This blog is the home of the final projects of the students in my Philosophy and Science Fiction class at Northwestern College in the Spring semester of 2009. On this front post you'll find links to our collection of thirty-something essays and stories. Please have a look around! And if you read something you like, please leave a comment as an encouragement to the author!
Essays
"What Does It Mean to be Human?" by Anna Bartlett
"Predestination vs. Free Will," by Erika German
An essay on free will by Baylie Heims
"Robots as Human Beings," by Kristen Humphrey
An Essay on Personal Identity by Sarah Kugler
"Logical and Philosophical Issues of Time Travel and Science Fiction," by Tim Van Dyke
"What Makes a Hero Super?" by Bryce Vander Stelt
"Truth, Knowledge, and The X-Files," by Kelsey White
Stories
"A Tale of Time Travel," by Caleb Bearss
"Flaw and Order (a modern-day Socratic Dialogue)," by Martin Beeler
"The Magic Box," by Mihai Burlea
"Brave New World?" by Nick Crippin
"Utopia," by Tim De Haan
"Michael and the Robot," by Kailen Fleck
"The Prosthetic Man," by Phil Hegeman
A story by Joel Katsma
"Are Robots Moral?" by Beth Kosters
"The Unexamined Life," by Bob Latchaw
A story by Holly Lawrence
A story by Evan Lundell
"The Chill," by Brody McNellis
"Daytime," by Alex Menning
"The Grand Experiment," by Taylor Mugge
"Power," by Blake Norris
"Knowledge is Power," by Brandon Ogren
"Burden of Proof," by Emily Papp
"The Holy Star," by Hannah Sauerwein
"Hilo," by Dan Sikkema
"The Colony," by Jeff Swart
A story by Matt Vander Molen
"Forbidden Fruit," by Adam Verhoef
"Brain Change," by Greg White (Gregorio El Blanco)
A dialogue by Noel Wotherspoon
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
"What Does It Mean to be Human?" by Anna Bartlett
A common theme among science fiction films and novels is the question of what it means to be a human. The struggle to define ‘human’ is usually in the context of artificial intelligence—robots gone sentimental—or instances where human beings are living like zombies. Somehow the distinction seems to be in the ability to have emotions.
Today’s culture can be numbing. It seems like anger today is petty. More often than not, what we call anger is either a self-righteous call for sympathy or empathy or it is the result of a false sense of self-importance. Television has made it possible for us to be exposed to much of humanity’s horror and we therefore often lose our capacity to be horrified or to feel impersonal righteous anger. ‘Love’ is a word bandied about in so many shallow contexts that we often do not even realize the depth that is intrinsic in the word.
The Giver by Lois Lowry is formed around just such a situation. The Giver is set in a community formed on the basis of socialism. They have chosen to live with Sameness. The community is subjected to Climate Control, so there is no snow or rain, no clouds, no sunshine; therefore, nothing has color. The land is all flat; there are no animals. The Elders make all decisions, including spouse, children, and career. Each family is allowed one boy and one girl. Only those women assigned ‘birthmother’ as a career actually have babies, so the deep and intrinsic connection between mother and child does not exist in any of the families. The elderly are ‘released’ from the community once they reach a certain state of functioning. This ‘releasing’ is a celebration for the elderly, a sad occasion for infants who are not suitable, and a punishment for wrong-doers. The belief the community members hold is that those who are released are merely sent to another community. When someone reaches puberty he or she begins taking pills daily that essentially squelch sexual desire and severely subdue all other emotions.
Most importantly, the community members, save one, have no recollection of life ever being any different. They have no memories of the world up to the establishment of Sameness and therefore, since they do not experience it in their own lives, they have no idea what pain is, what grief is, what it is like to be passionately angry, to feel self-sacrificing love. They do not know what cruelty or injustice are. Only one man, The Giver, understands these emotions, for he alone holds all the memories of the history of the world.
The book follows the life of Jonas, a twelve-year-old boy who has just been selected as the successor of The Giver. The Giver begins transferring his memories to Jonas, who will eventually bear the burden of memory-holding alone. Jonas now experiences pain, hunger, and love, snow, and sunshine. He begins to see colors. He stops taking his daily pill and begins to experience every sensation with a new depth. In introducing himself and his task, The Giver explains that he holds the memories of the whole world. Jonas replies, “I don’t understand. Do you mean not just us? Not just the community? Do you mean Elsewhere, too? . . . I thought there was only us. I thought there was only now” (Lowry 78).
The Giver’s central concern is what it means to be human. The community is a dehumanizing environment. The people have come close to being robots. Freedom of choice and experiencing a wide range of sensory stimuli and emotions are what enriches the human experience. Neither of these factors is allowed in the restrictive environment of the community. Anything aesthetic or creative, anything threatening to stretch the boundaries, is not even spoken of. There is no room for debate because there is only one side of the road. Having every emotion and experience in the middle of the spectrum is neither desirable nor beneficial. Sameness may bring the highest degree of equality possible, but at the cost of experiencing life as God intended humans to experience it. The author of Ecclesiastes reflects on the meaning of life. Ecclesiastes 3 says: “There is a time for everything, / and a season for every activity under heaven . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, / a time to mourn and a time to dance . . . a time to love and a time to hate” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, 7). As God planned, humans are intended to experience both sides of every emotion.
The members of the community do feel emotions, to some degree. Every night after supper, every family sits in a circle and shares their emotions from the day and then talk through them to help remove these emotions. After Jonas stops taking the pill, he realizes the frivolity of these family sessions. One night Jonas’s seven-year-old sister explains her anger when someone broke the play area rules, but now Jonas realizes that what Lily calls anger is actually “shallow impatience and exasperation” (Lowry 132). He knew this because he had now experienced real anger: “Now he had, in the memories, experienced injustice and cruelty, and he had reacted with rage that welled up so passionately inside him that the thought of discussing it calmly at the evening meal was unthinkable” (Lowry 132). The petty anger he had been used to feeling no is overshadowed by his newfound capacity to feel intense, justified anger.
Jonas also now realizes the need for communities to share the burden of deep emotions. “He knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions like those. These were deeper and they did not need to be told. They were felt” (Lowry 132). Unfortunately no one can understand these emotions through words, only through experiences, and no one can experience them without the memories that Jonas and The Giver possess. “He [Jonas] felt such love for Asher and for Fiona. But they could not feel it back, without the memories” (Lowry 135). Having unrequited love in every one of your relationships is a lonely state to be in. When Jonas first experiences love through a memory of a Christmas celebration, Jonas asks his parents if they love him. They explain that the word ‘love’ has become almost obsolete; their answer, then, to his question is that they enjoy him and take pride in his accomplishments (Lowry 127). It can be argued that all any human being really wants is to be loved. If you live in a community that does not know what love is, that desire will never be gratified, even if never discovered.
There is nothing explicitly wrong with living a life of comprehensive mediocrity. No one except Jonas and The Giver has ever known any differently than these mild emotions; the people cannot regret their circumstances because they know nothing of the alternative. The people are happy, they are spared the possibility of experiencing pain or other negative feelings, and they do not have to stress over choosing the direction their life will take and possibly dealing with the consequences of choosing badly. However, there is a possibility of greater overall happiness in life that comes with the ability to experience the whole spectrum of emotions. You cannot choose only the positive emotions and eliminate all negative ones. Experiencing the one leads to an appreciation of the other. How can you know what joy really is if you have never experienced suffering?
Alfred Lord Tennyson illustrated this truth in his poem “In Memoriam.” This poem was written as a response to the death of one of Tennyson’s very close friends. One famous line reads: “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Tennyson experienced a deep love and in consequence experienced a deep grief, but the love was worth the grief. Living on the safe, mediocre track in the middle is less gratifying in the long run. Jonas’s response to his first memory of love is a desire to have love in the community but also a realization that it would not work because it is a dangerous way to live. When The Giver asks him what he means, he hesitates: “He wasn’t certain, really, what he had meant. He could feel that there was risk involved, though he wasn’t sure how” (Lowry 126). There is a great risk of pain that comes with the ability and the choice to love someone. The leaders of the community are perhaps not committing such an atrocity after all in commandeering the lives of the inhabitants because they desire to spare them as much pain and suffering as possible. However, there is intrinsic value in every emotion. Anger can be the catalyst for social improvement, grief can inspire great artistic achievement, pain can produce an empathy that creates deep connections to other people. There is value in the extremes. Is not the fulfillment of life experiencing the range of emotions and sense that we are capable of, whether it be sorrow or joy? If God created us with the capacity to feel deep emotions, we should live in a way that does not restrict that God-given capacity.
Paul emphasizes the need for humans to experience the full range of emotions and experiences; we should “rejoice in our sufferings” and “delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties” (2 Corinthians 12:10, Romans 5:5). God is glorified when we suffer for His sake or maintain our faith and devotion to Him through tough times. Christ experienced great suffering; we are to share in His suffering and thereby share in His joy as well.
Jonas and The Giver were right to want to change the community. Some of The Giver’s last words to Jonas encompass the belief in the necessity of understanding what it means to be human: “My work will be finished . . . when I have helped the community to change and become whole” (Lowry 162). The community is missing something vital by lacking deep emotions, and they are unable to fully live, to truly connect to one another, and to be wholly human without the possibility of experiencing deep pain and deep love.
However, we must not only live in the extreme sides of emotions. Aristotle, in his “Nicomachean Ethics,” discusses the importance of finding virtue in the middle ground:
For instance, both fear and confidence and appetite and anger and pity and in general pleasure and pain may be felt both too much and too little, and in both cases not well; but to feel them at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way, is what is both intermediate and best, and this is characteristic of virtue. (“Nicomachean Ethics”)
Without the extremes, the ‘intermediate’, where virtue is found, would mean nothing. The value in middle ground emotions is that “virtue both finds and chooses that which is intermediate” (“Nicomachean Ethics”) when presented with the extremes on either side. It is the choosing of the appropriate emotion that brings value to that emotion.
Blade Runner also brings up the question of what it means to be a human. The Replicants have come to Earth because they desperately want to find a way to extend their life. A desire to survive is not uniquely human. All creatures desire survival above all else. The lives of animals are completely structured around trying to survive. Therefore Roy’s moments of grief for Pris’s death, his choice to save Deckard’s life, and his poignant death scene do not indicate that he is capable of feeling emotion, but rather that he is a creature as averse to death as any other creature. Nor is the repeated reference to living in fear something uniquely human. All animals experience fear. What seems to indicate that the Replicants are indeed human, then, is Rachael’s distress in discovering that she is a Replicant and her declared love for Deckard. Rachael realizes that if her memories are implants, then she does not know which experiences she actually went through; she no longer has an identity. Coupled with this is the knowledge that Replicants were designed to not feel emotions. A true Replicant would not understand the significance of the loss that Rachael goes through in realizing that her emotions are not the true emotions a typical human experiences. Rachael’s desire to prove she is human and her eventual love for Deckard cause the viewer to stop and think more seriously whether or not these Replicants could be humans.
Feeling emotion is an inextricable element of being a human. The more the capacity to feel emotion is willfully suppressed, the more we separate ourselves from the essence of humanity. Our ability to feel the extremes of emotions should be tempered by an understanding of when emotions are appropriate. To fully live to our potential, we must be able to experience to our full potential—our lives should not be willfully restricted by higher authorities, using Pleasantville as a paradigm. Humans must be able to feel the depths of love, sorrow, joy, pain, and “everything under the sun.”
