“Without any more hesitation,” Tacita said, “we would like to introduce you to your ships. And give you the information you need to make a real decision.”
Benny and Gina nodded.
Angie looked at Gage who smiled and nodded.
“Why the hell not?” Angie said.
Ray looked at Carrie and Matt, who seemed to just sort of be staring at each other.
“Would you two like to meet Star Fall?” Ray asked.
Matt nodded first. Then Carrie nodded and smiled.
“It is a beautiful name,” Carrie said. “So as Angie said, why the hell not?”
Ray turned to Chairman Soma. “Would you show Angie and Gage the command center of Star Mist and the command chair?”
Soma stood and bowed slightly. “It would be my honor.”
And a moment later Angie found herself standing in a massive command center next to Gage and Chairman Soma.
“Welcome, Chairmen,” a soft female voice said not only out loud, but seemingly in Angie’s head. “I am Star Mist.”
Angie suddenly felt at home.
TWENTY
GAGE WAS ONCE again stunned at the size of a command center on a mother ship. And how comfortable he felt standing in it.
The ceilings were far overhead and the room had three levels, each about two steps higher than the one below it.
The back level was the highest and went halfway around the room, filled with stations on both the walls and facing inward. From the looks of it, a good forty people could work on this level if needed.
The next level down was also a half-circle, with all the stations facing a massive wall screen that had to be two stories tall and even wider.
On the lowest level, right in the center was what looked to be two massive, high-backed chairs that were molded together, facing the screen.
The Chairmen’s chair.
His and Angie’s chair.
And then Star Mist said in a very warm and soothing female voice, “Welcome, Chairmen. “I am Star Mist.”
Beside Gage, Chairman Soma bowed.
“It is an honor to meet you,” Angie said, also bowing slightly.
“It is my honor as well,” Gage said.
“Thank you,” Star Mist said.
Gage looked at Angie, whose eyes were wide and she was smiling.
“Chairman Ray would like me to show you your command chair,” Soma said, indicating they should go down to the lower level. “From there Star Mist will give you a sense of your ship.”
Angie took Gage by the hand and led him down the two levels. All the stations along the way were dark, but he had a hunch he would know what each station was for very shortly.
When they stepped down onto the lower level, Chairman Soma stopped on the second level.
Clearly being on the command level was only for the two of them.
The command chair was stunning in design. One piece molded plastic with what looked to be comfortable cushions.
“The chair will form to your size and shape,” Star Mist said.
“Thank you,” Angie said.
“You are welcome,” Star Mist said.
Gage turned to Angie. “Are you ready? Because I have a hunch when we sit down in this chair, everything will change for us.”
Angie nodded. “I can’t say I’m not scared out of my mind right now.”
“More than facing those people in the compound the other day?” Gage asked, smiling at her.
“No, not that kind of scared,” she said, laughing. “Scared of the unknown, the future, my ability to do this wonderful task that has been offered to us.”
“I feel the same way,” Gage said, squeezing her hand. “So let’s be scared together.”
“Deal,” she said.
She smiled and kissed him.
And then holding hands, they sat in the big chair together, she on the left, he on the right.
Instantly the chair started to form around them and Gage felt it shape to fit his body perfectly. And it fit perfectly where he held Angie’s hand.
The chair actually came out over the top of them, placing them in a sort of shell with the open side facing the huge screen as they tipped back slightly.
“Wow, this is comfortable,” Angie said.
“Perfect,” Gage said.
And then suddenly Gage could feel and sense Angie beside him. He couldn’t read her thoughts, but he felt closer, like they were a team connected completely.
She turned and smiled at him and he smiled back.
“Like that closeness?” he asked.
“More than I want to admit,” Angie said.
And Gage could sense and feel Star Mist as well, as if just on the edge of his thoughts.
“May I start by showing you the layout and progress of construction?” Star Mist asked.
“Please,” Angie said.
Gage could feel her excitement and her worry, both. Somehow, Star Mist had linked them lightly together through the chair.
And almost instantly Gage could sense he knew the ship, where the three major ship’s hangars were, how many thousands were working on Star Mist at this very moment and what they were doing.
It felt as if he was inside Star Mist, the personality of the ship, and knew her.
And knew what she knew about the ship.
And he felt he liked her at once.
“Wow,” Gage said after a moment. “Very impressive.”
“Thank you,” Star Mist said. “Construction is on schedule.”
“Very good to hear,” Angie said.
“Now I need to take you to meet with Chairman Ray and Chairman Tacita,” Star Mist said. “Please do not be alarmed. This will only take a moment.”
The shell of the chair closed in over them, leaving them holding hands but slightly in the dark.
Gage could sense Angie’s sudden worry, but he had a hunch it matched his own.
