Tomorrow's Paradise World: Colonize (9 page)

Chapter Eight: Relocating to Paradise

Taerg and Victor both watched the
Venture
disappear in the starlit night of space.

“If he comes back,” said Taerg, “It will be for war.”

“With an entire fleet,” agreed Victor, “to back him up. The good news is, we have about seven years to get ready and I intend to spend the whole time preparing.”

“What about all those people on the moon,” said Taerg, “what will we do about them?”

“That’s really why we are waiting here, we need to communicate with them immediately. They likely already know that the mothership has left and they are probably all in a panic about it. We should get closer to the moon and have a chat with whoever is in charge on the surface.”

Taerg watched Victor work the controls with interest. Victor noticed this and said, “Do you want to give it a try?”

“Sure.”

“Just remember, this is more complicated, not only because it is a newer ship but also because it is a much larger ship and there are more systems to operate. I’ll coach you along the way at first, until you get the hang of it.”

Taerg was a very fast learner, he was confidently operating the controls by the time they entered orbit of the moon. Victor decided to give them a call. He switched on the communication channel and said, “This is Victor Marcus requesting communication with moon base control.”

A moment later a voice came over the channel and said, “Mister Marcus, this is Lieutenant Julia Dixon. Is everything okay up there? We are unable to contact Mothership.”

“Yes I know, we would like to meet with you to explain what has happened, to you and everyone down there. Is there room for us to land near the hanger you are constructing?”

“Yes sir, we just need to move a couple of construction vehicles and you can do that. If you want, I can make an announcement for all personnel to meet you near your ship, right after you land.”

“Thank you that would be superb. I will see you there.”

Forty minutes later, Victor set the
Luminous
down in a large open area beside the hangar under construction.

As they made their way down the ramp of the ship, all eyes were on Taerg. Victor smiled and said out of the corner of his mouth, “Perhaps I should have asked you to stay inside the ship.”

“Yes. It’s too late now though.”

They did not descend all the way to the bottom of the ramp. Victor needed to address these people, so his voice had to project out over them so they could all hear. There were over two thousand of them. This would make most men nervous, but not Victor. He stood there and confidently spoke very loudly projecting his voice out over them so that all could hear.

“People of Homeworld. We have some very important information that every last one of you has the right to know. Please, let me speak without interruptions and then I will entertain your questions.”

“First, let me tell you about your current situation. Mothership was sent back to Homeworld on a very important mission.” Victor and Taerg could hear many of them gasp and quietly begin to murmur. Victor continued, “All her officers including your captain are now safely in their life pods and on the three-year journey home. This situation leaves me no choice, but to temporarily take command of our mission.”

“Second, our current status is indeed, a difficult one. I will give you a video report that will contain many more specifics, but the bottom line is this: “We cannot continue to colonize this moon.”

The volume of the murmuring rose. “I will briefly explain why. The people on the planet are a space faring people. As you know, we are not authorized to colonize the moon of a space faring world. Additionally, the people of the space faring world below specifically have demanded that we not colonize what is in fact, their moon. They are the ones who have placed the animal and plant life on this moon. If you visited the planet as I have, you would see evidence of these terraforming efforts in the plant and animal life that abounds there.”

“Thirdly, you may be wondering what we should do, now that we cannot colonize the moon. The world below is even more beautiful than this moon. It is a paradise. In fact, that is what the inhabitants call their world.
Paradise
.” He smiled and continued, “They are a very wise, peaceable, honest, hardworking people. They live a simple village life without technology. If we are to live among their villages, then we must be this way too. We will not be permitted to contaminate their village life with our technology. The only exceptions that has graciously been allowed is our personal video mission recorders and our timepieces. We can continue to use them but they are not to be given to the villagers. These things would disrupt their simple village life. So, please keep them to yourselves.”

“Yes, we will be travelling tomorrow to the planet below. However, I must warn you that you have a difficult journey ahead of you. You must take your remaining ships, land in the designated glacier field and then travel by foot southward to their main city of villages. There you will join them in their simple village life. Our ships will be safe there, we will make sure they are protected in a sheltered valley. While living in the villages, we will contribute to their communities, learn their traditions, and their language. We will cooperate and contribute in a positive way to the peaceful conditions of this planet. Try your best to even be like them. Once you spend some time with these people, you will come to realize that they have many ways that are superior to our own. So, treat the people with the respect that they deserve.”

“There is one other thing that is very important that you need to know. The people below look like this man. This is Taerg Esidarap, my friend.” Taerg bowed his head slightly and smiled. Victor continued, “You may have noticed that my appearance has changed slightly. This is the effect of living a healthy life, in the paradise below. In fact, as each day passes by I suspect we will begin to look more and more like the people that are really our people. We of the Kastat race, have descended from the ancestors of these people. This fact, can be proven by their historical records. So treat them like the brothers and sisters they are. Like the brothers, sisters and good friends they will become. Don’t worry, you will soon know what a brother and a sister really is.”