Today’s culture can be numbing. It seems like anger today is petty. More often than not, what we call anger is either a self-righteous call for sympathy or empathy or it is the result of a false sense of self-importance. Television has made it possible for us to be exposed to much of humanity’s horror and we therefore often lose our capacity to be horrified or to feel impersonal righteous anger. ‘Love’ is a word bandied about in so many shallow contexts that we often do not even realize the depth that is intrinsic in the word.
The Giver by Lois Lowry is formed around just such a situation. The Giver is set in a community formed on the basis of socialism. They have chosen to live with Sameness. The community is subjected to Climate Control, so there is no snow or rain, no clouds, no sunshine; therefore, nothing has color. The land is all flat; there are no animals. The Elders make all decisions, including spouse, children, and career. Each family is allowed one boy and one girl. Only those women assigned ‘birthmother’ as a career actually have babies, so the deep and intrinsic connection between mother and child does not exist in any of the families. The elderly are ‘released’ from the community once they reach a certain state of functioning. This ‘releasing’ is a celebration for the elderly, a sad occasion for infants who are not suitable, and a punishment for wrong-doers. The belief the community members hold is that those who are released are merely sent to another community. When someone reaches puberty he or she begins taking pills daily that essentially squelch sexual desire and severely subdue all other emotions.
Most importantly, the community members, save one, have no recollection of life ever being any different. They have no memories of the world up to the establishment of Sameness and therefore, since they do not experience it in their own lives, they have no idea what pain is, what grief is, what it is like to be passionately angry, to feel self-sacrificing love. They do not know what cruelty or injustice are. Only one man, The Giver, understands these emotions, for he alone holds all the memories of the history of the world.
The book follows the life of Jonas, a twelve-year-old boy who has just been selected as the successor of The Giver. The Giver begins transferring his memories to Jonas, who will eventually bear the burden of memory-holding alone. Jonas now experiences pain, hunger, and love, snow, and sunshine. He begins to see colors. He stops taking his daily pill and begins to experience every sensation with a new depth. In introducing himself and his task, The Giver explains that he holds the memories of the whole world. Jonas replies, “I don’t understand. Do you mean not just us? Not just the community? Do you mean Elsewhere, too? . . . I thought there was only us. I thought there was only now” (Lowry 78).
The Giver’s central concern is what it means to be human. The community is a dehumanizing environment. The people have come close to being robots. Freedom of choice and experiencing a wide range of sensory stimuli and emotions are what enriches the human experience. Neither of these factors is allowed in the restrictive environment of the community. Anything aesthetic or creative, anything threatening to stretch the boundaries, is not even spoken of. There is no room for debate because there is only one side of the road. Having every emotion and experience in the middle of the spectrum is neither desirable nor beneficial. Sameness may bring the highest degree of equality possible, but at the cost of experiencing life as God intended humans to experience it. The author of Ecclesiastes reflects on the meaning of life. Ecclesiastes 3 says: “There is a time for everything, / and a season for every activity under heaven . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, / a time to mourn and a time to dance . . . a time to love and a time to hate” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, 7). As God planned, humans are intended to experience both sides of every emotion.
The members of the community do feel emotions, to some degree. Every night after supper, every family sits in a circle and shares their emotions from the day and then talk through them to help remove these emotions. After Jonas stops taking the pill, he realizes the frivolity of these family sessions. One night Jonas’s seven-year-old sister explains her anger when someone broke the play area rules, but now Jonas realizes that what Lily calls anger is actually “shallow impatience and exasperation” (Lowry 132). He knew this because he had now experienced real anger: “Now he had, in the memories, experienced injustice and cruelty, and he had reacted with rage that welled up so passionately inside him that the thought of discussing it calmly at the evening meal was unthinkable” (Lowry 132). The petty anger he had been used to feeling no is overshadowed by his newfound capacity to feel intense, justified anger.
Jonas also now realizes the need for communities to share the burden of deep emotions. “He knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions like those. These were deeper and they did not need to be told. They were felt” (Lowry 132). Unfortunately no one can understand these emotions through words, only through experiences, and no one can experience them without the memories that Jonas and The Giver possess. “He [Jonas] felt such love for Asher and for Fiona. But they could not feel it back, without the memories” (Lowry 135). Having unrequited love in every one of your relationships is a lonely state to be in. When Jonas first experiences love through a memory of a Christmas celebration, Jonas asks his parents if they love him. They explain that the word ‘love’ has become almost obsolete; their answer, then, to his question is that they enjoy him and take pride in his accomplishments (Lowry 127). It can be argued that all any human being really wants is to be loved. If you live in a community that does not know what love is, that desire will never be gratified, even if never discovered.
There is nothing explicitly wrong with living a life of comprehensive mediocrity. No one except Jonas and The Giver has ever known any differently than these mild emotions; the people cannot regret their circumstances because they know nothing of the alternative. The people are happy, they are spared the possibility of experiencing pain or other negative feelings, and they do not have to stress over choosing the direction their life will take and possibly dealing with the consequences of choosing badly. However, there is a possibility of greater overall happiness in life that comes with the ability to experience the whole spectrum of emotions. You cannot choose only the positive emotions and eliminate all negative ones. Experiencing the one leads to an appreciation of the other. How can you know what joy really is if you have never experienced suffering?
Alfred Lord Tennyson illustrated this truth in his poem “In Memoriam.” This poem was written as a response to the death of one of Tennyson’s very close friends. One famous line reads: “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Tennyson experienced a deep love and in consequence experienced a deep grief, but the love was worth the grief. Living on the safe, mediocre track in the middle is less gratifying in the long run. Jonas’s response to his first memory of love is a desire to have love in the community but also a realization that it would not work because it is a dangerous way to live. When The Giver asks him what he means, he hesitates: “He wasn’t certain, really, what he had meant. He could feel that there was risk involved, though he wasn’t sure how” (Lowry 126). There is a great risk of pain that comes with the ability and the choice to love someone. The leaders of the community are perhaps not committing such an atrocity after all in commandeering the lives of the inhabitants because they desire to spare them as much pain and suffering as possible. However, there is intrinsic value in every emotion. Anger can be the catalyst for social improvement, grief can inspire great artistic achievement, pain can produce an empathy that creates deep connections to other people. There is value in the extremes. Is not the fulfillment of life experiencing the range of emotions and sense that we are capable of, whether it be sorrow or joy? If God created us with the capacity to feel deep emotions, we should live in a way that does not restrict that God-given capacity.
Paul emphasizes the need for humans to experience the full range of emotions and experiences; we should “rejoice in our sufferings” and “delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties” (2 Corinthians 12:10, Romans 5:5). God is glorified when we suffer for His sake or maintain our faith and devotion to Him through tough times. Christ experienced great suffering; we are to share in His suffering and thereby share in His joy as well.
Jonas and The Giver were right to want to change the community. Some of The Giver’s last words to Jonas encompass the belief in the necessity of understanding what it means to be human: “My work will be finished . . . when I have helped the community to change and become whole” (Lowry 162). The community is missing something vital by lacking deep emotions, and they are unable to fully live, to truly connect to one another, and to be wholly human without the possibility of experiencing deep pain and deep love.
However, we must not only live in the extreme sides of emotions. Aristotle, in his “Nicomachean Ethics,” discusses the importance of finding virtue in the middle ground:
For instance, both fear and confidence and appetite and anger and pity and in general pleasure and pain may be felt both too much and too little, and in both cases not well; but to feel them at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way, is what is both intermediate and best, and this is characteristic of virtue. (“Nicomachean Ethics”)
Without the extremes, the ‘intermediate’, where virtue is found, would mean nothing. The value in middle ground emotions is that “virtue both finds and chooses that which is intermediate” (“Nicomachean Ethics”) when presented with the extremes on either side. It is the choosing of the appropriate emotion that brings value to that emotion.
Blade Runner also brings up the question of what it means to be a human. The Replicants have come to Earth because they desperately want to find a way to extend their life. A desire to survive is not uniquely human. All creatures desire survival above all else. The lives of animals are completely structured around trying to survive. Therefore Roy’s moments of grief for Pris’s death, his choice to save Deckard’s life, and his poignant death scene do not indicate that he is capable of feeling emotion, but rather that he is a creature as averse to death as any other creature. Nor is the repeated reference to living in fear something uniquely human. All animals experience fear. What seems to indicate that the Replicants are indeed human, then, is Rachael’s distress in discovering that she is a Replicant and her declared love for Deckard. Rachael realizes that if her memories are implants, then she does not know which experiences she actually went through; she no longer has an identity. Coupled with this is the knowledge that Replicants were designed to not feel emotions. A true Replicant would not understand the significance of the loss that Rachael goes through in realizing that her emotions are not the true emotions a typical human experiences. Rachael’s desire to prove she is human and her eventual love for Deckard cause the viewer to stop and think more seriously whether or not these Replicants could be humans.
Feeling emotion is an inextricable element of being a human. The more the capacity to feel emotion is willfully suppressed, the more we separate ourselves from the essence of humanity. Our ability to feel the extremes of emotions should be tempered by an understanding of when emotions are appropriate. To fully live to our potential, we must be able to experience to our full potential—our lives should not be willfully restricted by higher authorities, using Pleasantville as a paradigm. Humans must be able to feel the depths of love, sorrow, joy, pain, and “everything under the sun.”
"A Tale of Time Travel," by Caleb Bearss
It was the fifth of March when it happened. What am I talking about; well you see Mr. Tucker was a very special boy, well a prodigy really. I can't tell what year it is, well I know what year it is, I just can't tell you. You may be asking yourself, why, why can't he tell me what year it is? Well I guess it's because it just doesn't matter. Back to Mr. Tucker now, as I have said he was a prodigy, and on the night before his twenty-first birthday he had created the first Particle Acceleration Device, PAD for short. At first the PAD, by ways uncertain to me, accelerated the particles of any object put on the Particle Acceleration Platform (PAP). The particles accelerate at superluminal speeds; after sped up to the correct speed for the distance the object is needed to travel the particles are encased in Anzium, undoubtedly the shiniest of all metals. Anzium is a metal of strange qualities. Anzium has been tested at the extremes of the extreme temperatures and stays structurally identical. Anzium if moved and shaped slowly is the softest of all metals, what makes it so good for time travel is that at speeds faster than 60 miles per hour the outer wall of the Anzium shell the particles are encased in will never and can never break or crack in anyway, they actually have to keep the Anzium shells vibrating at 60 mph at all times or over the course of weeks they will lost their shape, while the inner wall of Anzium stays as soft as a bed of foam. It is said that Anzium was actually discovered by Samuel Graive. Scientist aren't completely sure if Anzium was discovered or actually invented by Samuel Graive, when asked about it Samuel denied ever hearing about such a metal let alone invented it. At any rate Anzium was the only thing that kept the subjects alive during extensive time experiments. Again at the age of twenty-five Mr. Tucker invented something else, the vision he had had for himself his whole life, a personal PAD, which he so ingeniously named PPAD (Personal Particle Acceleration Device). The PPADs work in a similar fashion to the PAD, but instead of the PAP, the PPAD uses what is called a Chronovisor, which is a set of goggles that let the user view the interface of the PPAD, after the time of transportation is picked the Chronovisor then starts it's highly powerful tumblers. The tumblers take one third the time to accelerate the particles of the human body then the PAP takes.