There was a slight sense of movement, then the front of the chair opened back up and it was clear to Gage they were no longer on board the ship.
Star Mist said simply, “Welcome to Earth.”
Every planet humans settled was called Earth. Gage’s home world was called Earth, as was Angie’s. But the way Star Mist said it, and he was connected to Star Mist now in his mind, he knew, without a doubt, he was on the very first Earth.
The actual birthplace of all humanity.
And that just scared him more than he wanted to admit.
TWENTY-ONE
ANGIE HAD A hunch she knew what Star Mist meant when she said, “Welcome to Earth” from Angie’s earlier training. But she didn’t want to think about that. And yet she knew because she felt connected to Star Mist at a very deep level.
And that connection felt comfortable and right.
In front of them was a massive circular room with two levels. They and the command chair were on the top level with nothing else around them and what looked like a plain wall that closed in the room around the top level with large pictures of stars and planets giving the wall color over the grayness.
In the center of the room, five steps down were a couple dozen couches and chair arrangements with end tables and coffee tables. A table with snacks and drinks ran along one side. All were in brown shades and a few small flowering plants separated some of the chairs and couches from others.
There looked to be a light brown carpet on the floor.
Surprisingly for the size of the large room, it felt comfortable and she could smell a light odor of baking bread.
“You may leave the chair,” Star Mist said. “I will wait for your return.”
“Thank you,” Gage said before Angie could.
“You are more than welcome,” Star Mist said.
Gage helped Angie up and they stepped out of the chair and down the five steps from the top level.
Angie still felt slightly connected to Star Mist, even when not sitting in the chair. That felt comforting, actually.
Then Gage pointed. “See all
the rings?”
Angie could see that all the way around the top level were rings in the floor spaced evenly. The Star Mist command chair sat in one of the rings, the molded, high-backed chair standing proudly, but all alone at the moment.
“A meeting place for all Seeder mother ship chairmen,” Angie said, softly. “Wow.”
She just felt stunned. And considering how many trillions of human planets in thousands and thousands of galaxies, only having this many slots for mother ship chairmen was frightening. There couldn’t be more than a hundred around the room, if that many.
After learning about the Seeders yesterday, she had wondered how the Seeders made decisions and it seemed she had just gotten her answer.
And now it looked like she and Gage were part of that very limited group.
They were in way, way over their heads.
Of that she had no doubt.
As they were about to turn toward the couches, another chair shimmered into place beside their chair and then opened up, all without a sound.
Benny and Gina sat inside, holding hands, their eyes wide.
“Welcome to Earth,” Angie heard Star Rain say to them.
“The first Earth?” Gina asked.
“It will all be explained,” Star Rain said. “I will wait here for your return.”
Benny and Gina stood from the chair and saw Angie and Gage standing there. They came slowly down the five steps, looking around as they did.
“Looks like they are set up for a party,” Benny said.
Then Benny looked at the top level and saw all the rings and then the two command chairs filling two of the rings.
Angie could tell he instantly understood.
Benny and Gina stood, looking around at all the rings, then Gina said, “Wow, are we in the fricking deep end of the pool.”
“I feel like a kid with a pedal bike with training wheels being asked to ride a Harley,” Benny said.
All three of them laughed at that. Angie was feeling the same way. All this was happening so fast.
“You all right?” Gina asked Angie.
Angie just smiled. “I am so far past my comfort zone, I can’t remember what it felt like. So thanks to Gage here, I’m just going forward.”
Gage laughed and said, “If you think all this is just a daily happening for me, we need to talk.”
She laughed and squeezed his hand. “Who knows what lurks in a guy’s past.”
“Not this,” Gage said, waving his arm at the large room, “I can assure you.”
At that moment another chair shimmered into place beside the other two and opened up to show Carrie and Matt sitting, holding hands, eyes wide as well.
They both looked to be on the verge of complete panic.
“The children are all here,” Benny said. “Now where the hell are Mom and Dad?”
TWENTY-TWO
THE SIX OF them finally moved down to the couches and food. All of them took a bottle of water and a few cookies, just talking about how out of place they all felt.
And way over their heads.
Having all of them feeling the same way seemed to help Matt and Carrie and Angie a little, but Gage couldn’t even imagine what they were feeling right now. His transition into a Seeder had been fast, but over a six-month period where he had managed to get used to spaceships and flashing around in space and helping human cultures and so on.
These three were only on their second day and in a position where someone was telling them they were going to be responsible for a million people. He didn’t feel even close to ready for that. And he was over four hundred years old.
He was the oldest of them all by far, actually, since Gina had been a Seeder for just over a hundred years and Benny for less than four years. So he couldn’t imagine how they were all feeling if he felt completely overwhelmed.
Finally, after about ten minutes, another chair shimmered into place almost on the opposite side of the large room and it opened to show Ray and Tacita.
