. By being here, all of us have decided to put our very lives on the line in order to preserve and protect the human race.”
Nickolas hesitated and then continued.
“I apologize for putting you in this position. I know that your careers and your work could be laid waste by simply listening to me, but for General Reynolds and for all of us who have served, we ask you to hear us out. As for me, I will never reveal that we talked about compartmentalized data, but if you have questions at the end of my presentation, I’ll answer as much as I can in the time we have left.”
He put his hands on the table and looked into the eyes of each person in attendance. Finally, he knelt down at the edge of the picnic table and started to talk in a low whisper, and as he began to tell the
tale, each moved in closer as if willing him to speak louder.
Hannah paid close attention as he described his humble beginnings in 1975 and how he visited the Moon twice in an effort to understand Stellae Mysterium and how he was called back 40 years later to complete the mission and then revealed the fate of Jin Lei and his subsequent travels to Mars and Proxima b. It was a long story that sounded more like a fairy tale than reality, but as he covered each topic, Major Brooks nodded his head in agreement and she found herself acknowledging her part in deciphering the text and her participation in the mutiny.
It had to be unnerving to sit and listen to this long historical narrative, but as Nickolas filled in the details, she could see the recognition in their eyes and as they started to see the patterns and understand the circumstances, she felt confident they must be sympathetic to their plight. In the end, as hopeful as she felt, she also realized that if they were a jury, listening to a prosecutor outline his case, they’d want proof, but how does one provide absolute proof of a God in heaven?
As a physicist, Mark had to understand. God was said to be the highest vibration of energy from which all things were made, the seen and unseen. The ‘Tree of Life’ described this energy. The lowest vibration of energy was the material realm. In between, there were millions upon on millions of degrees of vibrations of energy with infinite possibilities of interactions between them. She remembered her conversations with Jin, who was a metallurgist dealing with the breakdown of matter.
He told her about Antoine Lavoisier, who discovered the scientific law of Conservation of Mass, which stated that matter was neither created nor destroyed, and then Einstein came along that proved that energy and mass were interchangeable. He then posed a question. If energy and mass were interchangeable and could not be created or destroyed, vibrations of energy must come from something eternal. If so, the only thing with no beginning or no ending was God himself.
This had shaken her at first because even scientists agreed that the universe had not existed forever. It had a beginning at some point in time. Using Einstein’s same equations, they traced the development of the universe back to one “singularity event” which proved the universe was not eternal. However, if it began to exist, it must have had a cause for its existence.
Therefore; if the universe needed a cause for its coming into being, then that cause must have been beyond the universe- which was time, space, matter and physical energy. The irrefutable fact was this ‘cause’ could only come from something eternal. Perhaps this was one of the other irrefutable facts to which General Reynold’s referred.
She pondered this conundrum in her mind. The highest vibration was at the top of Jacob’s ‘Tree of Life’ and the lowest vibrations were at the bottom, which represented the material world. At the top of the tree was the highest form of energy and that which created the known universe. She summarized it in her mind.
(1) Whatever begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.
(2) The universe began to exist.
(3) Therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.
(4) The attributes of the cause of the universe (being timeless, existing outside of space, and so on) were the attributes of a God in heaven.
(5) Therefore the cause of the universe must be God?
Hannah began to understand the argument that Nickolas was laying out before them. SM1 had a beginning. SM1 had a cause for its existence. That ‘cause’ was part of a grand design to expand God’s human family into the majestic backyard of His universe. The atheists loved to make the case about who created God, but didn’t want to apply that same logic to the “Big Bang.” Who created the “Big Bang” and where did all that matter come from? They didn’t have an answer because the only answer was an eternal God and they couldn’t admit that. She perked up again when she turned her attention back to Nickolas as he concluded his speech to these new and innocent people.
Nickolas pointed his finger into the air.
“For example, the Earth in orbiting the Sun departs from a straight line by only one-ninth of an inch every 18 miles, which is a very straight line in human terms. If the orbit changed by one-tenth of an inch every 18 miles, it would be vastly larger and we’d all freeze to death and if the orbit changed by one-eight inch the other way, we’d be incinerated. Are we to believe that such precision just happened? If so, did it happen by chance or by design?
If we take that same Earth, the mean diameter of the Earth is 7920 miles. If we place the Earth in a box, we'd have a box with 4 sides that each were 7920 miles wide. 7920 x 4 = 31,680 which is the number of Jesus. (3168)
The distance from the Earth to the Sun is 93,000,000 miles. The Sun provides "light" for us on Earth. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world". Jesus also referred to the speed of light in the Bible! Did you know that? He sure did in Mathew 24:37;
For as lightening cometh out of the east and shineth unto the west, so shall the coming of the son of man be.