I guess I should tell you a little about Mr. Tucker before I go on. He is a very tall man, which makes his motions seem awkward and heavy. Ever since his terrible accident, which happened when he was only eleven years old, he had not been able to keep a steady hand. This is one of the reasons that he needs his assistant Philbius Graive, without him Mr. Tucker would have never been able to complete the device, you see there is much work in which one would need a steady hand to accomplish. Mr. Tucker is about seven feet tall; people sometimes wonder how anyone could get so tall, if anyone does ask him how he will usually come up with sometime that he thinks is clever, like “genetic experiments gone screwy” or “Implants!”, sometime he just mumbles something about quantum this or genetic manipulation this, blah blah blah.
Not much is known about Mr. Tucker’s family, but records do say that they left him a very large sum of money when they died. All of Tommy's family died right around his eighth birthday, the family while on the way to the airport, they were going on vacation. Mr. Tucker is the only want who survived that terrible accident that took place that night. Mr. Tucker has told me that he no longer will talk about it.
After the invention of PPADs Mr. Tucker felt as though all of the things that he wanted to accomplished had been done and so he retired leaving Philbius to run the experiments on his own. Most of Philbius' experiments consisted of sending different objects into the past to see if it would change the present, which really wouldn't work out to well. Philbius says that Mr. Tucker sabotaged one of his experiments, which never really happened Philbius sees things, he does go day on end with no sleep performing those tests. So after he claimed to see this happen the first time he went in search of Mr. Tucker, so he made my way to Mr. Tucker's house. When he arrived Mr. Tucker wasn't there, but Philbius knew that he still lived at the house, no one else has such a nice looking place in this neighborhood. He hide in Mr. Tuckers room, Philbius hide there until he came back, he hide there with a club in his hands, he was there until Mr. Tucker fell asleep. After her had fallen asleep, Philbius snuck up to Mr. Tucker's bed and hit him on the head with the club, just hard enough to knock him out for a good amount of time. When he woke up he found himself still in his own house but he was strapped to a chair with a PPAD attached to his wrist counting down to the point the speed of particle acceleration was meet. Philbius did however leave a recording on the PPAD for Mr. Tucker, most of which was indecipherable after the jump; the only thing Mr. Tucker could make out was Philbius saying something about proving that there was multiverse. He did notice that the place he ended up was very different from the place he left.
“Well I guess that would happen after all, things being different...” Mr. Tucker said, talking to himself. “What did Phil mean when he said he had proved that there was a multiverse? I mean the whole concept of a multiverse brings up more questions than it answers. I first time I heard about the multiverse was in Rob Bryanton's Imagining the Tenth Dimension. Infinite possibilities over infinite time lines over infinite universes. One of the problems that a multiverse brings up is that if there are infinite possibilities over infinite time lines in infinite universes then one of the universes would have created a being that has the power to destroy all other universes and in one universe this being has already used this power, meaning that we wouldn't even exist, at one point we did though, but wait in still another universe a being was created that could stop all of the other universes from being destroyed, you can go on infinitely when the possibilities, seriously you could go on forever. But since the second Law of Thermodynamics states that usable energy decreases over time a universe would burn out eventually as the molecules and energy become evenly distributed. Thus ruling out any claims that any universe could be eternal, however, this would make a multiverse desirable. A multiverse would be necessary in the maintaining life, may it be human or otherwise.”
After explaining all of this to himself Mr. Tucker set off for the nearest building. The dome shaped building was the largest he had ever seen, it seemed to be made of metal, an extremely shiny metal at that. Mr. Tucker noticed that the days were less bright here. While traversing his way to the dome shaped building he saw something shining in the distance, a lot of something at that.
“I wonder why that is so...” thinks Mr. Tucker “I wonder if it is because the sun has become a red giant. If so the Earth, since it has survived the expending of the sun, would have had to have been pushed out into space so it would not be engulfed by the sun. They seem much closer I suppose...”
Mr. Tucker's voice trailed off at the sight of an unknown creature. This creature from what he could tell looked much like an elephant, a very small one, but only walked on two legs and was very agile. Not thinking he chased after it. When he had almost caught up to the creature he tripped, flying through the air he landed on his head and was knocked unconscious. He woke to a strange buzzing noise. He did not know how much time had passed. He found himself in a strange place, not anywhere he saw outside, not even from far away.
He saw the small creature again and was startled. Thinking of all of the bad things that could happen and could have already happened he backed away. While backing away he heard the creature speak to him, but not with words. The creature wasn't even moving its mouth. It said “Mr. Tucker, do not me I know all about your predicament. My people call me Big Bear. We are all but extinction now. Your people have killed almost all of us. You need to find a way to destroy your time travel device. Your partner Mr. Graive was correct, there is a multiverse and we are just the occupants of this one. Ever since you created your device people have been coming to this universe and killing my people, they think us to not obtain consciousness, but they are wrong! If you do not find a way to stop yourself from creating the device then all of my people will die and the multiverse will become unbalanced.”
After that the creature ran away Mr. Tucker didn't know what exactly he should do now that he doesn't even know where the dome is. He decided to get out of the cave. When he exited the dwelling he saw a strange forest, the kind of which he had never seen. He thought it strange knowing that he saw no forest where he was before. Even the sky here is blue, it showed the sun at its previous state, not as a red giant but a as the yellow dwarf it once was. The sky reminded Mr. Tucker of home. He at that moment remembered something that the creature, who called himself Big Bear, said something, something that Mr. Tucker didn't think he had actually heard at the time, something he thought he heard in a dream. Big Bear told him that he was going to bring him to the dome, since that's were his people had lived, so there was plenty of food and drink there. Mr. Tucker hurried to find something to eat since he was hungry, and did not know how long he had been outside. When he found water he drank it, so much that it made him sick. After a while of letting his stomach settle he continued to explore the place he was in, which he now knew was the dome shaped building he saw outside. Not too long after he set off he found the food he was looking for, or at least he thought it was food, it smelled good but looked completely disgusting. Mr. Tucker had to choke down the food, which did not taste as good as it smelled. After eating the, what must have been rotten, food he took rest.
While Mr. Tucker was dreaming he had a dream, one that did make any sense at the time. His dream was about Big Bear talking to him but he couldn’t understand anything that Big Bear was saying. He awoke dazed and confused and stay like that for much of the day. He wondered around until he found something that he had never seen before, something shiny. It was a piece of the metal that the building was constructed out of. He had this strange feeling that he needed to examine this strange metal. Complied he examined it; the strange metal was Anzium, and then it came to him; all of the shiny metal he saw outside must have been Anzium nodes. But then how did it get to his universe.
“There is only one way that it would be possible” he said. “Mr. Graive would have had to create his own time machine, travel to this exact universe, and bring enough of it back for me to use in my device. But as far as I know Anzium is the only way to get the subject safe from one point to another. I guess it is always possible for there to be a different way to keep the subject safe during travel, but I just haven’t figured out another way to do it yet. Hmm… maybe if we could somehow figure out a way to keep water in its liquid state will also keeping it in a certain shape then maybe just maybe that would protect the subject long enough for him or her to travel through time or he could have used the PAD that I would have made, using some other material for the shell, which would have taken longer, and then traveled into the future, well another dimension’s future. There he would have discovered Anzium, and brought it back to the past, where he knew I could use it for the shell so that I could would create the device much sooner than before…”
The earth began to shake. It felt as if the ground was opening its’ mouth to swallow up the gargantuan building. Mr. Tucker tried to run for safety when he tripped, hit his head, and was knocked unconscious.
When he woke up it was dark, so dark that he couldn’t even see his own hands. He stumbled around feeling the walls so that he could get a good picture of the room in his mind. He searched until he found something that felt like a door, he knew it, he was being held here by something, what it was he had no idea, but something was trying to keep him in that room. He just wanted to go home. As he thought about it he wondered “Maybe this is a stupid idea, but I wonder if the door is open”, as it turned out it was. When he left the room he instantly felt like he was being watched. He was being watched by the thing that put him in that room. He needed to go; he needed to hurry and just go, he felt like if he didn’t get out of there he didn’t know what would happen.
He was leaving when he saw it. It looked as if it was, or used to be, human, but it seemed like it had no bones, just a glob of jelly in chair. The image of that person… the creature… that thing would stick in his mind forever. He felt like just seeing it gave it control over him, even if it was only a small amount and so he ran… he ran until his legs gave out. When he couldn’t run anymore he knew that he was far enough away.
“There are all of these strange creatures on this planet, dimension, all very different from anything you could find back home. All with strange powers. All of them could kill me and I don’t know why they haven’t. Maybe they just want to make it harder on me, being here and all. I think that must be what they are trying to do. Maybe they don’t want to harm me at all. Maybe, just maybe, but probably not, I mean why they wouldn’t want to harm me is beyond me. I bet on could even suck the intelligence from me, so why, why don’t they just do it already.”
As he said that he walked toward what he thought was a cavern. It was light shining inside the cavern and he heard voices. “Could it be?” he thought “Could it be… others?” When he entered the cavern there was a great surge of light. He rushed into the room where all the noise was coming from. Where he found it a new PPAD just lying there, he took it and used it.
Now Mr. Tucker is back at home. Back to sipping scotch and smoking cigars, he once says that he would never forget what happened that night. In his later years Mr. Tucker wrote a book about this experience, it was titled, My Tale of Time Travel and Big Bear, the Friend I met in a Different Dimension. It was a best seller, but no one thought that any of it was true, you see, no one had the chance to travel to that dimension. Which was okay for Mr. Tucker, he would wish that fate no one, not even his is biggest enemy.
I guess I should tell you a little about Mr. Tucker before I go on. He is a very tall man, which makes his motions seem awkward and heavy. Ever since his terrible accident, which happened when he was only eleven years old, he had not been able to keep a steady hand. This is one of the reasons that he needs his assistant Philbius Graive, without him Mr. Tucker would have never been able to complete the device, you see there is much work in which one would need a steady hand to accomplish. Mr. Tucker is about seven feet tall; people sometimes wonder how anyone could get so tall, if anyone does ask him how he will usually come up with sometime that he thinks is clever, like “genetic experiments gone screwy” or “Implants!”, sometime he just mumbles something about quantum this or genetic manipulation this, blah blah blah.
Not much is known about Mr. Tucker’s family, but records do say that they left him a very large sum of money when they died. All of Tommy's family died right around his eighth birthday, the family while on the way to the airport, they were going on vacation. Mr. Tucker is the only want who survived that terrible accident that took place that night. Mr. Tucker has told me that he no longer will talk about it.
After the invention of PPADs Mr. Tucker felt as though all of the things that he wanted to accomplished had been done and so he retired leaving Philbius to run the experiments on his own. Most of Philbius' experiments consisted of sending different objects into the past to see if it would change the present, which really wouldn't work out to well. Philbius says that Mr. Tucker sabotaged one of his experiments, which never really happened Philbius sees things, he does go day on end with no sleep performing those tests. So after he claimed to see this happen the first time he went in search of Mr. Tucker, so he made my way to Mr. Tucker's house. When he arrived Mr. Tucker wasn't there, but Philbius knew that he still lived at the house, no one else has such a nice looking place in this neighborhood. He hide in Mr. Tuckers room, Philbius hide there until he came back, he hide there with a club in his hands, he was there until Mr. Tucker fell asleep. After her had fallen asleep, Philbius snuck up to Mr. Tucker's bed and hit him on the head with the club, just hard enough to knock him out for a good amount of time. When he woke up he found himself still in his own house but he was strapped to a chair with a PPAD attached to his wrist counting down to the point the speed of particle acceleration was meet. Philbius did however leave a recording on the PPAD for Mr. Tucker, most of which was indecipherable after the jump; the only thing Mr. Tucker could make out was Philbius saying something about proving that there was multiverse. He did notice that the place he ended up was very different from the place he left.
