GAIA

by Morton Chalfy

  "I don't have to sign anything?" she asked.

  "No, yours is an appointment."

  The lawyers gathered their tools and took their leave and after sending out for refreshments Helene called the meeting to order. She noted Lucas' electric attitude and asked whether he wanted to say anything.

  "Yes I do," he said and paused, clearly ordering his words. "First, I want to thank Moms for her work, her vision and her energy. I can finally see and understand the aims of Gaia and I want to thank her for giving me the chance to participate."

  Harrison and Helene were staring at Lucas with unfeigned surprise, Maeve with pride, Sam and Cindy with reserve and Mai Ling with calculation.

  Lucas continued, "I know I've been less than receptive to the idea of Gaia being a religion but now, truly, I've seen the light."

  The image of Maeve in the dawn light came to mind and brought a smile to his lips and warmth to his genital area.

  "So I wanted to say that I'm ready to work my heart out in support and furtherance of Gaia." Looking directly at Moms he said, "You've done a magnificent thing."

  Several seconds of silence passed when he was done until Moms nodded and said, "Thank you, Lucas and welcome home."

  Helene cleared her throat and led them into a discussion of preparations for the Fall Festival.

  When the meeting adjourned Maeve stayed with Moms as usual and Helene went to the executive desk to work. Harrison beckoned to Lucas and led him to a secluded table in the dining room.

  "What's gotten into you?" he asked when they were seated with coffee cups before them.

  "Religion," answered Lucas. "I've seen the light."

  Harrison was unconvinced. "Why don't I believe you?"

  "Well, it's true."

  Lucas watched the skepticism in his grandfather's face and smiled at him. "First," he said, "Gaia is not some weird story about mythical all-powerful beings, but a fact. All life on Earth is related and all of it evolved on Earth so no belief is necessary. In that sense it is different from other belief systems. Second," he leaned closer and lowered his voice, "a religion can have a secure communications network without arousing suspicion and Indies from all around the world can use it. The aims of Gaia, which by the way I fully endorse and will work hard to further, are compatible with the movement to preserve individual liberties."

  Harrison stared into his coffee cup for a moment, "So you're now a True Believer?"

  Lucas smiled, "I guess I am."

  "You've come a long way."

  "You brought me here."

  Harrison nodded. "Moms was right. She wanted a relative and chose you and you're going to fill the bill, aren't you?"

  "I hope so. I think her ideas are genius and can very well work."

  "You work. You and all the other Gaians work and the ideas will take care of themselves."

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  For Saturday's sermon Moms dressed in a black robe with subtle gold thread accents and put Maeve in a white robe with gold trim. She opened with a benediction and then said, "The third Gaian principle is to protect Gaia by living as mindfully as possible. We Gaians are realists and we don't expect humanity to change its nature. Conflict and competition are woven into our DNA and violence will not soon be expunged from human affairs, but there is no need to lay waste our biosphere in order to settle our disputes. We see that wars continue unabated, though somewhat more contained than in the past, and that climate refugees seek safe havens only to find locked gates. Rising sea levels continue to decimate the poorest people and drought has driven millions from their ancestral lands. Still, where re-wilding has occurred, Gaia has flourished."

  Moms leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes momentarily. The inner circle held their breath in rising terror as she fought for control with the pain racking her body. At last her features softened and her eyes opened.

  "Gaia does not require belief, only that you observe the truth of the universe around you. Gaia is an ancient concept, thousands and thousands of years old. Modern science has confirmed its core fact, that all Life on Earth is related, but ancient people knew this long before science appeared. To the ancients the concept of the Oneness of life was seen as axiomatic, clearly visible in the world around us. A return to that ancient outlook is what the modern practice of Gaia is all about."

  She paused again, not in pain this time but in fatigue. When she resumed speaking her voice had lost a little of its strength. "I will not be with you long," she said at last and that brought a gasp from viewers around the world and the cadre assembled before her. "I am dying from an incurable genetic disease, the same one that took my mother, but I still have some work to do before I go."

  With a finger she directed the lens to show Maeve, sad but radiant. "My granddaughter will assume my role after I leave. And before I leave I hope to see as many of you as possible at the Fall Festival. The Festival will be a celebration of Gaia. I want to party with the Gaians before I take the next step in the journey of life. Love Gaia."

  The lights came up and sobs were heard throughout the room and the cadre came rushing forward to be near Moms who stood, with Maeve's help, smiled and whispered, "No crying. I need to rest. Love Gaia," and walked from the room supported by Maeve and Cindy.

  Helene said, "Your sister is a remarkable person. I'm going to have to work like mad to execute her plans but we can't say she isn't giving it her absolute all, can we?"

  "Sadly, no," said Harrison. "I'd better get a version of the History ready for the Festival."

  "Yes, you had better."

  While Moms retreated to her quarters Sam grabbed Lucas' arm and led him away. For a startled moment Lucas tried to pull away but quickly realized that the big man's grip might as well have been shackles for all the movement he could achieve. He let himself be led along until they were in Sam's office and he was released to sit in a chair facing Sam's glowering visage.

