Edge of Revelation

by David John West

  Gayans had short notice to see that a second asteroid was earmarked to collide with their world. It would have cleared away all substantive opposition to Spargar if it had destroyed planet Gaya. Dawn of Gaya applied all their technology to prise the Spargar propulsion device off the asteroid targeted at them, like removing a tick from a dog. Meanwhile they planted two propulsion control devices of their own, one to deflect the asteroid weapon away from them and one on a different rock destined for collision with Spargar’s home world Spargan. Thus Gaya was saved and the very near miss they had programmed for Spargan apprised Omeyn MuneMei that her main adversary had developed the same world killer capability. It was time to desist from this devastating game of galactic billiards.

  The ensuing fear of mutual destruction led to the agreement of the Epsilon treaties, which now protect all planetary systems. They also provide rules for political campaigning on emerging planets by technologically superior races. Emerging human races on new planets, in their blissful ignorance, benefit from the umbrella protection of these treaties. They could not otherwise protect themselves from even marginally superior forces as they peered impotently into space hoping for aid but fearing aggression. These new treaties theoretically prevented murder or kidnap of single individuals right through to the protection of entire civilisations and worlds. They encouraged both Dawn and Spargar to influence emerging cultures through covert means. Some took the rules of these treaties more seriously than others, but at least this provided a framework for coexistence of opposing philosophies in our galactic neighbourhood and prevented large-scale interplanetary mayhem to this day.

  Dawn of Gaya’s Esprit philosophy promoted beneficial alliance and enlightenment of all human races, theoretically extending to include their ideological enemies Spargar, in the belief that eventually all human races must unite to reach out together into the larger universe beyond current limits of transportation around the Milky Way galaxy. The Gayans harnessed both spirituality and technology to advance their understanding and capability to transport souls, people and material in their quests. Dawn of Gaya’s long-term investment in spiritual and technical progression for an emerging race to develop within Esprit could take thousands of human generations.

  Spargar strength is much more direct and expeditious and needs no long-term patience for its advancement. Spargar’s exclusive focus on technological development means that they are highly advanced in this regard, though technological superiority is notoriously fickle and short-lived given good infiltration of all advanced cultures by their opponents’ spies. Spargar at least have the benefit of a more closed society where it is difficult for opponents to infiltrate their home world. The weakness of Spargar is their singular focus on technology exploitation; Omeyn MuneMei has no belief in spiritual matters and denies the existence of the soul. This refusal to accept the existence of the soul means that Gayan methods of soul transportation and development of the individual over many generations are closed to Spargar operatives who must attest that such forces do not exist in accord with the belief of their Omeyn. It prevents Spargar from availing themselves of soul transportation across the vast distances of space, which is used most effectively by Dawn of Gaya. It also denies in Spargar culture the manifest truth of transfer of souls between perished and new bodies at birth, which is clearly the way human babies are born and then animated with an incoming spirit.

  The fingerprints of influence on Planet Earth of the competing Dawn and Spargar campaigns in recent times are easy to see with sufficient knowledge and hindsight. Over ages past legendary leaders emerged with support from either Dawn or Spargar. Dawn invested time to develop intellectual discoveries inside emerging civilisations through academic leadership. Spargar is unheeding of the early stages of cultural development and merely waits for technology to emerge so that it can be used to control people in the same manner as the rest of the Empire. Spargar infiltration of a new planet culture is characterised by support of rigidly hierarchical empires. The local tyrants can then be manipulated to develop controlling computer networks that will later be subjugated by the Mind as the new world takes its niche in the Spargar Empire.

  In the early years of the twenty-first century the campaign for political control of planet Earth has started in earnest between Dawn of Gaya and Spargar. Computer technology has emerged at a dramatic rate triggering Spargar to invest substantial resources to bring planet Earth under its voracious authority. Dawn of Gaya, by contrast, trust that their investments in cultural development over several thousand Earth years has permeated the collective psyche of the people of Earth to protect them from the worst aspects of the internet. Towards the end of this early phase of the campaign period the stakes for Dawn and Spargar are reaching the most critical; the technological revolution, exploding population and collision of philosophies pits countries on Earth against each another. This melting pot is inherently precarious and most likely a single stable philosophy will emerge one way or the other with allegiance to either Gaya or Spargar.

  The scene is set for the clash of philosophies that will direct the outcome for human life on planet Earth. Offworlders from Dawn and Spargar run their subtle but increasingly frantic campaigns. Some leaders and thinkers native to Earth are aware but keep their knowledge from the masses for their individual reasons. So it was that a few Travellers of Dawn infiltrated my Cosmology Department and worked with our research group to enable contact with the leadership of the Gayan Empire. They are the ones who sustain my failing frame to influence national leaders and the scientific community to accept their formal arrival in peace and goodwill. Of course they also attract their Spargar enemies to my project and I must rely on them to counter that too – my own role can be diplomatic only as these heralds of titanic empires are too powerful for any of us earthly mortals to resist. We are poised on the very razor’s edge of revelation.