“Well I guess that would happen after all, things being different...” Mr. Tucker said, talking to himself. “What did Phil mean when he said he had proved that there was a multiverse? I mean the whole concept of a multiverse brings up more questions than it answers. I first time I heard about the multiverse was in Rob Bryanton's Imagining the Tenth Dimension. Infinite possibilities over infinite time lines over infinite universes. One of the problems that a multiverse brings up is that if there are infinite possibilities over infinite time lines in infinite universes then one of the universes would have created a being that has the power to destroy all other universes and in one universe this being has already used this power, meaning that we wouldn't even exist, at one point we did though, but wait in still another universe a being was created that could stop all of the other universes from being destroyed, you can go on infinitely when the possibilities, seriously you could go on forever. But since the second Law of Thermodynamics states that usable energy decreases over time a universe would burn out eventually as the molecules and energy become evenly distributed. Thus ruling out any claims that any universe could be eternal, however, this would make a multiverse desirable. A multiverse would be necessary in the maintaining life, may it be human or otherwise.”
After explaining all of this to himself Mr. Tucker set off for the nearest building. The dome shaped building was the largest he had ever seen, it seemed to be made of metal, an extremely shiny metal at that. Mr. Tucker noticed that the days were less bright here. While traversing his way to the dome shaped building he saw something shining in the distance, a lot of something at that.
“I wonder why that is so...” thinks Mr. Tucker “I wonder if it is because the sun has become a red giant. If so the Earth, since it has survived the expending of the sun, would have had to have been pushed out into space so it would not be engulfed by the sun. They seem much closer I suppose...”
Mr. Tucker's voice trailed off at the sight of an unknown creature. This creature from what he could tell looked much like an elephant, a very small one, but only walked on two legs and was very agile. Not thinking he chased after it. When he had almost caught up to the creature he tripped, flying through the air he landed on his head and was knocked unconscious. He woke to a strange buzzing noise. He did not know how much time had passed. He found himself in a strange place, not anywhere he saw outside, not even from far away.
He saw the small creature again and was startled. Thinking of all of the bad things that could happen and could have already happened he backed away. While backing away he heard the creature speak to him, but not with words. The creature wasn't even moving its mouth. It said “Mr. Tucker, do not me I know all about your predicament. My people call me Big Bear. We are all but extinction now. Your people have killed almost all of us. You need to find a way to destroy your time travel device. Your partner Mr. Graive was correct, there is a multiverse and we are just the occupants of this one. Ever since you created your device people have been coming to this universe and killing my people, they think us to not obtain consciousness, but they are wrong! If you do not find a way to stop yourself from creating the device then all of my people will die and the multiverse will become unbalanced.”
After that the creature ran away Mr. Tucker didn't know what exactly he should do now that he doesn't even know where the dome is. He decided to get out of the cave. When he exited the dwelling he saw a strange forest, the kind of which he had never seen. He thought it strange knowing that he saw no forest where he was before. Even the sky here is blue, it showed the sun at its previous state, not as a red giant but a as the yellow dwarf it once was. The sky reminded Mr. Tucker of home. He at that moment remembered something that the creature, who called himself Big Bear, said something, something that Mr. Tucker didn't think he had actually heard at the time, something he thought he heard in a dream. Big Bear told him that he was going to bring him to the dome, since that's were his people had lived, so there was plenty of food and drink there. Mr. Tucker hurried to find something to eat since he was hungry, and did not know how long he had been outside. When he found water he drank it, so much that it made him sick. After a while of letting his stomach settle he continued to explore the place he was in, which he now knew was the dome shaped building he saw outside. Not too long after he set off he found the food he was looking for, or at least he thought it was food, it smelled good but looked completely disgusting. Mr. Tucker had to choke down the food, which did not taste as good as it smelled. After eating the, what must have been rotten, food he took rest.
While Mr. Tucker was dreaming he had a dream, one that did make any sense at the time. His dream was about Big Bear talking to him but he couldn’t understand anything that Big Bear was saying. He awoke dazed and confused and stay like that for much of the day. He wondered around until he found something that he had never seen before, something shiny. It was a piece of the metal that the building was constructed out of. He had this strange feeling that he needed to examine this strange metal. Complied he examined it; the strange metal was Anzium, and then it came to him; all of the shiny metal he saw outside must have been Anzium nodes. But then how did it get to his universe.
“There is only one way that it would be possible” he said. “Mr. Graive would have had to create his own time machine, travel to this exact universe, and bring enough of it back for me to use in my device. But as far as I know Anzium is the only way to get the subject safe from one point to another. I guess it is always possible for there to be a different way to keep the subject safe during travel, but I just haven’t figured out another way to do it yet. Hmm… maybe if we could somehow figure out a way to keep water in its liquid state will also keeping it in a certain shape then maybe just maybe that would protect the subject long enough for him or her to travel through time or he could have used the PAD that I would have made, using some other material for the shell, which would have taken longer, and then traveled into the future, well another dimension’s future. There he would have discovered Anzium, and brought it back to the past, where he knew I could use it for the shell so that I could would create the device much sooner than before…”
The earth began to shake. It felt as if the ground was opening its’ mouth to swallow up the gargantuan building. Mr. Tucker tried to run for safety when he tripped, hit his head, and was knocked unconscious.
When he woke up it was dark, so dark that he couldn’t even see his own hands. He stumbled around feeling the walls so that he could get a good picture of the room in his mind. He searched until he found something that felt like a door, he knew it, he was being held here by something, what it was he had no idea, but something was trying to keep him in that room. He just wanted to go home. As he thought about it he wondered “Maybe this is a stupid idea, but I wonder if the door is open”, as it turned out it was. When he left the room he instantly felt like he was being watched. He was being watched by the thing that put him in that room. He needed to go; he needed to hurry and just go, he felt like if he didn’t get out of there he didn’t know what would happen.
He was leaving when he saw it. It looked as if it was, or used to be, human, but it seemed like it had no bones, just a glob of jelly in chair. The image of that person… the creature… that thing would stick in his mind forever. He felt like just seeing it gave it control over him, even if it was only a small amount and so he ran… he ran until his legs gave out. When he couldn’t run anymore he knew that he was far enough away.
“There are all of these strange creatures on this planet, dimension, all very different from anything you could find back home. All with strange powers. All of them could kill me and I don’t know why they haven’t. Maybe they just want to make it harder on me, being here and all. I think that must be what they are trying to do. Maybe they don’t want to harm me at all. Maybe, just maybe, but probably not, I mean why they wouldn’t want to harm me is beyond me. I bet on could even suck the intelligence from me, so why, why don’t they just do it already.”
As he said that he walked toward what he thought was a cavern. It was light shining inside the cavern and he heard voices. “Could it be?” he thought “Could it be… others?” When he entered the cavern there was a great surge of light. He rushed into the room where all the noise was coming from. Where he found it a new PPAD just lying there, he took it and used it.
Now Mr. Tucker is back at home. Back to sipping scotch and smoking cigars, he once says that he would never forget what happened that night. In his later years Mr. Tucker wrote a book about this experience, it was titled, My Tale of Time Travel and Big Bear, the Friend I met in a Different Dimension. It was a best seller, but no one thought that any of it was true, you see, no one had the chance to travel to that dimension. Which was okay for Mr. Tucker, he would wish that fate no one, not even his is biggest enemy.
"The Magic Box," by Mihai Burlea
In this short science-fiction story I would like to explore an idea that I have since a while ago, that actually bothers me because I can’t figure out the answer to it. The idea includes time travel and technology. In this short story I would like to incorporate the time travel and technology in a way of how they can both work together, and what they can do one with the other. As we all know, in our days we are coming up with a lot of new and ingenious technologies that make our life easier, or at least that’s what they make us believe that they do through heavy advertising.
My story is going to explore a little bit of this problem, and I will try to make my philosophical thoughts as clear as possible to my readers. In the story there will be two main characters that will be the main engines of the story. They will give contour to it, and will make it a little bit more realistic that it is. They are two scientists, Jack and David that are working on this travel machine since year 2200. They discovered that with the technology that is available to them by that time there is a possibility to build a travel machine that will be used to help the humanity to evolve a lot faster than we are, in order to compete with our alien enemies that are approaching to the planet earth with a speed of 2000 miles per hour from a different galaxy to take over us. Jack and David, they both believed that by building a time travel machine, they could go back in time to introduce the technology that we own today in the year 2200, and encourage the people back in the day to work with us to advance the technology faster in order to be able to keep the control over the Planet Earth.
January 23rd, Year 2200
This morning the NASA received a coded signal from a colony of aliens that had established their new residence on planet Zion, part of the galaxy Neuron. The Dark aliens are the aliens that come from far away from the Galaxy Sapatos from a small planet that is called Z. They were discovered by a human space ship that was sent into the space in the year 2150 by NASA in collaboration with the ZINA which is the Russian NASA.
At first when the humans discovered the planet Z and its occupants we found that our cultures have many similarities, and we can actually say that the planet Earth and Planet Z are sister planets that also share many similarities. One of the most common things that we shared was the essence of life: the water. Planet Z was obvious a lot more advanced than us, and the Z planet’s government sent a fleet on the earth to check it out. The human fleet was traveling back to the Earth on a more advanced space ship that could travel 10 years of traveling with a human space ship in just 10 minutes. At the time, Jake and David happened to be part of the expedition and that was a blast for them because they dedicated their entire life for that kind of stuff…they wanted to see more than the world, they wanted to see the universe and find life on different planets. They fulfilled their dreams, and found what they were looking for, and on their way back home on the more advanced space ship, they discovered that their ship was a concept of time travel machine, and that’s why they could travel so much faster to the earth. Ten years of traveling for us humans all of the sudden become ten minutes.
Jack: David, this is amazing! Pinch me please, is this reality?
David: Yeah man, this stuff is crazy. Who thought that we will actually discover such things. I am so excited to get home to share our discovery with the world!
Jack: Yeah, this is pretty unbelievable to me too.
They went back and forward like that for about 50 minutes, laughed about it, celebrating with special beer that was brewed on board of their old space-ship, and all of the sudden they realized that they were seeing the earth like planet on the screens.
David: Jack, this is crazy! We discovered another planet that looks just like the earth! What a day, we discovered two planets that look like earth in just a few minutes!
Jack: No, man that is our home. We’ve been traveling for 50 minutes now, and that means…yeah, that is the Planet Earth.
Back a forward like that, both Jake and David could not believe their eyes what they just experienced. They were so excited to land on the Earth to introduce their new friends and talk about the new technology that they just experienced.
Finally back on the earth. They landed in Virginia where the headquarters of NASA and ZINA was.