“Now, do you have any questions?”

Lieutenant Dixon stepped forward and said, “All of our lives will never be the same. How can you expect us, who have relied on technology for our entire lives to adapt in this way? Is Homeworld going to rescue us from here?”

“True, the situation has changed beyond your control and you will adapt out of necessity as I have. I doubt that Homeworld will be sending a rescue mission. They will probably be visiting us in seven years or so with some formidable warships and all their weapons trained against us. Do not be fooled, we are now the enemy. Not necessarily of Homeworld but of the forces that in all likelihood will return under the command of Captain Anderson. To him we will be, the enemy. Me, by choice. You at this time, by no choice of your own. In time, you will realize the wisdom of the choices that we have made that affect all of you. For now, I accept that you will be unhappy with what has happened and your resulting circumstances.”

“We will spend the night here and make plans to evacuate this moon tomorrow. After planning the evacuation, we need to make a report to the grand council on the planet below. Tomorrow, you will follow us to the planet below and we will show you where you may begin your journey to the city of villages. We will send some people to meet you part way and guide you there. You need to bring plenty of water and rations for the long trek. You also need to trust me and know, that I do have your best interest’s close in mind. Be assured too that I will tell you everything and I will keep no secrets from any of you. If you have no further questions, I would like to retire. You are dismissed.”

When he stopped speaking there was some confused murmuring and they received some hard looks from a few individuals in the crowd. Victor said, “What can you expect? These people have just learned in an instant that their lives are about to drastically change.”

“Yes, they are all shocked and they think their whole life will be disturbed greatly.”

“Remember how confused I was when you first found me?”

“Yes, Victor,” said Taerg, “but these people seem even more disturbed than you were.”

“Well, Taerg as you know, everyone reacts differently. I was grateful for your help in saving my life. We need to be patient with them.”

“Like I was with you? This you know I can do Victor, but can you be that way for these people?”

“I know what you mean, I will do my best.”

“You always do your best Victor. I have no doubt about that, but these people, I’m wondering if they will cooperate.”

“So am I Taerg. So am I.”

The next morning everything went as planned. All the people cooperated, although some begrudgingly. It took a few trips but they brought all the people. On their final trip to the planet they landed on the glacier field and pointed them all in the direction they needed to travel. Then Victor and Taerg boarded their new ship the Luminous.

As they headed for the launch bay of the
Chamber of the Past
they wondered how the grand council would react to their report. They could not bring any of the colonists with them because they were not permitted in the
Chamber of the Past
or the
Cavern of Lights.

They figured that their new ship would barely fit with a little room to spare in the chamber. They were right and it was not long before they were sitting before the grand council once again. After giving their report, the grand council seemed relieved. The older woman spoke to them this time.

“Ambassador Taerg Esidarap and we will now call you Commander Victor Marcus, you have performed very admirably. We would therefore ask that the both of you from this moment on always be available to us so that we may consult with you concerning the affairs relating to your people commander. Is there anything that you would like to recommend that we do further?”

“There is one thing,” said Victor. “In approximately seven years, I believe they will be back with the ability to make fire rain down on your people from the sky. They presently have the ability to kill all of your people in only a few days. It would be easy for them just like snuffing out your candles at night. We must be prepared for their return.”

“You do understand though that we will not war with your people, they are our people. We will not kill our own. So, whatever you think we should do in preparation, always remember this. It has to be done without intentional killing.”

“I thought you would say something like that. I agree. I don’t want to fight a war with bloody violence either and yes, I do have an acceptable plan. However, I will need your help and wisdom to make this plan work.”

Yes, Victor had a good plan, an exceptionally good plan. It would take seven years to make the plan work. Nevertheless, it would work decisively, with finality, leaving the whole fleet at their mercy. Still, seven years was a long time. A lot could take place in seven years.

Chapter Nine: Tomorrow

As Taerg and Victor sat before the grand council once again, they both contemplated the future of
Paradise
. Everything depended on how the grand council would react to what Victor next said. Victor had already spent time explaining what he was about to say, to his friend Taerg, but Taerg had seen the military might of the Kastat people. Or rather, a glimpse of it, but only the part that went with colonizing a moon. Not the full military might of his people. Taerg had agreed with his scheme, but would they agree? The grand council had asked him about the details of his strategy for the return of a massive Homeworld fleet after seven years. Victor took a deep breath and began.