  Professor Reginald Kitteridge, Head of Cosmology, Cambridge University, England

  GLOSSARY

  AATIP – Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program– USA covert military alien intelligence programme

  BRAGANZA–Capital city of race Spargar on planet Spargan

  CAVALLOS OF DAWN–Security and warriors tasked with providing limited martial backup to Travellers of Dawn, mainly on worlds outside the Gayan home range. They are not empowered to deploy lethal weaponry and seldom kill. They use Ripallos that deflect enemy projectile weaponry used by aggressive or primitive human races. They use gum shields that also function as breathing apparatus, which prevent the effects of Zarnha drugs commonly used in abductions. They eschew high technology or projectile weapons (guns), preferring to use naturally occurring materials that come to hand or staves (Vorarms) that they grow themselves from Ivory Vine. Rafaello and Umberto Pantucci are Cavallos in this episode

  CHAMAREL–Adopted planet headquarters of Worders of Dawn, wisest intellectuals and highest caste of race Dawn of planet Gaya, responsible for policy determination and execution of policy throughout planets of influence

  CORINTH CITY – Capital city of race Dawn on planet Gaya. Grown from Ivory Vine, largest known single organism in the galaxy

  DARK MATTER FUSION (DMF) DRIVES – Warp space for spacecraft to travel between distant points – allows intragalactic travel for embodied human beings and materiel at acceptable speed. Locations of destinations are place names plus a musical identifier, to allow for huge numbers of place names. Spacecraft travel at near light speed from origin to a dark matter node then warp to destination dark matter node.

  DAWN – an advanced race of humans from Planet Gaya in Constellation Pleiades, with quests to deliver Enlightenment enabling fast and true development of human races on other planets less developed than Dawn of Gaya. Planet Gaya is in the Pleiades Cluster, Constellation of Taurus, 440 light years from Earth. Gayan home star is Rama

  EITHER WAY – Gayan term, jocular, often used by Cavallo warrior caste referring to travel or escape,
either embodied if Cavallo wins battle or soul only if they lose their life and exit combat by passing through death and leave with only their spirit

  ENLIGHTENMENT (from Dawn of Gaya) – Five-stage process to teach cultural and technological advances to local intellectuals in emerging human cultures on other planets. Five-stage process is: Selection, Evaluation, Development, Revelation, Integration. Five-stage process has pass/fail assessment at each phase and requires time to assimilate to avoid overwhelming client and causing chaos in wider population. Enlightenment is core to the development to the highest cultural goal of Dawn called Esprit

  EPSILON TREATY – Prohibits large-scale interplanetary kidnap and murder between human races, notably Dawn and Spargar. Enacted after a race was wiped out by targeted meteor strike on their planet, which reduced it to space rubble

  ESPRIT–Gayan term for highest form of cultural nirvana achieved in the worlds of human beings influenced by Dawn through many generations of enlightenment

  GLL – Guards Logistics Liaison. Covert British military alien intelligence programme

  GUIDES OF DAWN–Teachers and protectors who provide enlightenment to selected intellectuals in emerging human races on other worlds.

  IXWA – Spargar short lance weapon. Armed with varied electrical and narcotic points. Also a percussive stave in the same manner as the Gayan Vorarms

  JEJEUNE – 1) Name for Gayan immature person unaware of past life history or 2) term for period of time between birth of a human baby inspired by Gayan soulfire to the moment at maturity when the embodied Gayan regains complete memory, knowledge and skills of all its lives going back to its soul birth

  MAL – Oppressive force on a Spargar world, insidious influence of Spargar culture on a developing world not yet emerged under Gayan or Spargan culture. Mal is recognisable within tyrannical, technical cultures and is developed by Zarnha agents similar to the way Travellers of Dawn spread enlightenment by educating local individuals

  MIND – Spargar computer control system. Formed to fuse the original Omeyn MuneMei to the earliest version of Spargan biological control computer. Mind storage, transaction processing and networking is biological, analogous to human brains rather than primitive earthly silicon-based computers. Controls all Spargar culture across the Spargar Empire in conjunction with Omeyn replicants. Needs to be fused with abductees to capture cultures from new planets like Earth, and with all Spargar peoples on death to cater for system growth. Pervasive in all Spargar territories, its central nexus is located in the Spyre in the Spargar capital city Braganza

  NAMES (of planets and stars) – With so many stars, planets and places, they cannot be named with words alone. Where detailed unique definition is required – for instance to direct messages – then a combination of name and musical theme is used, eg. planet Earth♫ is denoted by its name and musical adjunct to ensure accuracy of travel and messaging. The musical theme part of the place name often originates from, or becomes part of, an anthem that can engender inspiration in many cultures

  OMEYN MUNEMEI – Tyrant leader of race Spargar, part cyber, part human. Able to deploy multiple copies of ‘her’ self, which are capable of bodily transport to other worlds, thereby giving Omeyn MuneMei control over Spargar activities everywhere. This ensures Spargar culture will be precisely replicated across all Spargar planets. Omeyn is a truncation of Omeyocan – female/male god of the Mayans