Jack: Colonel, these 3 Dark aliens are part of the Z planed population, a planet that we discovered yesterday in the Galaxy Sapatos. They seem to have a lot of stuff in common with us humans, and they speak English as well.
Colonel Smirnoff: Hey Darkies! Nice meeting you. We’ve been looking for you guys for centuries now, and who believed that we will all experience all this in our life.
Z Unit (the dark alien): Nice meeting you too. We knew all about you because we’ve been watching you, and all those things that you saw on the skies at night, UFO’s is that how you call them right? Well they were us.
Colonel Smirnoff: Oh, now we understand so many things that we couldn’t find an answer before. Many people that believed in UFOs were considered insane, but I guess the unbelievers were the insane ones! Good to know all this, I will write this down in my report, and I will personally make sure that the world will know the truth now.
The humans welcomed the Dark aliens, and made them feel like home, without knowing what the dark aliens were up to. Now that the Dark aliens had the opportunity to actually land one of their ships on the earth without problems and news papers writing about them, they took a closer look at what we had on the earth and they could use to save their more advanced population from the planet Z. On their planet, the people that were living there had technology that was 4000 years more advanced than ours on the earth, but from so much exploitation of the planet Z, the essential thing that kept everything running, the water, was about to be gone, and the last resources they had left, they saved it for their space ships that can explore the universe in seek of water. The Darkies noticed that water here on the earth is just as important for us as it is for them on planet Z, and they could not ask for half of the amount of water that we have to save their population. In exchange, they decided to send radio signals to the planet Z to let them know that we have what they need, and planed an invasion on the earth to exterminate any obstacles, and reach their goal.
In the mean time, while the humans were celebrating the new discovery and the bright future that the new technology could bring them, the Darkies were sending space ships in our galaxy to get ready for attack over the planet Earth to steal our water.
Z Unit (the Dark alien): They got the juice here. Send back ups on the near planet, and get ready for attack over the Earth.
Z Planet Control Tower: Roger that. We already sent 19.000 tank ships and they are all ready to attack, so get back in the space as soon as possible without living any clues to the cave people, haha!
Z Unit: Roger that. We are going to establish a base on Planet Mars, and wait for more instructions from you.
David: What? David pulls his pistol and shoots down the two aliens. The aliens dropped dead.
David could not believe his ears what he just heard. His dreams, hope and desires were all crushed by what he heard from Z Unit’s mouth. After the incident David reported to its Colonel, which listened to al the conversation that was recorded on the mp3 player that David had incorporated on his clothes to record any activity that he was doing (this was part of their NASA/ZINA clothing design.) The colonel alerted all the nations of the world about the incident and also apologized for putting the humanity in danger. Jack and David the only humans that were in contact with that alien space ship were trying to think about how they could use that technology against the Dark aliens that were close up to the Earth ready for attack.
Many other scientists from all over the world were invited in Virginia, USA to think and take a look at the space ship that was a possible time travel machine, with the hope to put all the pieces together and build a time travel machine. A number of 78 scientists from USA, China, Japan, Germany, Turkey, England, Holland and Romania gathered and dissected the alien ship, analyzed; experimented and tried the, what they called the “magic box.” Finally after just five days they built this time travel machine to go back in time to control the technology from the early ages.
David: Hey man, I want to go 30 years back in time to see my dad, that’s what I want to do first with this machine, because I might die anyways.
Jack: You are crazy man, we are trying to save the humanity here and you want to go visit your dad? This is not possible; we are working under the pressure of time here. We have to find a solution to this mess that we brought the earth in.
David: I know man, chill out! I’ll do that when we are done exterminating our “dark” friends!
Going back and forward like that, trying to forget that the humanity could possibly be exterminated any moment, they made up a team of scientists that were willing to travel back in the time to year 900 when the human kind (cave man) were around.
Their plan was to teach them how to survive and use the earth’s resources to evolve more rapidly with every generation, in order to be able to have equal or more advanced technology than the Z planet people to confront them and keep the water. At this point many questions without an answer were raised. Some of them were:
Jack: What if we go back in time and we become more advanced than what we are right now we are going to end up the same like the darkies, looking for water in order to survive?
David: Yeah, but what if we get so technologically evolved that we in the present are going to do something else than trying to defend ourselves from Dark aliens?
Colonel: As far as I see there is no other solution for our problem. We cannot resist to a 4000 years more evolved creatures, and we will die. I think that is worth a try to go back in time and try to get really evolved despite the fact that other bad things can happen to humanity. There is a 50%-50% chance then. But if we don’t do anything about it we will perish.
David: I totally agree colonel, and I believe that this is a no brainer for all of us. We should go back in time and try to manipulate the evolution of the technology. We will survive to this, and we also have a chance to become more evolved than the Darkies, and who knows…maybe we will evolve so much we won’t even need the water to survive!
Their conversation and deep thinking didn’t last for too long until they made a decision that they all agreed upon. They had the time travel machine, and all they had to do is to get more scientists back in the past and try to save the humanity. After pushing some keys inside the time travel machine, five people at the time teleported all in one area where they found a numerous tribe of people. That was in what we call today Japan, only for the fact that we believe that Asian people have a higher IQ than the rest of other species of human kind.
First, they all built a new travel machine in the past with the intelligence that they brought from the future. That gave them flexibility to go back in the future when needed. The next step of their mission was to recruit people and teach them how to use the planet’s resources for a better living and thought them to be creative and think outside of their cave. Many of the people of the tribe learned really fast how to use the resources, and now if they would go back in the future all the history that they were taught in school disappeared, because all the different things were invented by different people at different locations. This travel back in time allowed the humanity to become more technologically advanced and probably more advanced then the Darkies.
In the meanwhile Jack and David were together working with these cave men trying to teach them how to advance more quickly. Both of them were asking themselves what is happening in the future, if the Darkies attacked us yet or not.
Jack: Hey David. Do you think that whatever we are trying to do here in the past will change the future? Do you think that our work will affect the future in such way that when we are going to go back in time, we won’t be able to use many of the technologies that are available because we will be so primitive?
David: I have no idea Jack, but I don’t care much about what I am going to be able to do in the future. All I care about is that the damn creatures that we found won’t attack us and make us all disappear. If they all attack us and the humanity won’t be there anymore, we will be the responsible people for all that happened.
Jack: David, we need to believe in this. We need to trust each other and continue this process that we started. We won’t let the Darkies to take over us. We won’t let then kill us that easily, we got to be strong, we have families there.
By saying all this, Jack broke down crying, but his tears encouraged David to believe in his work and keep doing what he was doing. Hope was their last resort. After just two days in the past, they notices that by them being there the past was changing very fast, and everything was getting out of the normal speed of evolution.
They calculated some numbers mixed with some data samples that were noticed by them, and they said that it is not necessary for them to be in year 900. They decided that they should travel in the future in the year 1803 and start the world changing process from there. As we can see, both of them become smarter and smarter every hour spent in the past. They became smarter because the world was evolving without them knowing that they will be affected too. All of the scientists went back in the future and start the process from there. By the time they all got back in the future, they realized that the world was way different, but they were able to handle everything because they were part of the process too. The world was way more advanced then when they left from the future, year 2200.
David: Hey Jack, let’s spend a couple more days here, make some more changes and let’s go home.
Jack: That sounds good David. At the speed that we evolve now, we are able to defeat the Darkies really easy.
It took them just five days to figure out that by them being back in the past the world was changing very fast, and now the humanity was evolving fifty times faster every year, they became fifty times smarter every year too, and their knowledge was so much advanced by every year traveled back in the future. After all, they all got back in their days hoping they will change the world. They were teleported at NASA/ZINA base in Virginia where they were hoping to find all the people that they were working with, and the same problem that made them travel back in time. But they all had a very pleasant surprise to see that everybody was happy and not stressed about much.
David: What is going on here? I thought that we are all going to die…
Colonel: Yeah, I know but that was a while back when we all started working here at NASA, about twenty years ago. Because our technology, the Darkies didn’t had the courage to attack us. They were a lot more underdeveloped than us. Thanks to you our main source of life is not water like in the past, now we have these little blue pills that make our body, machines, and all that it used to use water, to make its own water. Now humans are autotrophs, we are like plants, we produce our own food, and water is hardly needed. All this thanks to you guys!
David: This is cool man. Thank you. We definitely changed the course of life. We will be in the history forever!
Jack and David’s work was replaced with huge scanners. People didn’t have to travel to explore the universe for new civilizations. People in the year 2200 were keeping in touch with thirty three other civilizations on just as many new planets. Exchange of goods was made between these planets, and now the universe was united, and called The United Universe. The planets with life on them were all united in this huge universe (just like the states in USA were united a while back.)
My story is going to explore a little bit of this problem, and I will try to make my philosophical thoughts as clear as possible to my readers. In the story there will be two main characters that will be the main engines of the story. They will give contour to it, and will make it a little bit more realistic that it is. They are two scientists, Jack and David that are working on this travel machine since year 2200. They discovered that with the technology that is available to them by that time there is a possibility to build a travel machine that will be used to help the humanity to evolve a lot faster than we are, in order to compete with our alien enemies that are approaching to the planet earth with a speed of 2000 miles per hour from a different galaxy to take over us. Jack and David, they both believed that by building a time travel machine, they could go back in time to introduce the technology that we own today in the year 2200, and encourage the people back in the day to work with us to advance the technology faster in order to be able to keep the control over the Planet Earth.
January 23rd, Year 2200
This morning the NASA received a coded signal from a colony of aliens that had established their new residence on planet Zion, part of the galaxy Neuron. The Dark aliens are the aliens that come from far away from the Galaxy Sapatos from a small planet that is called Z. They were discovered by a human space ship that was sent into the space in the year 2150 by NASA in collaboration with the ZINA which is the Russian NASA.
At first when the humans discovered the planet Z and its occupants we found that our cultures have many similarities, and we can actually say that the planet Earth and Planet Z are sister planets that also share many similarities. One of the most common things that we shared was the essence of life: the water. Planet Z was obvious a lot more advanced than us, and the Z planet’s government sent a fleet on the earth to check it out. The human fleet was traveling back to the Earth on a more advanced space ship that could travel 10 years of traveling with a human space ship in just 10 minutes. At the time, Jake and David happened to be part of the expedition and that was a blast for them because they dedicated their entire life for that kind of stuff…they wanted to see more than the world, they wanted to see the universe and find life on different planets. They fulfilled their dreams, and found what they were looking for, and on their way back home on the more advanced space ship, they discovered that their ship was a concept of time travel machine, and that’s why they could travel so much faster to the earth. Ten years of traveling for us humans all of the sudden become ten minutes.
Jack: David, this is amazing! Pinch me please, is this reality?
David: Yeah man, this stuff is crazy. Who thought that we will actually discover such things. I am so excited to get home to share our discovery with the world!
Jack: Yeah, this is pretty unbelievable to me too.
They went back and forward like that for about 50 minutes, laughed about it, celebrating with special beer that was brewed on board of their old space-ship, and all of the sudden they realized that they were seeing the earth like planet on the screens.
David: Jack, this is crazy! We discovered another planet that looks just like the earth! What a day, we discovered two planets that look like earth in just a few minutes!
Jack: No, man that is our home. We’ve been traveling for 50 minutes now, and that means…yeah, that is the Planet Earth.