“First of all, I would like to say that I have grown to have a great love for your people and their way of life. I view you as my people now. I choose your side over the Kastat rebel race that has developed. I would never knowingly plan or do anything that would jeopardize this life that I have become a part of. On the contrary, I seek to safeguard it. To protect it without violence though, is an extremely difficult challenge. I fear the enemy that arrives will have the capability to completely destroy all life on this planet. Not just people, but the animals and even many plants too. We must be ready for the worst outcome that we can possibly imagine and make plans to avoid the same fate or worse that our people faced thousands of years ago.”

“My preparation program will in no way change overall village life and the way it operates. However, for some of your people and mine, a select few compared to your population, life needs to change greatly. We need to choose from among your people and mine capable people to take part in a program that will involve them willingly leaving village life for at least seven years. The individuals have to be the most intelligent you can find among your people. Relatively young and single, perhaps no older than Taerg. Very determined individuals that are willing to work tirelessly every day, for this cause. In order for them to have the correct motivation, they need to be told everything that we know about our current situation and our plans for the future.”

“We will need a total of two hundred individuals from the villages. I think it would be best to have these individuals recommended by you. You may need to travel to the various villages to collect these willing individuals. This plan involves them moving to the moon, until the invading fleet arrives. They must be willing to leave their families behind, for that whole time. Of course, you could allow them to visit their families once in a while. I would like to recommend once a year for only one week. They will not reveal to their families anything about their mission on the moon.

Taerg and I will likewise select two hundred of the Kastat people, to aid us in our efforts. Ten of these individuals will be chosen for the general maintenance and upkeep of the facility. The evacuated colonists should be arriving here within several weeks. When they do, we will test them out after they have lived among the people for one month. I think that during this time, it will become evident who will be qualified among them for this program. Some will not adapt well to village life. Others will. We will choose among those who are trying their best to become a part of the village that they are assigned to. I think two months is enough for us to choose all that will be involved in the program.”

“Every six months, Taerg and I will return to the surface to give you a report on our progress. Taerg’s family will need to move to the moon to be with him, so therefore they will need to be informed of the current situation and plan too. Taerg thinks his wife will agree, once she understands what is at stake.”

“The actual plan has four parts.”

“First, there will be a one-month testing program that will be set up by me. It will help me identify who is qualified to serve in three different divisions. Taerg will assist me in the selecting process. There will be a research and development division, a pilot training division and a device construction division.”

“Second, after everyone has been placed in their divisions, they will need to be educated in what their duties will entail. Much will depend on the research and development division’s success, so I will be spending most of my time with them. We will be developing two separate devices and a linked control program that will completely turn the battle in our favor. One device will deliver a powerful pulse that will completely disable all circuit boards and other electronic systems on their ships without affecting our ships and without physically harming anyone. Each of our thirty-two ships will have one of these devices. There will be another device put on each ship as well. It will be one that serves two functions: One, to generate an impenetrable shield; Two, to allow the whole fleet to be controlled by a computer system and program that I have for the most part already created.”

“Third, Taerg will command the pilot training division. For him to be able to do this, he will need the help of some highly trained pilots that will be selected from among my people. They will all be tested and trained vigorously.”

“Fourth, I will need to spend some time with the device construction division. Initially, to train them to construct electronic components among other items. All in preparation for the actual device construction which will take place after all the research and development has been completed. Fortunately, there is an extensive workshop already set up, on the
Luminous.
So we will move all of the workshop and its equipment to the office section of the hangar to construct the devices there. We will need plenty of room for storage.

After the research and development has been completed, the majority of those involved with that division will then join the device construction division to assist in the construction of all the devices. There will need to be many devices assembled. Not only will these be placed on each ship, but also hidden in each populated area on the planet and on the moon base that we will establish. It will be a formidable task to construct all these devices, testing each of them, and putting them in place. This is why all divisions will need to assist in this final endeavor.”

“Elders of the grand counsel, I cannot guarantee the safety of those selected for this mission. Therefore, I leave this in your hands. The decision is ultimately yours anyway. I will respect whatever you decide and I know that you will decide wisely in the interests of your people to protect them from this very real threat. If you have any ideas or instructions that will enhance these plans I certainly welcome them.”

“The female council member spoke first, “Commander Victor Marcus, we are indebted to you and Ambassador Esidarap in all your actions that you have performed for our people. Without even consulting with my fellow elders I personally already agree to your proposal. It is likely that they will as well. However, I would like to make a very important suggestion. When you set up your divisions, you need to organize them in a structured way. So that the most can be accomplished within your limited time frame. In regard to the authority of each division, I recommend that you have committee’s setup to decide on important matters within each division. Additionally, a committee should be set up to make decisions over all the divisions. Establish good regular communication between these committees. Make sure that no one is left in the dark on any matter. Once a week, have a meeting with the entire moon base personnel to keep everyone up to date on new developments.”

