The Stars That Beckon

by Kevin J Simington

  “Zac! I wasn’t planning on telling anyone for a while!”

  Keo and Prisha, however, were overjoyed, and Prisha confided, “I wasn’t planning on telling anyone for a while either, but seeing you’ve confided in us—we are, too!”

  That was the end of any reasonable conversation as far as the two men were concerned. The two women hugged and kissed and circled the wagons, spending most of the rest of the evening talking about babies. Recognising their temporary irrelevance, the two men grabbed a cup of passion berry nectar and sat on the harbour wall, watching an extraordinary palette of colours spreading across the sky as the sun sank below the mountains to the west. The twin moons were visible, rising together over the rim of the sea, huge and golden.

  “It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” said Zac.

  “Yes, brother. It is indeed paradise. And we have a chance to start again without repeating the mistakes of the past. Hopefully, this time we won’t ruin everything.”

  “I had a talk with Angie this afternoon.”

  “And?”

  “Apparently, the previous inhabitants of Nova left here via a wormhole. When I asked if the Collective would be willing to help us develop that technology, they refused. Angie said that creating a wormhole would advertise our presence in this solar system, and she intimated that it would be dangerous to do so.”

  “That’s concerning.”

  “Yes. But what sort of danger is she talking about? She wouldn’t say. Do you think there could be hostile aliens out there?”

  “I suppose it’s theoretically possible. But I think it’s highly unlikely.”

  “Why?”

  “Fermi’s Paradox.”

  “Ah, yes. I remember you talking about this onboard Genesis. The ‘where are they?’ proposition. So, if not aliens, then who or what would pose a danger to us?”

  “The most dangerous species in the universe: humans.”

  “The original inhabitants of this planet?”

  “I doubt it. I have a strong sense that the people who lived on this planet were peaceful. After all, there are no weapons evident and no war-like infrastructure. No, if there is a danger lurking out there, it’s most likely others who developed a darker, more violent agenda. We were asleep for 3,000 years, Zac. A lot could have happened.”

  “The Caliphate?”

  “Perhaps. Or something that developed from them.”

  “So, we slept for three millennia and woke up to exactly the same problem!”

  “Possibly. But, of course, we’re only speculating. My advice, bro, is if the Collective tells us to keep a low profile, we should do just that. We should live quiet, peaceful lives here, make babies, grow old and fat, and enjoy what God has provided for us. I plan on having at least six fat little Keos running around my feet.”

  “Or Prishas.”

  “Yes, bro, that would be very nice too!”

  Keo took a sip of passion nectar and looked up at the first star to appear in the sky.

  ““A quiet, peaceful life is the greatest of riches”.” He looked at Zac. “Plato, 412 BC.”

  “Yes,” agreed Zac. “From his much-loved ‘Menexenus’, a Socratic-styled funeral oratory.”

  As they sat together in the deepening twilight, a shooting star briefly streaked across the sky, and they sat listening to the laughter of children playing in the park behind them. They sat in comfortable silence for a few more moments, and then Zac said, “We still have some unsolved puzzles though, don’t we?”

  “The fate of the original inhabitants?” asked Keo.

  “Yes, that’s the first one. The Collective’s reluctance to talk about them troubles me. Where are they, and why aren’t they coming back?”

  “What’s the second puzzle?”

  “Is the Collective as benign as they make out? Their initial silence when we first arrived has not been explained properly. Their reluctance to provide us with complete access to technology and knowledge in a number of areas also worries me. Is their silence for our benefit, or for theirs?”

  “Yes,” said Keo. “I think we must tread cautiously with them. We only have their word for what has transpired on this planet.”

  “And the third major puzzle is the hoop orbiting this planet,” continued Zac. “What is its purpose and how did it get there? Once again, the Collective refuse to enlighten us.”

  “There’s been so much to worry about down here that most people have forgotten about that, bro.”

  “I know. But I haven’t. And I think we should continue to press for an explanation. It’s not just a small thing—it’s a major artificial feature of this planet that is orbiting around us, and we know nothing about it.”

  They sat for a moment, looking up into the sky, although the hoop was too thin to be visible from the surface of the planet.

  “Yes, these are all mysteries,” said Keo. “But for tonight, let’s be thankful for this new beginning that we’ve been given.”