Back a forward like that, both Jake and David could not believe their eyes what they just experienced. They were so excited to land on the Earth to introduce their new friends and talk about the new technology that they just experienced.
Finally back on the earth. They landed in Virginia where the headquarters of NASA and ZINA was.
Jack: Colonel, these 3 Dark aliens are part of the Z planed population, a planet that we discovered yesterday in the Galaxy Sapatos. They seem to have a lot of stuff in common with us humans, and they speak English as well.
Colonel Smirnoff: Hey Darkies! Nice meeting you. We’ve been looking for you guys for centuries now, and who believed that we will all experience all this in our life.
Z Unit (the dark alien): Nice meeting you too. We knew all about you because we’ve been watching you, and all those things that you saw on the skies at night, UFO’s is that how you call them right? Well they were us.
Colonel Smirnoff: Oh, now we understand so many things that we couldn’t find an answer before. Many people that believed in UFOs were considered insane, but I guess the unbelievers were the insane ones! Good to know all this, I will write this down in my report, and I will personally make sure that the world will know the truth now.
The humans welcomed the Dark aliens, and made them feel like home, without knowing what the dark aliens were up to. Now that the Dark aliens had the opportunity to actually land one of their ships on the earth without problems and news papers writing about them, they took a closer look at what we had on the earth and they could use to save their more advanced population from the planet Z. On their planet, the people that were living there had technology that was 4000 years more advanced than ours on the earth, but from so much exploitation of the planet Z, the essential thing that kept everything running, the water, was about to be gone, and the last resources they had left, they saved it for their space ships that can explore the universe in seek of water. The Darkies noticed that water here on the earth is just as important for us as it is for them on planet Z, and they could not ask for half of the amount of water that we have to save their population. In exchange, they decided to send radio signals to the planet Z to let them know that we have what they need, and planed an invasion on the earth to exterminate any obstacles, and reach their goal.
In the mean time, while the humans were celebrating the new discovery and the bright future that the new technology could bring them, the Darkies were sending space ships in our galaxy to get ready for attack over the planet Earth to steal our water.
Z Unit (the Dark alien): They got the juice here. Send back ups on the near planet, and get ready for attack over the Earth.
Z Planet Control Tower: Roger that. We already sent 19.000 tank ships and they are all ready to attack, so get back in the space as soon as possible without living any clues to the cave people, haha!
Z Unit: Roger that. We are going to establish a base on Planet Mars, and wait for more instructions from you.
David: What? David pulls his pistol and shoots down the two aliens. The aliens dropped dead.
David could not believe his ears what he just heard. His dreams, hope and desires were all crushed by what he heard from Z Unit’s mouth. After the incident David reported to its Colonel, which listened to al the conversation that was recorded on the mp3 player that David had incorporated on his clothes to record any activity that he was doing (this was part of their NASA/ZINA clothing design.) The colonel alerted all the nations of the world about the incident and also apologized for putting the humanity in danger. Jack and David the only humans that were in contact with that alien space ship were trying to think about how they could use that technology against the Dark aliens that were close up to the Earth ready for attack.
Many other scientists from all over the world were invited in Virginia, USA to think and take a look at the space ship that was a possible time travel machine, with the hope to put all the pieces together and build a time travel machine. A number of 78 scientists from USA, China, Japan, Germany, Turkey, England, Holland and Romania gathered and dissected the alien ship, analyzed; experimented and tried the, what they called the “magic box.” Finally after just five days they built this time travel machine to go back in time to control the technology from the early ages.
David: Hey man, I want to go 30 years back in time to see my dad, that’s what I want to do first with this machine, because I might die anyways.
Jack: You are crazy man, we are trying to save the humanity here and you want to go visit your dad? This is not possible; we are working under the pressure of time here. We have to find a solution to this mess that we brought the earth in.
David: I know man, chill out! I’ll do that when we are done exterminating our “dark” friends!
Going back and forward like that, trying to forget that the humanity could possibly be exterminated any moment, they made up a team of scientists that were willing to travel back in the time to year 900 when the human kind (cave man) were around.
Their plan was to teach them how to survive and use the earth’s resources to evolve more rapidly with every generation, in order to be able to have equal or more advanced technology than the Z planet people to confront them and keep the water. At this point many questions without an answer were raised. Some of them were:
Jack: What if we go back in time and we become more advanced than what we are right now we are going to end up the same like the darkies, looking for water in order to survive?
David: Yeah, but what if we get so technologically evolved that we in the present are going to do something else than trying to defend ourselves from Dark aliens?
Colonel: As far as I see there is no other solution for our problem. We cannot resist to a 4000 years more evolved creatures, and we will die. I think that is worth a try to go back in time and try to get really evolved despite the fact that other bad things can happen to humanity. There is a 50%-50% chance then. But if we don’t do anything about it we will perish.
David: I totally agree colonel, and I believe that this is a no brainer for all of us. We should go back in time and try to manipulate the evolution of the technology. We will survive to this, and we also have a chance to become more evolved than the Darkies, and who knows…maybe we will evolve so much we won’t even need the water to survive!
Their conversation and deep thinking didn’t last for too long until they made a decision that they all agreed upon. They had the time travel machine, and all they had to do is to get more scientists back in the past and try to save the humanity. After pushing some keys inside the time travel machine, five people at the time teleported all in one area where they found a numerous tribe of people. That was in what we call today Japan, only for the fact that we believe that Asian people have a higher IQ than the rest of other species of human kind.
First, they all built a new travel machine in the past with the intelligence that they brought from the future. That gave them flexibility to go back in the future when needed. The next step of their mission was to recruit people and teach them how to use the planet’s resources for a better living and thought them to be creative and think outside of their cave. Many of the people of the tribe learned really fast how to use the resources, and now if they would go back in the future all the history that they were taught in school disappeared, because all the different things were invented by different people at different locations. This travel back in time allowed the humanity to become more technologically advanced and probably more advanced then the Darkies.
In the meanwhile Jack and David were together working with these cave men trying to teach them how to advance more quickly. Both of them were asking themselves what is happening in the future, if the Darkies attacked us yet or not.
Jack: Hey David. Do you think that whatever we are trying to do here in the past will change the future? Do you think that our work will affect the future in such way that when we are going to go back in time, we won’t be able to use many of the technologies that are available because we will be so primitive?
David: I have no idea Jack, but I don’t care much about what I am going to be able to do in the future. All I care about is that the damn creatures that we found won’t attack us and make us all disappear. If they all attack us and the humanity won’t be there anymore, we will be the responsible people for all that happened.
Jack: David, we need to believe in this. We need to trust each other and continue this process that we started. We won’t let the Darkies to take over us. We won’t let then kill us that easily, we got to be strong, we have families there.
By saying all this, Jack broke down crying, but his tears encouraged David to believe in his work and keep doing what he was doing. Hope was their last resort. After just two days in the past, they notices that by them being there the past was changing very fast, and everything was getting out of the normal speed of evolution.
They calculated some numbers mixed with some data samples that were noticed by them, and they said that it is not necessary for them to be in year 900. They decided that they should travel in the future in the year 1803 and start the world changing process from there. As we can see, both of them become smarter and smarter every hour spent in the past. They became smarter because the world was evolving without them knowing that they will be affected too. All of the scientists went back in the future and start the process from there. By the time they all got back in the future, they realized that the world was way different, but they were able to handle everything because they were part of the process too. The world was way more advanced then when they left from the future, year 2200.
David: Hey Jack, let’s spend a couple more days here, make some more changes and let’s go home.
Jack: That sounds good David. At the speed that we evolve now, we are able to defeat the Darkies really easy.
It took them just five days to figure out that by them being back in the past the world was changing very fast, and now the humanity was evolving fifty times faster every year, they became fifty times smarter every year too, and their knowledge was so much advanced by every year traveled back in the future. After all, they all got back in their days hoping they will change the world. They were teleported at NASA/ZINA base in Virginia where they were hoping to find all the people that they were working with, and the same problem that made them travel back in time. But they all had a very pleasant surprise to see that everybody was happy and not stressed about much.
David: What is going on here? I thought that we are all going to die…
Colonel: Yeah, I know but that was a while back when we all started working here at NASA, about twenty years ago. Because our technology, the Darkies didn’t had the courage to attack us. They were a lot more underdeveloped than us. Thanks to you our main source of life is not water like in the past, now we have these little blue pills that make our body, machines, and all that it used to use water, to make its own water. Now humans are autotrophs, we are like plants, we produce our own food, and water is hardly needed. All this thanks to you guys!
David: This is cool man. Thank you. We definitely changed the course of life. We will be in the history forever!
Jack and David’s work was replaced with huge scanners. People didn’t have to travel to explore the universe for new civilizations. People in the year 2200 were keeping in touch with thirty three other civilizations on just as many new planets. Exchange of goods was made between these planets, and now the universe was united, and called The United Universe. The planets with life on them were all united in this huge universe (just like the states in USA were united a while back.)
"Brave New World?" by Nick Crippin
All was quiet. The ship had stopped shuddering and shaking. It now floated freely in space once again. They had hit something, or at least it seemed that way. The overhead lights flickered back on under emergency lighting.
Captain Jason Decker called out, “Is everyone alright?”
There were mumbled responses from the crew indicating that no one was seriously hurt. Slowly, we all got up and made our way to the control room to see what had happened. As we gazed out the windows from the control room, we didn’t recognize anything. It was then that I realized that we were not in Kansas anymore. While we were still in awe of our new surroundings, there was a flurry of activity behind us. Tony, our technician, was frantically trying to see if he could get our mainline power back online.
“You know, you could help. I’m not the only one who knows how to fix things.”
Reluctantly, we turned our attention away from the windows and focused on fixing the ship. Structurally the ship was fine, but there were some major problems with our electronics, which would take some time to fix.
Once we got our power back, we proceeded to determine if our equipment was still functioning. Only a few consoles were damaged. The only device of concern that we lost was our U.P.D., or Universal Positioning Device. Without this we had no idea where in the universe we were. Tony, being the handy man that he is, was able to fix most of the other major problems.
We still had no idea what had happened. We were on a routine inspection of a series of planets in sector 158 to determine if they were capable of supporting life. There were only three planets in this sector so it didn’t take long to figure out that, once again, there was nothing there. We scanned the planets to determine their structure and atmosphere and landed only once to inspect a small possible site for colonization, but that was a complete failure. We’ve been out here for ten years, traveling between sectors mapped out by our government. It is our mission to find any inhabitable planet for immediate colonization by Earth.
There is a great crisis on Earth, you see. As science and medicine have exceeded the dreams of man, our technology has increased exponentially. Our scientists have found a way to extend man’s life expectancy to the ages to the legendary status of the Old Testament. This has caused immense stress on the Earth, too many people, and too little resources. Obviously, they didn’t think it through too well when they developed this new technology. Sure living is great, but no one is supposed to live forever. So it is our job, no our duty to find this Holy Grail of planets capable of sustaining life. We are only one of thousands of teams exploring countless sectors. Our team comprised of Captain Decker, Lieutenant Michael Ivey, the technician Tony Robinson, Dr. Amy Peterson, and me, Petty Officer Jeremy Scott. So far, no one has found a single planet capable of sustaining even the simplest forms of life. All we saw was a blinding flash of light and then a force which knocked us all onto our backsides. So here we are, in a new sector, reeling from whatever it was that happened to us.