They were holding hands and Ray helped her up from the chair and the two of them walked hand-in-hand to the group. The two of them still clearly loved and respected and cared for each other.
And the rumors were that they were hundreds of thousands of years old.
Gage sure hoped that he and Angie could be still feeling that way in ten years, let alone in thousands of years. Considering both of their problems with relationships in the past, that was going to be a question.
Right now he would just take tomorrow with her, he felt that lucky.
Tacita had them all sit on couches together, one couple per couch. Then she and Ray took chairs facing them.
“So is this really the original Earth?” Gina asked.
“It is,” Tacita said, nodding. “You will learn the complete history of mankind over the next few days as you go through the training.”
“Nothing whitewashed or left out,” Ray said. “It was a bumpy path to where we find ourselves now.”
“No other way with humans,” Benny said.
“So true,” Ray said, smiling.
“How many Seeder mother ships are there?” Gage asked.
“At the moment, counting your three, twenty-seven. But others are built and in transit empty to various galaxies, and others are in construction as well.”
“We need many more, “Tacita said. “That’s why bringing three more mother ships into active duty is such a special event.
Gage was surprised there were so few. Very surprised.
“And we were picked to be the chairmen of the three new ships because of our special genes?” Angie asked.
“Yes,” Ray said, “partially. But you were mostly picked for your youth. You will understand far more after your training.”
“So what exactly is to happen next?” Benny asked.
Gage had been about to ask that same question.
“You have nine days in a row of extensive training here,” Tacita said. “We will return after each session to eat with you and answer questions anyone has. Between sessions you can go back to your homes and rest and talk.”
“This first session will not only give you a history of all of humanity,” Ray said, “but trigger your advanced genes to allow you to be in better contact with your ships.”
“All three of your ships are very pleased with each of you,” Tacita said. “They will become your friend, your constant companion, and be there for anything you need.”
Gage squeezed Angie’s hand and she smiled at him. In the background he could still feel Star Mist with him. And he liked that feeling.
“They will help us get past this feeling of being totally inadequate?” Matt asked.
“They will help, yes,” Ray said, smiling. “And the teaching coming up will help as well. We would not put you in charge of a Seeder mother ship for such an important mission if we did not believe you could handle the task. And the ships would have also rejected you if they felt that you were not up for the job.”
Matt nodded.
Gage also nodded.
Ray and Tacita stood.
“Now take your partner’s hand,” Ray said, even though all three couples were holding hands already.
“And relax,” Tacita said.
As Ray and Tacita turned to move away, an opaque bubble formed around each couple and then snapped down tight over them.
Gage could feel a massive amount of information flowing to him.
He could also feel Angie beside him and through her hand.
And together they went down into the flow of knowledge.
TWENTY-THREE
THE NEXT NINE days seemed to go by instantly to Angie, yet they took forever at the same time.
The first session had lasted three hours and she felt like her head might explode with the vast amount of information. But at the same time, she felt calmer and also she could sense Star Mist was with her.
And she could also sense Gage. It felt like she was no longer alone and she loved that feeling.
After every learning session each day, Ray and Tacita joined the six of them for dinner in the large room to answer questions.
As each day went by, Angie felt more in control, more sure that she and Gage could do what they have been asked to do.
And it was clear that the other two teams felt the same way.
By the time the teaching was over, and they were having their last dinner together in the main room, questions had turned to the coming mission and the final construction of the three ships. And how to pick and recruit the crew for not only each mother ship, but for all of the smaller ships on board.
After each day during the learning period, Angie and Gage had gone back to her apartment in Portland. They had taken a nap in each other’s arms, then walked down to the first restaurant they had eaten at and had a quiet dinner, not really talking about anything, but just being together and letting the information soak in.
Then each night they had gone back to her apartment and made love. And with each day, she had felt more and more connected and in love with Gage at such a deep level, she couldn’t believe that level had even existed.
So on the afternoon before the last day of learning, they had decided to jump to the chairmen’s living quarters on Star Mist.
The huge apartment had taken Angie’s breath away. It wasn’t furnished, but it had four bedrooms. Two for beds and two for offices. It had a huge living room with a stone fireplace. There was a kitchen and dining area that was a dream, with every modern appliance she could imagine and a few she didn’t know the function of as well.
She had felt instantly at home, even though there wasn’t a stick of furniture in it.
Instantly.
They had wandered through the huge place, hand-in-hand, including standing in the two monster walk-in closets that were larger than her bedroom back in Portland.
And the apartment had a bathroom off of each walk-in closet and another major bathroom near the fantastic living room.
“We’ve known each other for just under two weeks,” Gage had said as they stopped on the edge of the living room and he took her in his arms. “You ready to move in with me?”
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