by Ira Tabankin
“Didn’t you do this to us when you manipulated our early ancestors? Aren’t you to blame for who and what we are? Why aren’t the grays asking you what you did to us instead of experimenting on us?”
“They know what we did to you. They had access to the lab under the Devil’s Tower and they used to make use of it. They haven’t entered it in centuries. We believe they want to see if they can reverse our design and somehow return you to what you were and then see what you would have become. They also want to watch you mate and see how you respond to different stimuli while mating.”
Everett leaned forward in shock. “No. They want to return us to the savage way we were and then watch as we evolve? Why would they do that? That’s crazy!”
“Is it? Curiosity is what leads to education and knowledge. They want to learn everything there is to know about every living thing.”
“I still don’t understand all of the sexual experiments?”
“They want to understand the differences between your sexes, how you mate, why you mate not to have children but for amusement and why your people will mate with some but not all. Why will some men mate with almost any female, but most females are very particular about who they mate with unless they are lonely or they consume too much alcohol, and none of us understand the attractiveness of your money. They also don’t understand the mating games your people play.
“I’ve read some of their studies. Females refused to mate with a male. However, when told the male was extremely wealthy, many would then agree to mate with them. Your kind is very difficult to understand. And of course, please don’t get me started in trying to understand how or why some mate with their own sex, neither we or the grays have been able to figure out how common sex can conceive and have children to continue your species. I like your beer, but you humans are a very unusual and difficult to explain species.”
Everett shook his head, “You should look in a mirror if you want to answer that question. According to you, your people made us what we are today.”
“I don’t understand why looking at my own image would enable me to understand you humans. Please explain it to me. I am a stranger in a strange land.”
Everett laughed and threw a beer at Kalteck, who managed to grab the bottle out of the air before it struck him. “What I meant, and you damn well know what I was saying, is you created us…”
“No, we didn’t create you. The Creator of All created you, we merely helped move you along a certain evolutionary path. We’re sure you would have found your way there sooner or later. We had a need and you provided the raw material to our need. So one could say, we helped each other. We also removed certain closely aligned species from harming you. Now let’s get back to the question, when can I meet Kennedy?”
“I’ll call the President in the morning.”
“Why not now?”
“One does not call the President in the middle of his night unless it’s a matter of life and death or an attack on America.”
“I don’t understand, but I will leave it in your hands. Do you have a busy day tomorrow?”
“Nothing I can’t move around, why?”
“Would you like to take a trip with me? You will be gone for a couple of weeks and out of communication with everyone. Will that be okay?”
“Where are we going?”
“I think it’s time to show you our shrine. You’ll see the way we used to live. I believe it will help you understand what’s at risk.”
“I will talk to Liane and ask the President. Which reminds me, I think it’s time for me to retire for the evening.”
Chapter 5
Liane looked at Everett, “Let me see if I understand this, you’re going someplace that you can’t tell me about and you’ll be gone for a few weeks, all the while you won’t be able to call me? I get it, national security issue which you can’t discuss with me, is that right?”
“You finally got it.”
“Since I don’t seem to have a choice, please be safe wherever you’re going and remember to come back to me.”
“Honey, you know I will.”
“Can I at least come and see you off?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not going to be possible. We’re leaving from the base, not the Vegas airport. I will call you before I board the craft…”
“Craft? What does that mean? Please don’t tell me you’re going to be flying on an experimental airplane.”
“That I can promise you, the plane I’m flying in has been tested and proven for a very long time. I’ll be perfectly safe.”
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President Eisenhower replied to Everett, “I think it’s an excellent idea for you to visit our friend’s shrine. The more information we have about them, the better we’ll understand them. How long will you be gone?”
“Sir, I really don’t know. Our friend hasn’t told me how long we’ll be away. We are going to Mars. I’m sure, even in his ship, it will take a while to get there and back. He told me if you broadcast a signal on the specified frequency, his AI will hear it and inform us. We won’t be able to respond from Mars, but we will be able to return if required.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for both of you to be gone for too long right now. President-elect Kennedy needs to be read into our friend, and they should meet as soon as possible.”
“He mentioned something similar. I will discuss it with him and get back to you.”
“Everett, as soon as possible means within the next seventy-two hours, do you hear me?”
“Yes, sir. Within seventy-two hours.”