After everyone had gathered in the control room, and were checked for injuries, the generators were finally fixed. We powered up the machines to try to determine our surroundings, since we lost our U.P.D. We scanned the immediate area for any planets or solar systems. Out of the nearby solar system, there was one planet of interest. Captain Decker shouted out orders to run the scanners to see if it was anything worth inspecting. To our surprise, the scanners indicated that the planet had an atmosphere very similar to Earth’s, exactly what we have been searching for all these years. The planet was quite pristine and beautiful from its orbit. A single moon orbited slowly around the blue planet. The land was all located at the center, with what appeared to be water all around. There were even polar ice caps. Everyone was getting anxious. It reminded everyone too much of home. After being gone for over a decade, this reminder was weighing heavily on everyone. Captain Decker gave the order to descend through the atmosphere and land on the planet.
“Let’s make this a quick run. We don’t have the fuel to be taking our time down there,” Decker shouted over the roar of the ship hitting the atmosphere.
As the ship settled, we checked the atmosphere. It was breathable. This was an exciting moment for all of us. Finally, we all were thinking, our mission is complete and we can live normal lives. We were eager to investigate, but also hesitant. Captain Decker ordered all of us to get ready for some exercise, we were going exploring.
It was beautiful. The air was humid with enormous amounts of vegetation. It was so pristine and pure, yet unrefined, like a primitive jungle. There were plants of the likes we have never seen before, almost prehistoric in nature. I reached out and touched the trunk of a very tall tree; it was nothing like Earth’s, or at least what I could remember. It reminded me of Brazil, deep in the heart of the Amazon.
The “trees” were filled with lizards and enormous insects. I was expecting to step into some primordial ooze with every stride. The animals we saw seemed to resemble those that were taught to us in school, bringing back the boring days of high school biology. They were all so frighteningly familiar, but not quite. They seemed to be almost, inferior models of the animals we had spent so much time studying. Soon we began to see signs of more complex life forms. There were footprints everywhere, with plenty of crap to go along with it, not to mention that the piles of dung were absolutely enormous. Apparently, we landed in the bathroom of Jurassic Park. We cautiously moved into the clearing nearby, watching our step quite closely, to continue our search. What we saw took our breath away.
Dinosaurs. They were everywhere. All different shapes, sizes, and colors. Everything we imagined them as children, and more. We couldn’t believe our eyes. We had expected to possibly run into alien life forms, but nothing like this. It was beyond our comprehension to understand this scene. It was too familiar. The jungle opened up into a very large plain. There was low vegetation that was probably popular for grazing. There was what appeared to be some triceratops feeding only a couple hundred yards away. Off in the distance there was a terrific roar. Soon we saw hundreds of animals fleeing as fast as they can as their predator rumbled into view. A Tyrannosaurus Rex followed closely at the heels of one of the smaller dinosaurs and quickly captured its prey. With a quick snap of the jaws, the creature was engulfed in a sea of teeth.
Decker exclaimed, “This…this can’t be real. There’s no way.”
Tony, being the smart-ass that he was, said, “Clearly, it is.”
“Oh, shut up!” Decker hissed. “One more comment like that and I’ll make you stay with the ship.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice for us all…” I thought.
“Now, let’s continue to gather samples for analysis, and then we can report back to Earth,” said Captain Decker.
We didn’t move for at least another ten minutes. It was too stunning, but once some of the smaller dinosaurs took notice of us, we became rather uneasy and proceeded with the mission. It didn’t take very long to gather what we needed, thankfully. It was really unnerving being in a place which so easily could have come from our past.
The soil, air, and mineral samples were perfect matches to the requirements given, even incredibly close to Earth’s actual environment. This was great news for us all, the only problem now was figuring out where we were. It was apparent now that we had hit a wormhole of some sort, which had transported us to who knows where within the universe. It rarely happens, but there were a few documented cases of this occurring. Some of them only were a few light years long, others thousands. This unsettling fact was in the backs of all our minds. During our training they had warned us that there was chance, an extremely low chance that it might happen to one of us. Great, we were that one miniscule statistic. Isn’t that comforting. Personally I thought they were only legends, but obviously I was proven wrong. I suppose we should all be thankful that we survived, and even found an inhabitable planet.
We immediately tried to contact command to relay this important discovery. Unfortunately, our transmission was being blocked by a local nebula. We decided to take off and try to find a location suitable for our transmission, which would make us heroes back home on Earth. After a few hours of flight time, we dropped out of hyperspace to try again to send a message home.
As we came to a stop, Dr. Amy Peterson exclaimed, “You know…that planet looks just like Earth from way out here.”
“You’re right, it really does,” I agreed. “What if it IS Earth?”
“Good one, Jeremy,” laughed the lieutenant.
“There’s no way. How would that even be possible?” asked Decker.
“Well, we did just travel through a worm-hole. They are known to not only distort space, but also time.” Tony explained, “You see, with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, there are these gravitational time dilations that occur. The farther away one gets from a source of gravity, time actually can slow. Under great enough circumstances, it could result in millions of years of time lost. The wormhole we entered was probably near a black hole or something like that, which would distort time the most. The time outside the wormhole must have been so distorted that it was equivalent to, say the late Cretaceous period.”
“How the heck do you know all that? You’re just a technician,” said the lieutenant.
“Just because I’m a low-level technician doesn’t mean I’m stupid… I just don’t like to exert myself. Anyway, they taught us about time travel, even though they still believe it’s purely theoretical. The Academy tries to cover all its bases, since they have no idea what we’ll run into out exploring the universe.”
“So you’re telling me that we’re staring at Earth one hundred million years ago?”
“It’s possible, but there’s no way we can prove it.”
“Well…assuming that it is Earth, shouldn’t we be worried about messing with our impact on its history?” I said. “If we change too much on Earth, we might alter the history of mankind, and I believe that would be a bad thing.”
“We haven’t done too much. We only landed and took a few samples.”
“I suppose it’s a minor impact at best, but what if something larger changed?”
“Minor impact? Did you stop and think about all the little changes we’ve caused. Even the microscopic bacteria on our shoes from the ship aren’t supposed to be around for tens of millions of years from now.”
“I think you’re overreacting. If we had changed something, wouldn’t it have affected us already? If we drastically altered the course of history by landing, we wouldn’t be here today.”
“I understand what you’re getting at, but what if we were supposed to come here, yet realized in time to limit our contact with the Earth.”
“I can’t believe we’re actually having this conversation!” exclaimed the lieutenant, “We didn’t time travel back to our own solar system one hundred million years ago.”
“Then how would you explain our inability to contact home? Hmm? What if we can’t send any messages, because there isn’t anyone there to receive them?”
“Uh, Captain…you might want to take a look at this…” stammered Lieutenant Michael Ivey. “There’s a large asteroid out here.”
“So what? We are in space, lieutenant. There are asteroids out here,” said Decker.
“No, I mean the trajectory of the asteroid. It’s heading right towards the planet …umm Earth.”
“We can’t risk losing this planet, whether or not it is actually Earth. We need to stop it NOW,” Decker ordered.
“WAIT! You can’t do that. What if it is Earth? You would be severely altering our course of history. It is believed that a large asteroid struck the Earth. It caused such a large disturbance that it wiped out all of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If you destroy this asteroid, you will alter Earth’s history. If it doesn’t hit the Earth, you will forever change history as we know it. If this doesn’t happen, we may not exist.”
“I never thought of it that way. The only problem is, what if it isn’t Earth? We can’t just sit back and watch the destruction of the only planet known that can sustain human life. The universe is huge, why can’t this just be another solar system similar to ours? That would explain why the planets would be similar. Really, I think all of you are taking this too far in believing that we traveled back in time. Maybe it was created during the same time that earth was, but the continually expanding universe moved it way out here. Why wouldn’t that be another possible explanation? Clearly, there’s no limit to the imagination when it comes to explaining this.”
“We can’t take that chance. All of that is purely hypothetical. We have to act now; otherwise this opportunity will be wasted. Who knows what will happen to that planet if that asteroid hits. It could be completely destroyed for all we know. I’m sorry I just can’t take that big of a risk.”
"Sir, how are you planning on stopping an asteroid of that size?” the doctor asked.
“How much fuel do we have left?” Decked snapped.
“Umm…we’re just about empty. I’d say only enough for a few hours of flight,” the lieutenant replied.
“How long would we have if we put it at full burn?” he asked.
“Only a few minutes Captain, maybe ten at best.”
“I really hope you’re not considering what I think you have in mind…It would never work, and even if it did, we would be stranded here with no fuel and no way to signal Earth of this discovery,” said Dr. Peterson.
“The only way that we’re going to move that asteroid is moving it with our ship. We would have to land on the asteroid and use the remainder of our fuel to push it off its current path, away from Earth.”
“But then we would be stranded with no way home. Why in the world would we let you do that?” I exclaimed
“This planet is our only hope of survival. If we let the asteroid hit, we still don’t have enough fuel to come anywhere close to home. I’m open to any other plans if there are any suggestions. I don’t like this any more than all of you do, but as your commanding officer, I believe this will be our best course of action.”
“Now wait a minute. Out here, ranks don’t matter that much, and especially in situations like this. This should come down to a vote. We are still a democracy, right?” I interjected.
“I agree,” nodded Dr. Peterson. “This isn’t just your own life that you’re messing with. It could be the lives of the entire human race. This decision should NOT be left up to one person and one person alone.”
“Fine. We will vote on it. Let’s write down our votes onto a piece of paper and we’ll tally them up quickly.”
A few suspenseful minutes passed, as everyone was thinking their decision through. Slowly one by one, they came up to the captain and gave him their vote. He rifled through the pieces of paper, tallying each vote. His hand shakily wrote down the results. He exhaled slowly exhaled as he opened the last piece of paper. He turned towards the rest of the crew and announced the results.
“The results are 4 to 1…in favor of destroying the asteroid.”
“What?! Am I the only one who thinks that we’re messing with our future here? You guys really don’t believe that this is earth, do you?” I inquired.
“Apparently not. You asked for a vote and you got one. Don’t be sad with the results. The votes are in and you lost,” said Tony.
“It has been decided. Everyone get ready to land this ship on that asteroid. We’re going to save this planet!” yelled the Captain.
I begrudgingly moved to my position for the landing, while the rest of the crew found their places throughout the control room. Captain Decker gracefully piloted the ship towards the asteroid. He scanned the surface of the asteroid and the computer calculated the force needed to accomplish our task. With the calculations in place, we descended onto the surface of the asteroid. After we anchored the ship to the asteroid, we awaited our orders.
“Full burn on my cue…NOW!”
Lieutenant Ivey fired the engines at full power. We braced ourselves against whatever we could. Quickly, we began to feel the full weight of the asteroid alter its course. Once our momentum was shifted in that direction, simple physics took its course. The crisis had been averted, at least in their eyes. To me it had just begun.
“Sir, we’re almost out of fuel.”
“Put ‘er down on the planet. We’ll have to find some way to get a message back to Earth and report our discovery,” ordered Captain Decker.
We quickly entered into the planet’s atmosphere. The ship was about a mile from the surface, when the engines went silent. The sound of the wind howling outside filled our ears.
“Get those engines started NOW!” yelled Decker at the lieutenant.
“I’m trying sir. We’re completely out of fuel. We burned almost all of it moving the asteroid. I can keep trying to start the engines, or I can try to glide in for a landing.”