  PASSING THROUGH – Gayan term for death, or more accurately transfer of a soul from one physical body to rebirth in another. This happens in all human races. Gayan Worders are uniquely able to manage this process to move souls intelligently to new lives in the home range or other planets across the galaxy. ‘Passing Through’ is to ‘au revoir’ for Gayans as ‘Passing Away’ is to ‘goodbye’ on planet Earth

  POINTERS of DAWN – Gayan project leaders on the ground in campaigns of enlightenment in lesser worlds. Superiors of race Dawn of Gaya reporting only to Worders who manage the Gayan Empire. Joe, Charlotte and Daniel are Pointers of Dawn

  PORTE DOUCE – Capital city on the paradise planet Chamarel, home of the Worders

  RAKUL – A Rakul MuneMei is the highly dangerous male form of the Omeyn MuneMei. Omeyns are XXY trichromosomal to a Rakul’s XYY. The XYY chromosome confers powerful male characteristics. The Rakul has a sociopathic disposition like the Omeyns but it is expressed in warlike action rather than considered strategy.

  RED THREADS – known in some earthly oriental cultures, red threads are issued on birth to announce the presence of advanced soul to crucial soul mates in a locality. Used by some cultures to recognise important individuals to a person’s life. Developed by Gayan culture, red threads provide spiritual knowledge of whereabouts of other Travellers of Dawn

  RIPALLOS – Communications devices used by Cavallos that also protect Gayans in their missions on other worlds by deflecting primitive projectile weapons

  SOLELY-SOUL – Gayan term for a soul not presently incarnated with a body. Able to communicate soul-to-soul with other Gayans and to some degree with other races or individuals with strong spirituality. Solely-soul in Gayan culture is also a method of travel for single individuals quickly and effectively as it does not require a craft to enable life support for embodied individuals

  SOUL in Gayan knowledge – Souls can either be embodied (mortal) or liberated (disembodied, solely-soul). Souls pass through bodies rather than die or ‘pass away’ as currently perceived on planet Earth. Gayans are the only known human race in the galaxy aware that souls ‘pass through’ mortal bodies to reincarnate. Gayans use this knowledge to place Gayan souls in local births in other human races to allow them to mature to adulthood in the local culture. Gayans’ great rivals in the Galaxy are Spargar who are unaware and culturally do not believe in souls passing though different bodies

  SOULBORN–The birth of a new soul. Involves the conscious choice of a soul-aware race like Gayans for two souls (soul mother and father) to produce a new soul child. Requires the new soul to be born into a physical baby in the same manner as an existing soul passing through one body and being reborn into a new one

  SOULMORPHOSIS – the Gayan term for the full emergence of past life history and knowledge at maturity for Gayan souls reincarnated in new bodies. The phase between rebirth and Soulmorphosis is known as Jejeune. Soulmorphosis occurs in a very short period of time during the bodily changes at adolescence. After Soulmorphosis Gayans have full awareness of their prior lives’ history over many generations, with recall of their past knowledge and skills

  SPARGAN – Home world of race Spargar. Capital city Braganza. 120 light years from planet Earth

  SPARGAR – Human race from planet Spargan in the star cluster Hyades in constellation Taurus. Spargar is a highly stratified society led by the part biological, part computer Omeyn MuneMei. Omeyn MuneMei rules Spargar society by intensive use of computer network technology across its planets of influence. Abducts huge numbers of humans local to subordinate planets for analysis and integration to the Mind computer. Direct opposition to Dawn of Gaya in the galaxy

  STEIN – The ratio of the speed of a body to the speed of light in the surrounding medium. It is often used with a numeral (as 1 Stein, 2 Steins, etc.) to indicate the speed of light, twice the speed of light, etc.

  SYNCHRONOUS SOULS (OPPOSITE TERM: ASYNCHRONOUS) – Souls that would normally be reincarnated at roughly the same time in the same place as a working or family unit are synchronous souls. Synchronous souls are attached to each other on rebirth by psychic red threads so they recognise each other and carry on their relationship through the generations. Asynchronous souls are ones that are important to each other and should be together in space and age but somehow get dislocated so they are separated in time or space for a period

  TRAVELLERS OF DAWN – Collective term for agents from Gaya who travel on interplanetary missions of enlightenment (Pointers, Guides, Teachers, Cavallos, occasionally
Worders etc.)

  VORARMS – Stave weapon of choice for Cavallos. Grown from Ivory Vine to the precise requirements of each Cavallo. Lightweight and super strong. Used as extension of one fighting arm

  WARPNODES – Spargar space messaging system. Warpnodes are installed at the edge of dark matter wherever Spargar have presence. Messages are broken into batches for security, travel instantaneously between warpnodes across the Spargar Empire, and are then relayed at near light speed from warpnodes to Spargar receiving stations. Very efficient, messages can be sent point to point or broadcast one to many. Critically, can’t transport souls as messages broken into packets for efficient transport