“Thank you, these are excellent suggestions. We will definitely put them in place once each division is organized.”

All of the other council members agreed and as soon as they were dismissed Victor said, “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I might have to do some persuading.”

“Yes,” said Taerg, “it is a good thing that they are not stubborn like Captain Anderson. They are really like you and me Victor. They have the best interests of the people at heart.”

“That is a very good thing my friend, especially when they choose the candidates for the program among the villagers. It will help them to choose well. I was pleased that they went along with that part of our proposal. It will be an incentive to have the villagers involved both for those who are selected and for my people. A noble cause for both groups to support unitedly, as a team initially and hopefully as friends eventually.”

*                       *                       *

It took two and a half weeks for the evacuated colonists to arrive. They did not look very cheerful. More like miserable, as they were tired, exhausted, in need of a bath and fed up with travelling by foot in the significant gravity. As soon as they appeared they were gathered and briefed by the grand council. Victor and Taerg attended this meeting that mostly informed them about the rules of village life. Serious instructions were given for them not to disclose to any of the villagers, who they really were. Once they learned how to speak the local language, they were instructed to say that they were from a land very far away. Which was generally true. They were permitted to say that they were from the same land that Victor came from, named Kastat. No more than this was to be revealed to them, for the reason that it would disrupt village life. If the inhabitants learned that there was a terrible threat from another world looming over their heads, it would confuse them and put many of them in fear.

There were over five thousand villages in the city of villages that was the capital of planet Paradise. It was a two day journey to walk across the entire city. Taerg’s village was near the center. He had enlightened his wife concerning the realities of the Kastat threat. She was shocked at first. She did not understand the concepts of other worlds. So, he patiently taught her these things using Victor’s methods. Understandably, at first she was against moving. Nevertheless, once she saw the wisdom of Victor’s plan and the support of the grand council, she was willing to relocate to the moon. They would bring their children and Taerg agreed that he could spend most evenings with the family. They told their children a more simplified version of the truth that they would expand upon as they grew older.

Each evacuated colonist was assigned to a different village. This was suggested by Victor. His reason was based on the rationale that if more than one colonist were assigned to each village, it would hinder them from learning. Victor had learned this lesson by being totally immersed in the language and culture himself. He said that if more than one were assigned to a particular village, then they would likely hang out with each other constantly talking their own language. It would slow down the goal of learning the language and ways of the people. It could even possibly lead to conspiracy and rebellion.

Everyone cooperated with this plan, although some were not fond of it at all and they did not mind showing it. Mainly, by treating the villagers like foolish barbarians. However, like it or not they were stuck there where they were placed, and they knew it. What else could they do? It was unwise to leave the safety of the villages and live all alone in the wilderness. By the end of two months the general feeling among most seemed to be: “We are stuck here, so we might as well make the best of it.” It was from among individuals with positive attitudes like these, that Taerg and Victor made their selections.

Lieutenant Julia Dixon, the former commander of the moon colony was among those picked. Like Victor, she immediately fell in love with the village life and with the people of her village. She had the tone of excitement in her voice as she spoke with Victor and Taerg about the villagers. She said that one of the families in particular showed her kindness, took her into their home and treated her like she was part of the family. The children were affectionately calling her “tall sister.”

In the end, Victor and Taerg were satisfied with their choice of willing candidates. When all had been selected for the program, they made plans to transport them to the moon. The small fleet of ships that they were left with, were just enough to carry four hundred six people. There were thirty-one vessels, plus the larger
Luminous
. This ship could be operated by two people, but one hundred seventy-five could snugly fit themselves on board. For the other ships it was a little more cramped but the duration of the flight would be less than a day. Although there was plenty of food on the moon to keep everyone well fed, still, the villagers insisted on taking food and water supplies with them. Victor thought, “If it makes them happy, why not let them bring these things?” They were only doing what they naturally did every time they went on a journey. Preparing for the trip. Besides, now that Victor was used to the tasteful food of planet
Paradise
, the thought of eating the rations aboard the
Luminous
was not very appealing.

Victor and Taerg had to make two trips to drop off two hundred and thirty-one at the glacial regions. Then while these were preparing the ships for the trip to the moon they returned with the remaining one hundred seventy-five. The whole fleet then departed from
Paradise
to head for the moon, with the
Luminous
leading the way. Taerg piloted the
Luminous
the entire way. He had been practicing for three hours every day in the simulator, to hone his skills. Victor watched him pilot the
Luminous,
he was profoundly impressed with Taerg’s performance. He had to acknowledge that Taerg was now ahead of him, in piloting skills. This development pleased him greatly.