“Notice that he said "shineth unto the west"....Jesus was implying that "light" had "motion"....which wasn't discovered until about 80 years ago. Needless to say we now know that the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. Remember the distance from the Earth to the Sun? 93,000,000 miles? 93,000,000 miles converted to inches is 5,892,500,000,000 inches and that number divided by 186,000 is 31,680. 3168 again!
In addition, the following example is the distance from each planet to the Sun, only the zeros have been removed to save space. Mercury = 36, Venus = 67, Earth = 93, Mars = 142, Jupiter = 483, Saturn = 886, Uranus = 1782, Neptune = 2793, Pluto = 3672. When you add all these numbers the total is 9954 and a circle with a circumference of 9954 has a diameter of 3168.”
Jacob laughed.
“I see I finally taught you something new.”
Nickolas acknowledged him with a grin before finishing his statement.
“We may never know who built this craft or prove beyond a doubt as to its purpose, but I hope that based on what we’ve shared with you today, that you will do what so many others have done before you and take it on faith, just like Moses, Abraham and so many others in history. Change is never easy, but weather you believe in God or not, you have to believe that if mankind is going to survive, we must move to other worlds. Man is his own worst enemy and we have the power to destroy ourselves many times over.
So the only question you have to answer is if you feel that SM1 is better served as a weapon or an ark. You don’t have the option to sit back and do nothing. You’ve already been asked to help, so now it’s a matter of deciding how that help will be used. It is ultimately up to you, but as you contemplate on this reality, I ask you to follow the example set by General Reynolds and keep an open mind and to consider all options.”
Nickolas remained silent for a moment. Then concluded.
“Any questions?”
Hannah looked intently at the people sitting at this table and she could see the dark determination in their eyes. This had been a lot to consume and they were now between a rock and a hard place. They had already breached their oath by even listening to Nickolas and now they had a choice to make and it wasn’t an easy one. The courtyard was so quiet, you could hear the wind rustling through grass and as she watched them stare at the top of the table, she sympathized with their dilemma.
Not knowing what to do, she approached Jillian, woman to woman and took her aside.
“How are you doing? I’m sure this wasn’t easy, but I appreciate your attention to our story. You’re Hindu? Correct?”
Jillian nodded as Hannah asked another question.
“Can I ask? What are the tenants of your religion?”
She watched as Jillian composed herself and tried to explain.
“In my religion, as an example, we don’t have simple rules to follow like the Ten Commandments. There isn’t a single, systematic approach to teaching our value system. However, the common thread amongst our beliefs is that there is a Supreme Being. We believe that trut
h is eternal and our only reality, and like your bible, we also possess the ‘word of god’ in the form of the Vedas which are the Hindu scriptures. We believe the ‘word of god’ has no beginning and no end, just like your God. And like you, we strive to do good and not evil.”
Hannah smiled.
“Sounds very similar to our God. If you believe that you shouldn’t harm others, what do you think should be done with this ship?”
“I think you already know my answer, but you are also asking me to live outside my reality, which is ‘truth’. Do you understand?”
“I believe so. If you participate in our venture, you’ll have to lie to hide it and if you do nothing, you may do harm to others. Is that it?”
“Yes. I have to choose between two evils.”
Hannah leaned in close and took her hand.
“I’m sure you have a similar phrase in your language, but we have an old saying that goes like this: ‘Always choose the lesser of two evils.’ Have you heard of it?”
Jillian didn’t answer at first, but then thanked her.
“You’ve given me a lot to think over. Please give me a little time.”
Hannah gave her a hug and looked over at Mark and Lori, who were also preparing to leave. The only thing left to do now was wait and that was a difficult thing.
EXODUS
Nickolas paced the floor. He had no duties, no assignments. Nothing to keep him busy except for his plan and he thought about it all the time. His mind raced through the possibilities and there were many. But the one thing that nagged him, was something he hadn’t considered until now. How far was he willing to go? Was he willing to take a life or multiple lives in order to accomplish his calling? Was he really ready to put other people in danger?
He remembered that Moses killed that Egyptian before escaping into exile for 40 years. In a way, he did the same thing when he killed that Russian cosmonaut 40 years ago. After that, he wandered the desert as part of his archaeological explorations for decades before being called back to finish what he started. Now he had been given a task that seemed impossible from a human standpoint, yet he felt compelled to do whatever was necessary to accomplish his goal.