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“Kalteck, the President said we should be meeting with President-elect Kennedy before we leave. He suggested we meet him within the next seventy-two hours.” Kalteck picked his head up and smiled, “Okay, tell him we will meet the President-elect tomorrow morning before we leave for Mars. I want you to see her how she used to be. Then you may better understand us. Mars was such a paradise before we destroyed it. You don’t appreciate what you have until you’ve lost it. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes we did.”
“I’ll call him to set up the meeting.”
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President-elect Kennedy sat across from President Eisenhower, “Why am I here again? I have plenty of time to see Camp David after the inauguration. I also don’t understand why if this meeting was about national security, why couldn’t I bring any of my advisors?”
“I want to tell you one of the Presidential secrets which are passed from one President to another, it’s never written down and not shared except for those on a very shortlist. I can tell you in advance, the Soviets know what the secret is…”
“You called me up here to tell me a national security secret that the Soviets know, but my key advisors can’t hear?”
“That’s correct, I want to start with the Roswell crash in1947…”
“Are you going to tell me little green men are real?”
“President-elect Kennedy, I’m not a little green man. I’m by your measurement, seven-foot tall. My name is Kalteck, and I’m the pilot of the craft which crashed in Roswell, and yes, I am what you call an alien.”
Kennedy sat up with his mouth hanging open. “You’re a real alien!”
“Yes, I am. I am pleased to meet you. Has President Eisenhower told you my story and what we’re facing?”
Eisenhower smiled, “Kalteck, I assumed the story would be better coming from you.”
“Then, may I have a beer since this is a long story?”
Three hours later, a flushed faced Kennedy walked around the conference room, “I can’t believe this, you engineered the contest between the Soviets and us? You were behind so many of our problems? An alien? If I hadn’t seen you or met you, I wouldn’t have believed it. What do you expect me to do for you?”
“Not for me, what I want you to do is save your people and your planet. I want you to continue the plan I laid out for both leaders of the USSR and the USA. Don’t rock the boat
, don’t do something stupid and don’t start a major war with anyone that will destroy the world.”
“And what if I don’t agree to follow your little script? I didn’t get elected to follow the script of an alien. I was elected President to run the country. I will do whatever I have to in order to protect America. I was elected to ensure whatever I do is for the best of the American people.”
“If you decide to go rogue on me, I can promise you, you won’t complete your term as President. Remember, I told you I’ve caused the major earthquake in Russia, and I was behind the destruction of their air force base outside of Moscow.”
“What are you going to do, shoot me? You can’t be seen by anyone. There’s nothing you can do to me.”
“I don’t have to. I can assure you; I have the ability to manipulate someone who would be very well trained. That someone could take you down. I don’t enjoy killing a human since my task is to protect you humans. However, if you stray off the playbook, then I will have to have you replaced. One life is a loss, however a single life, no matter who’s compared against the billions of humans, it is a fair trade to make. I’m sure as an officer in your Navy, you learned about making similar decisions.”
Kennedy’s face turned dark red, he sat at the table staring at Kalteck, “I understand you’re taking one of my generals to some shrine of yours on Mars is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“What will you do if I refuse him permission to go with you?”
“Then he will have to make his own decision to either come with me and resign his commission or not to go and maintain his rank, that will be up to him. I would like to tell you that if you fire him, you will be making a huge mistake. He is a critical member of my team, he is my interface to your technology and defense companies. I consider him critical to my mission.”
“There are some who have said the General is a traitor because he gave top-secret information to the Soviets…”
“He never, let me repeat that, he never gave any information I did not first give him to the Soviets….”
Kennedy smiled, “Then you admit he did pass information to our enemy, the Soviets. You have just condemned him with your own words.”
“Mr. President-elect, I had my concerns about both you and Vice President Nixon. You are living up to my concerns about you becoming America’s President. You are young, inexperienced, and prone to view everything through a political lens. Your enemy isn’t me it isn’t the general, and it isn’t the Soviets. It’s my enemy, which will be here in less time than you think. If you believe you don’t require my assistance, then I will take my leave and wish you well. I would like to go home and be with my own people instead of always hiding here.” Kalteck got up from his chair and bowed to Kennedy, “I wish you well and will say a prayer for all humans.”
Eisenhower smirked, watching the theater play out in the conference room. Kennedy sighed and let out a deep breath. He shifted in his uncomfortable chair, trying to find a way to sit that lessened the pain in his back.
Kennedy raised his hand, “You’ve made your point. I wanted to see how serious you were and how much you thought General Yahnig was required for the successful completion of your mission. You may take him with you. If something comes up, we will send you a message. How long will it take to reach you?”