  Much later that night, Zac lay in bed holding Jaz close, listening to her slow, steady breathing as she slept. He couldn’t sleep, so eventually he got up and walked outside. Both moons had set, and the stars were a brilliant blanket, stretching in a sparkling arch across the sky. The air was warm and fragrant with the aromas of a tropical spring, and the evening chorus of nocturnal animals had long since ceased, leaving a stillness that seeped into his soul.

  He thought of how fortunate he was. To have escaped the holocaust on Earth. To have survived the perilous journey through the galaxy. To have discovered such a paradise. To have found love and friendship. As he pondered his circumstances, he realised that for the first time in his life he was truly and deeply content.

  He looked up at the brilliant canopy of stars.

  “Thank you,” he said, feeling deeply moved. “I don’t know if anyone’s listening, but thank you for bringing me here. Help me not to waste the chance I’ve been given. Help me to live a good life.”

  He wasn’t sure if that was a good prayer or not. Maybe he was just talking to himself. But somehow, he didn’t think so. As he stood in the quiet of the night, he felt his heart strangely warmed.

  71

  Nova Day 217

  Zac and Kit stepped out of the transfer booth.

  “Well this is different,” said Kit.

  There were still over 30 unexplored towns to investigate, and this was simply the next one, selected at random. It was located towards the southern end of Northland, directly on the equator; just one more light on the map. Before stepping out of the transfer booth, they had no reason to suspect that it would any different to the dozens of towns already explored, all of which had almost identical layouts.

  “Very different,” agreed Zac.

  They were not in a terminal dome on the surface of the planet but inside a rock-hewn cavern. Their transfer booth was one of about 20, arranged around the centre of the perfectly circular cavern, and the roof rose above them in a perfectly curved dome.

  They walked to the wall of the cavern, and Zac placed his hand on the rock. “It’s warm; very warm, in fact. I think we may be deep underground.”

  “And check how smooth the walls are,” said Kit. “This hasn’t been excavated with explosives or jackhammers. It’s millimetre-perfect.”

  “Where’s the light coming from?” asked Zac.

  “Everywhere,” said Kit, looking around.

  It was true. The rocks were all glowing with a soft, diffused, orange light.

  The cavern only had one exit, an arched hole in the cavern wall, and as they approached it, a perfectly smooth tunnel lit up ahead of them, with the same warm glow.

  “Shall we?” asked Zac, standing at the entrance to the tunnel.

  “It’s what we’re here for, doc,” she said, as she pushed past him and strode down the tunnel. The tunnel ended about 30 metres later, at a perfectly black, arched door. As they drew near, the door slid open, revealing a stunning sight. They were at the base of a massive, man-made hole, similar in
shape to sink-holes back on Earth, but on a scale so large that the eye could not take it all in at once. The hole was a cylindrical shaft, perfectly circular at the base, with the vertical sides maintaining their perfectly circular shape all the way to the top. The circular base was at least two kilometres in diameter, and the shaft was so deep that the opening at the top appeared to be no more than a pinprick of light above them.

  What was even more extraordinary was the base itself. Zac and Kit stepped out onto a perfectly smooth surface that looked to be made of glass or something similar. It had appeared as a reflective black mirror as they stood in the tunnel entrance, but as Kit stepped forward onto it, the entire floor turned translucent white, with diffuse light glowing from somewhere below the surface.

  “Are you sure this is safe?” asked Zac.

  “The only thing that’s completely safe is staying in bed.”

  “Yeah, well, a lot of people die in bed, you know.”

  As they walked further out onto the glassy surface, they noticed that in it there were hundreds of circles, about 30 metres in diameter, outlined by a ring of slightly brighter white light.

  “What do you think these are for?” asked Zac.

  “To park those on, I guess,” answered Kit, pointing further ahead and slightly to the right.

  About a kilometre distant, towards the middle of the giant sink-hole, a dome-like shape could be seen. It was the only thing visible on the entire glassy surface.

  “What do you think it is?” asked Zac.

  “Not sure, but whatever it is, it’s the last one left.”

  They started to walk towards it, and as they did, Zac asked the question that had been on his mind since the wedding ceremony last night.

  “So, have you given any thought to getting married, Kit?”

  “Huh! You too? Keo and a bunch of other people have been asking me the same thing.”

  “So, what’s your answer?”

  “My response to busybodies is, ‘Mind your own damn business’.”

  “What about to people who love you and want you to be happy?”