  "Okay, tell me what's going on. What are you planning?"

  "Planning?" asked Lucas innocently.

  Sam's eyes bored holes in his and Sam's low rumble allowed no room to maneuver.

  "You're going to tell me everything sooner rather than later. You know that, don't you?"

  Lucas considered his position. Sam wouldn't physically abuse him he thought, but not with any certainty, but Sam was the most important ally he could have at the ranch. He decided to take the chance that his vision would be acceptable. "If not, I can still get it done, somehow," he thought.

  He leaned back, rubbing his arm where Sam had held it. "My plan is, first and foremost, to do the work of Gaia and help Moms achieve her goals."

  Sam was still tense and suspicious.

  "As part of that, just a small part, I want to continue our outreach to the Indies all over the country and around the globe and get them into our secure network of communications. I think that much of what Gaia, Moms, wants to accomplish will require close contact with people on the fringes. Offering secure communications will, I believe, tip the balance in our favor with many groups."

  Sam relaxed just a little and now was sitting back in his chair thinking about what Lucas had said. "There's danger in that plan," he said. "Some of those groups do nasty things. All we would need is for some nasty event to have been planned and coordinated over our network and the authorities will be all over us. I don't want to chance that."

  Lucas felt that more as a challenge for him to justify his thinking then as a flat out "No" and he answered in the same vein.

  "Number one, we already vet every group. We can easily avoid the nasty ones, and if one does fool us and commits crimes we can turn over the evidence. Our terms of use clearly state no illegal activity allowed.

  Number two, for reasons not yet known, we may very well need the security ourselves, for our own purposes which will always be morally correct."

  The flash of Sam's eyes showed he heard the ambiguity in Lucas' voice.

  "It means you personally will have to set up each group to be
sure the system remains airtight."

  "Yes, I know. But those trips can be clumped. I can bring one of Mai Ling's minions to take care of the schmoozing and it would just be a field trip to break the routine."

  "I'll keep thinking about it, but don't hook anyone up before I vet them."

  "I never do and I wouldn't think of it."

  "Have you spoken to Moms about this?"

  "No. I think she approves in general based on remarks she's made but I want her to have complete deniability in case anything goes wrong."

  For the first time since entering the office a slight smile played around Sam's lips. "The spy boys trained you well," he said. "What you don't ask for can't be refused."

  Lucas grinned, "There is that too."

  "I wonder if I can really trust you?"

  Lucas grinned more broadly, being used to dealing in ambiguous situations. "You can, but we both know only time will tell. Besides, there's Maeve. I won't do anything, ever, to compromise her or put her in danger, including keeping myself strictly out of trouble."

  Sam nodded. Like everyone at the ranch he was sure of Lucas' devotion to Maeve.

  "Okay," he said.

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Preparations for the Festival soon consumed everyone's time. In acknowledgment of Moms' increasing disability the sermons were promotional pieces for the event with short homilies written by Moms and delivered by Maeve. Three days before the opening the entire cadre decamped for Las Vegas and set up the Gaian World HQ.

  Helene operated in a controlled manner, arriving at work early each morning dressed comfortably but very neatly and with understated, elegant style. Her flock of assistants soon took to dressing in her style and even sooner adopted her attitudes. Because she was so controlled and organized the set-up went along with very few hiccups. Problems her assistants couldn't solve were brought to her and usually quickly dispatched.

  Robin arrived with a team of artist/technicians and a robovan of equipment and began installing the "art events" in the four sections of the exhibit floor. Each area of exhibitions had a theme, Air, Water, Land, and People, and each area had a hologram of the Earth in its center, twenty feet in diameter that displayed the state of health of that component. "Air" showed the planet's atmosphere with coruscating colors showing concentrations of CO2, O3, H2O and a list of pollutants. "Water" showed the Earth as the water planet it is and highlighted zones of life, zones of dead water, acidity, temperature and changes in sea level. "Land" detailed the health of the biosphere from forests to the denizens of forests and "People" displayed the hot spots caused by war, refugees, famine and poverty and the cool spots of peaceful life.

  The globes rotated slowly, completing a day in an hour and changing the displays subtly to show different bodies of information. Even for the experienced artists/techs this was a tour de force which was rewarded by booking a tour of the installation to major cities of the world.

  Harrison was first reduced to following Helene around but quickly became bored with being a fifth wheel, especially since she was surrounded by her assistants. He found a convenient spot on the mezzanine overlooking the exhibit floor from which he could track all the action and work on his notes for the History. A short and sweet version had been completed and published for the Festival, but the longer, definitive version was still being crafted in his mind and notes.

  As the booths in the Hall were erected and filled by exhibitors they were visited by Sam and Lucas who wanted to know each exhibitor personally, at least to meet and greet each one and gauge their Gaian temperature so to speak. Sam was looking for possible trouble, Lucas for possible additions to the network. There was a command post area on the mezzanine like a sky box at a football stadium where Sam and Lucas set up their operation and from which Sam could direct his security force.