“Your radio transmissions travel at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second, Mars is 185 million miles from Earth, so your signal will take 27.65 hours to reach us. Our response will take the same amount of time.”
“Not like a telephone, is it?”
“Mr. President-elect, there is no way to speed up communications within your system. You lack the relay system and ships to speed up communications. In my systems and across the galaxy, there are official relay stations that ships transmit to; these are stored in the station until ships passing pick up the messages and carry them in faster than light ships to the planets the messages were addressed to.”
“Sort of like our old pony express…”
“Yes, but a little quicker and we don’t need to change ships every few hours.” Kalteck laughed, which shook the glasses on the table.
“When do you plan on leaving?”
“We will leave after we have completed our meeting. I do not have a date when we will return. There is much for the General to see and learn. I have some duties to perform in the shrine. I also have some messages I need to send to our outer system relay stations, so they’ll be picked up by passing ships.”
“What happens if an enemy fleet again approaches the Earth?” asked Kennedy.
“The sensors and AI in the shrine will inform me and I will then decide how to handle it. You will not be left defenseless while we are away. Do you have any other fears?”
“Are you going to do anything medical to my General? I’d like him returned as he is now, unaltered in any way.”
Kalteck again laughed. “I can promise that. I have no need to turn him into some type of agent for my people. I have sensors on your planet and on your moon. I have no use or desire or need for a human to gather information for me.”
“I see. How long have your people been here?”
“For thousands of your years. If we have time when I return, I’ll explain to you your history. I’m not sure how a man with your religious background will accept what I will tell you. You might be better off not knowing everything.” Kennedy looked towards Eisenhower, who was nodding his agreement. “I’ll consider it. Travel safe and may God protect you.”
“Thank you. May the Creator of All watch over and protect you too.”
Kalteck and General Yahnig walked out of the conference room as Eisenhower and Kennedy leaned towards each other, quietly discussing Kalteck and their next steps.
Chapter 6
Everett stared out of the transparent walls and floor of Kalteck’s ship. “There’s no feeling of movement. If I didn’t see the Earth shrinking, I wouldn’t know we’re moving. It’s also so quiet and there’s gravity in the ship. How long will it take us to arrive at the shrine?”
“We are traveling at very close to the speed of light, we will arrive over my home in 33 hours. You may rest in one of the cabins if you’d like. I have programmed the replicators to make Earth-style food, and of course, we brought beer with us.”
“All the comforts of home. Wait, did you say, we’ll be at Mars in 33 hours? Hours, not days or weeks. I thought NASA said it would take over a year to make the trip.”
“They did. That’s because your ships move so slowly. I believe you’ll find our beds unusual and much more comfortable than you could imagine. You have been awake for twenty hours. Would you like to rest? There isn’t anything to see until we get closer to Mars.”
“Yes, thank you. I will eat after a quick nap.”
Everett followed the glowing lines on the floor to his cabin. “How come I’m not floating? I thought there wasn’t any gravity in space.”
“Part of the ship, what you call my rings are spinning, that spinning creates gravity. The spinning provides both gravity and is part of the drive. Do you require assistance? Do you feel dizzy or lightheaded?”
“No, I feel fine.”
The door to Everett’s cabin slid open, Everett stood in the doorway looking at the platform in front of him. That’s a bed. How the hell is a platform going to be comfortable? Oh well, I don’t want to hurt his feelings. As soon as Everett fully entered the cabin, the ship’s AI spoke, “Hello General Yahnig. Welcome to your cabin. I have a few questions to ensure you are the most comfortable. At what temperature do you like to rest? Do you like your sleeping area soft or firm? Do you like a warm sleeping platform or a cool one? Do you roll around in your sleep? Do you snore?”
“You’re worried I’ll keep you awake with my snoring?”
“No, I asked because once you’re asleep, I can correct your snoring, so you won’t snore again. Are you aware of any other sleeping issues you may have?”
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�Not that I know of.”
“I will check with your nanites while you’re sleeping so we can determine if any upgrades are required.”
“How do I get onto the bed?”
“Place your hand in front of you and you will see a glimmering shape form in front of you. Just lay down on the shape as you would any other bed. I can raise or lower it depending on your desires.”
Everett slowly walked forward with his two hands out. He felt an object he couldn’t see. He ran his hands along what he sensed was the edge of a raised platform. He slid onto the platform and felt like he was floating on air. “Would you like a pillow or the top of the bed raised? Do you sleep with a blanket?”