  “I am happy.”

  “But wouldn’t you like to share your life with someone who loves you and whom you can love in return?”

  Kit was silent for a while, and Zac wondered if he had offended her. Finally, she broke the silence.

  “Of course I’d like to get married! But I’m not going to settle for just anyone. I feel like people are jumping into marriage with the first half-decent option that comes their way. It’s as if there’s a panic to get hitched before the available pool dries up.”

  “It is a bit like that, I suppose,” said Zac. “After all, we are a relatively small population.”

  “Well, I’d rather stay single than settle for a hairy-arsed dimwit with halitosis.”

  “Why don’t you say what you really think?”

  “What I really think, is that what you and Jaz have is special and rare, and you are both incredibly lucky.”

  “I guess we are.”

  “So, if you’ve got a twin brother you’ve been hiding from me, I’d be happy to be introduced,” said Kit.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You should. A girl could do a lot worse than you, doc.”

  “Hey! Wait for us!”

  Zac and Kit turned and looked behind them. Two figures had emerged from the tunnel entrance and were waving at them.

  “It’s Keo and Martinez,” said Zac.

  “Yes, and Keo’s got something in his hand.”

  They watched as the two newcomers walked quickly towards them across the smooth glassy surface. A minute later the newcomers joined them and Keo held up a transparent air-tight bag containing what looked like small cakes. “Prisha and Jaz have just cooked our first batch of muffins from rice flour. They sent me to make sure you two didn’t die of starvation.”

  “And I had to come along for the ride,” added Martinez. “No solo trips allowed while we’re still exploring this place.”

  “Are the cakes any good?” asked Zac.

  “I’ve had three and I haven’t perished,” replied Keo with a grin.

  “Let’s break for morning tea after we’ve finished checking this out,” said Kit, indicating the strange domed shape that was now only 200 metres distant.

  “What is it? And what is this place?” asked Martinez.

  “Not sure,” Kit answered, “but I’m dying to find out.”

  The four walked the remaining distance to the object and stood looking at it. It was perfectly circular with a domed roof and constructed of what looked like the same black material as the hoop in orbit around the planet. It was about 20 metres in diameter and was situated in the centre of one of the glowing white rings.

  “It’s like a mini-dome,” said Zac.

  “I think it’s some kind of transport vessel,” said Kit.

  They walked around its perimeter and noted a variety of bumps and lumps all over its surface, the purpose of which alluded them.

  “This appears to be an outline of a doorway,” said Kit, approaching it with her usual confidence.

  The doorway slid smoothly aside, seeming to invite them in.

  “Did you do that?” asked Zac.

  “Maybe. I was wondering how to get in.”

  “Well, I think this is as far as we go,” said Zac. “We need to go back and report .... Kit! What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like? I’m going to take a peep inside.”

  She walked through the doorway and turned to the right, disappearing from view.

  “Kit! Come out!” said Zac. “We don’t know what it is or whether it’s safe. Please!”

  “You should see this, guys! It’s incredible!” Kit stuck her head around the corner of the doorway. “It all looks pretty safe to me. Come on! Check it out!”

  Keo said, “She sure is the adventurous one, bro.”

  Zac sighed and shook his head. “Yeh. And one of these days she’s going to bite off more than she can chew!”

  “Well, I’m not going to stay out here and miss out on all the fun,” said Martinez, walking towards the doorway.

  Zac shrugged and said, “You know what they say; if you can’t beat them join them.” The two men followed Martinez to the entrance of the dome and cautiously stepped inside, looking around with amazement.

  If anyone had been standing outside on that afternoon, they would have witnessed the door of the vessel closing several minutes later. Shortly afterwards, the circle upon which the vessel was sitting began pulsing with a purple light. The pulses quickly grew more rapid, and a steadily increasing whine increased to an almost deafening level. Suddenly there was a shaft of deep purple light, too bright to look at, blasting up from the circle and enveloping the vessel. A moment later, everything was still again.

  The purple light was gone.

  The noise was gone.

  The vessel was gone.

  Zac, Kit, Keo and Martinez were gone.

  Their friends searched for them for months but found no trace of them.

  Zac’s as-yet unborn daughter would make it her life’s work to search for her missing father, in an attempt to find out what had happened to him.

  What she would eventually discover would not only change her own life but would alter the fate of their planet forever.

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  Read the Next Exciting Instalment!

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