  Maeve and Cindy and Maeve's acolytes stayed with Moms as did her personal physician. Her bouts of intense pain were more frequent and as a group they had learned to see the early signs and take whatever actions had any efficacy. Their aim was to have Moms comfortably ensconced in a room where she could greet a steady, but controlled, stream of visitors. They tried to anticipate every situation that might arise and to be prepared for the unanticipated.

  The Festival was to open with an evening reception for VIPs and their guests and any Gaians willing to pay the price to be part of a select group to mingle with Moms. Her physician didn't like the idea but Moms overruled her saying, "I didn't stay alive not to do what I planned. Just stay close."

  For the reception people entered the Hall in single file through the Robo-screener's portal which scanned for weapons, toxins and hidden objects. Once inside they encountered a buffet laid on by the hotel, a live band of musicians playing classical music from the late nineteen hundreds and a receiving line that led to Moms. It was an hour and a half of smiles, positive sentiments and camaraderie until one of the men in business suits in the line got up to Moms and began shouting "You're killing my business and I want you to stop." He was red faced and angry and then very surprised when Cindy threw him to the ground and trussed him like a steer at a rodeo. After he was carried from the room the buzz he left behind was palpable and the crowd reached a higher degree of excitement and closeness. One of "them" had been expelled and the rest became a more tightly knit group because of it.

  Shortly after the incident Moms was taken to her rooms by Cindy and her physician and Maeve continued to greet and smile at the attendees. For years afterward the number of people who claimed to have witnessed "Cindy throw the bull," as they called it, increased exponentially.

  By the end of the evening the Festival had gained a buzz of talk and excited emotions that promised to make the event itself extremely successful.

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  The next morning the Fair had its official opening. When the four double doors were unlocked to let the crowd of visitors enter they were greeted by four holograms of Moms smiling and welcoming them to the Festival. The holograms were each flanked by two live acolytes to intercept the people who thought the image was actually the live person and rushed to hug her or shake her hand. The acolytes substituted themselves and saved hundreds of Festival-goers from the embarrassment of trying to embrace the air.

  The earliest arrivals rushed to their favorite displays depending on their areas of interest and many had appointments to keep with purveyors. The holograms of the Earth with their displays of the health of the Air, Water, Land and People stopped the visitors in their tracks and caused traffic jams in the aisles.

  From the mezzanine Sam, Lucas and Harrison watched the swirling crowd quickly fill the hall and settle into patterned streams of flowing people. A long, long line formed at the entrance to Moms' audience room, where, with Maeve and a group of acolytes, she greeted every visitor, gave out autographed images of herself and with her smile tried to give and receive the energy they were seeking. The movement of the line was slow since Maeve would stop it every ten minutes or so for Moms to rest a little, but people were willing to wait hours to see her in the flesh.

  The next room over was a viewing room fitted to hold about thirty people at a time and featuring another hologram of Moms, this time delivering a sermon of farewell. In the hologram she was dressed in her High Priestess gown, seated behind her desk and pausing every few minutes to rest. Her voice was firm though the pain often was detectable.

  "This, I believe, will be my last talk as a living being so I first want to say "Thank you" for all your love and support. It has made this last year bearable. Our work for Gaia, to which I have devoted my life, is carried on in the here and now, but the goal is a very long range one. We humans have arrived at a novel point in history. We are the first species to outgrow our habitat, and as such we have become a mortal danger to ourselves and possibly all other life forms except the viruses and bacteria.

  It is no exaggeration to say that we are perfectly capable of committing unintentional suicide through the continuing degradation o
f our environment. We are a contentious species. We compete for each other's favors, for space, for resources and for status. It is not likely that we will ever change. Competition is inherent to life. If this is so, if humanity's way will always and forever contain competing interests and regular outbreaks of war, can we even hope to survive for any length of time? The dinosaurs lasted for two hundred fifty million years, we haven't lived as homo sapiens for more than two hundred thousand at most and we could snuff ourselves out in the blink of an eye.

  Gaia is our way out of this box. We can strive and contend with each other if we all love Gaia. If we all imbibe the knowledge that contending with other groups does not necessarily entail ruining the environment we all share. Love Gaia and you love the future. Share the love of Gaia and the children far into the future will have their chance to live out their lives. Go and spread the word of Gaia, teach your children that they will teach theirs. Gaia needs to be based on Science in a matrix of Kindness, Tolerance and Understanding."

  Moms closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened them they contained a look of sorrow, realism and just possibly hope. "Gaia will go on without us, one day," she continued, "but while we're still here, still the most important part of the living world, we determine the Spirit of Gaia. Will we last another millennium or two and fizzle or will we last for millions of years? The health of Gaia will determine that and we will determine Gaia's health. Love Gaia."

  Helene watched the sermon with satisfaction and then slowly walked the floor with two assistants by her side. She stopped at every booth, sometimes briefly, sometimes longer, listening to problems and cementing relationships. After each exhibitor visit her assistants took notes, some for action and others for Helene's personal files.

  At the booth of the Anarchic Artists she sat down for an extended chat. Robin was there and, beaming with pride, introduced her to the artist who had created the holographic globes. "This is Leah Hurwitz," she said with a huge smile, "my very best friend in the whole world."