“Glide us in. I’ll keep working on the engines. Just make sure you get us down safely. Everyone, it’s going to be a rough landing, I suggest you buckle in.”
Lieutenant Ivey skillfully guided the ship towards a large plain below and prepared for a manual landing. The ground was looming as we were coming towards it, still going quite fast. The ship jerked violently as the lieutenant engaged the wing flaps. The air currents tossed us to and fro as the ship desperately tried to slow down. The rest of the crew, including the captain, had given up hope on the engines and quickly buckled in for the wild ride.
“Hold on! We’re coming in for the landing,” yelled the lieutenant.
The ship hit the ground hard, but Ivey had done a magnificent job steering the ship. Once we were on the ground, we quickly slid to a stop in one of the many plains that dotted the horizon and rocked to a halt. We looked at each other and all let out a sigh of relief.
“Let’s get outside and see how badly the ship was damaged in that landing.”
The crew hurriedly disembarked, just glad to be off of that ship and onto solid ground once again and started examining the ship.
“It looks like the hull is intact captain, so if we do manage to find some way off this planet, we can make it home,” assessed Tony.
Dr. Peterson shouted, “Is anyone injured? I have my med-kit with me if anyone needs some medical assistance.”
“We’re fine, doctor. No one was injured. Alright, it looks like we might be here for the long haul. Let’s try to set up some sort of camp around the ship. We’ll have some light security, in case some of those dinosaurs become a bit too curious.”
*beep* *beep*
“What’s that for?” asked Decker
“Oh, it’s a timer I set for when the asteroid was supposed to impact this planet. I guess I had forgotten that I’d set it,” I replied.
Everyone laughed as the timer that signaled the asteroid's projected impact sounded, we all cheered and felt like we had once again proved man's mastery over the universe and perhaps even God.
“See, your whole theory was nothing but a bunch of rubbis-” and he disappeared, along with the rest of his team and the ship, no longer a part of this world, or the future of this planet.
Captain Jason Decker called out, “Is everyone alright?”
There were mumbled responses from the crew indicating that no one was seriously hurt. Slowly, we all got up and made our way to the control room to see what had happened. As we gazed out the windows from the control room, we didn’t recognize anything. It was then that I realized that we were not in Kansas anymore. While we were still in awe of our new surroundings, there was a flurry of activity behind us. Tony, our technician, was frantically trying to see if he could get our mainline power back online.
“You know, you could help. I’m not the only one who knows how to fix things.”
Reluctantly, we turned our attention away from the windows and focused on fixing the ship. Structurally the ship was fine, but there were some major problems with our electronics, which would take some time to fix.
Once we got our power back, we proceeded to determine if our equipment was still functioning. Only a few consoles were damaged. The only device of concern that we lost was our U.P.D., or Universal Positioning Device. Without this we had no idea where in the universe we were. Tony, being the handy man that he is, was able to fix most of the other major problems.
We still had no idea what had happened. We were on a routine inspection of a series of planets in sector 158 to determine if they were capable of supporting life. There were only three planets in this sector so it didn’t take long to figure out that, once again, there was nothing there. We scanned the planets to determine their structure and atmosphere and landed only once to inspect a small possible site for colonization, but that was a complete failure. We’ve been out here for ten years, traveling between sectors mapped out by our government. It is our mission to find any inhabitable planet for immediate colonization by Earth.
There is a great crisis on Earth, you see. As science and medicine have exceeded the dreams of man, our technology has increased exponentially. Our scientists have found a way to extend man’s life expectancy to the ages to the legendary status of the Old Testament. This has caused immense stress on the Earth, too many people, and too little resources. Obviously, they didn’t think it through too well when they developed this new technology. Sure living is great, but no one is supposed to live forever. So it is our job, no our duty to find this Holy Grail of planets capable of sustaining life. We are only one of thousands of teams exploring countless sectors. Our team comprised of Captain Decker, Lieutenant Michael Ivey, the technician Tony Robinson, Dr. Amy Peterson, and me, Petty Officer Jeremy Scott. So far, no one has found a single planet capable of sustaining even the simplest forms of life. All we saw was a blinding flash of light and then a force which knocked us all onto our backsides. So here we are, in a new sector, reeling from whatever it was that happened to us.
After everyone had gathered in the control room, and were checked for injuries, the generators were finally fixed. We powered up the machines to try to determine our surroundings, since we lost our U.P.D. We scanned the immediate area for any planets or solar systems. Out of the nearby solar system, there was one planet of interest. Captain Decker shouted out orders to run the scanners to see if it was anything worth inspecting. To our surprise, the scanners indicated that the planet had an atmosphere very similar to Earth’s, exactly what we have been searching for all these years. The planet was quite pristine and beautiful from its orbit. A single moon orbited slowly around the blue planet. The land was all located at the center, with what appeared to be water all around. There were even polar ice caps. Everyone was getting anxious. It reminded everyone too much of home. After being gone for over a decade, this reminder was weighing heavily on everyone. Captain Decker gave the order to descend through the atmosphere and land on the planet.
“Let’s make this a quick run. We don’t have the fuel to be taking our time down there,” Decker shouted over the roar of the ship hitting the atmosphere.
As the ship settled, we checked the atmosphere. It was breathable. This was an exciting moment for all of us. Finally, we all were thinking, our mission is complete and we can live normal lives. We were eager to investigate, but also hesitant. Captain Decker ordered all of us to get ready for some exercise, we were going exploring.
It was beautiful. The air was humid with enormous amounts of vegetation. It was so pristine and pure, yet unrefined, like a primitive jungle. There were plants of the likes we have never seen before, almost prehistoric in nature. I reached out and touched the trunk of a very tall tree; it was nothing like Earth’s, or at least what I could remember. It reminded me of Brazil, deep in the heart of the Amazon.
The “trees” were filled with lizards and enormous insects. I was expecting to step into some primordial ooze with every stride. The animals we saw seemed to resemble those that were taught to us in school, bringing back the boring days of high school biology. They were all so frighteningly familiar, but not quite. They seemed to be almost, inferior models of the animals we had spent so much time studying. Soon we began to see signs of more complex life forms. There were footprints everywhere, with plenty of crap to go along with it, not to mention that the piles of dung were absolutely enormous. Apparently, we landed in the bathroom of Jurassic Park. We cautiously moved into the clearing nearby, watching our step quite closely, to continue our search. What we saw took our breath away.
Dinosaurs. They were everywhere. All different shapes, sizes, and colors. Everything we imagined them as children, and more. We couldn’t believe our eyes. We had expected to possibly run into alien life forms, but nothing like this. It was beyond our comprehension to understand this scene. It was too familiar. The jungle opened up into a very large plain. There was low vegetation that was probably popular for grazing. There was what appeared to be some triceratops feeding only a couple hundred yards away. Off in the distance there was a terrific roar. Soon we saw hundreds of animals fleeing as fast as they can as their predator rumbled into view. A Tyrannosaurus Rex followed closely at the heels of one of the smaller dinosaurs and quickly captured its prey. With a quick snap of the jaws, the creature was engulfed in a sea of teeth.
Decker exclaimed, “This…this can’t be real. There’s no way.”
Tony, being the smart-ass that he was, said, “Clearly, it is.”
“Oh, shut up!” Decker hissed. “One more comment like that and I’ll make you stay with the ship.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice for us all…” I thought.
“Now, let’s continue to gather samples for analysis, and then we can report back to Earth,” said Captain Decker.
We didn’t move for at least another ten minutes. It was too stunning, but once some of the smaller dinosaurs took notice of us, we became rather uneasy and proceeded with the mission. It didn’t take very long to gather what we needed, thankfully. It was really unnerving being in a place which so easily could have come from our past.
The soil, air, and mineral samples were perfect matches to the requirements given, even incredibly close to Earth’s actual environment. This was great news for us all, the only problem now was figuring out where we were. It was apparent now that we had hit a wormhole of some sort, which had transported us to who knows where within the universe. It rarely happens, but there were a few documented cases of this occurring. Some of them only were a few light years long, others thousands. This unsettling fact was in the backs of all our minds. During our training they had warned us that there was chance, an extremely low chance that it might happen to one of us. Great, we were that one miniscule statistic. Isn’t that comforting. Personally I thought they were only legends, but obviously I was proven wrong. I suppose we should all be thankful that we survived, and even found an inhabitable planet.
We immediately tried to contact command to relay this important discovery. Unfortunately, our transmission was being blocked by a local nebula. We decided to take off and try to find a location suitable for our transmission, which would make us heroes back home on Earth. After a few hours of flight time, we dropped out of hyperspace to try again to send a message home.
As we came to a stop, Dr. Amy Peterson exclaimed, “You know…that planet looks just like Earth from way out here.”
“You’re right, it really does,” I agreed. “What if it IS Earth?”
“Good one, Jeremy,” laughed the lieutenant.
“There’s no way. How would that even be possible?” asked Decker.
“Well, we did just travel through a worm-hole. They are known to not only distort space, but also time.” Tony explained, “You see, with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, there are these gravitational time dilations that occur. The farther away one gets from a source of gravity, time actually can slow. Under great enough circumstances, it could result in millions of years of time lost. The wormhole we entered was probably near a black hole or something like that, which would distort time the most. The time outside the wormhole must have been so distorted that it was equivalent to, say the late Cretaceous period.”
“How the heck do you know all that? You’re just a technician,” said the lieutenant.
“Just because I’m a low-level technician doesn’t mean I’m stupid… I just don’t like to exert myself. Anyway, they taught us about time travel, even though they still believe it’s purely theoretical. The Academy tries to cover all its bases, since they have no idea what we’ll run into out exploring the universe.”
“So you’re telling me that we’re staring at Earth one hundred million years ago?”
“It’s possible, but there’s no way we can prove it.”
“Well…assuming that it is Earth, shouldn’t we be worried about messing with our impact on its history?” I said. “If we change too much on Earth, we might alter the history of mankind, and I believe that would be a bad thing.”
“We haven’t done too much. We only landed and took a few samples.”
“I suppose it’s a minor impact at best, but what if something larger changed?”
“Minor impact? Did you stop and think about all the little changes we’ve caused. Even the microscopic bacteria on our shoes from the ship aren’t supposed to be around for tens of millions of years from now.”
“I think you’re overreacting. If we had changed something, wouldn’t it have affected us already? If we drastically altered the course of history by landing, we wouldn’t be here today.”
“I understand what you’re getting at, but what if we were supposed to come here, yet realized in time to limit our contact with the Earth.”
“I can’t believe we’re actually having this conversation!” exclaimed the lieutenant, “We didn’t time travel back to our own solar system one hundred million years ago.”
“Then how would you explain our inability to contact home? Hmm? What if we can’t send any messages, because there isn’t anyone there to receive them?”
“Uh, Captain…you might want to take a look at this…” stammered Lieutenant Michael Ivey. “There’s a large asteroid out here.”
“So what? We are in space, lieutenant. There are asteroids out here,” said Decker.
“No, I mean the trajectory of the asteroid. It’s heading right towards the planet …umm Earth.”
“We can’t risk losing this planet, whether or not it is actually Earth. We need to stop it NOW,” Decker ordered.
“WAIT! You can’t do that. What if it is Earth? You would be severely altering our course of history. It is believed that a large asteroid struck the Earth. It caused such a large disturbance that it wiped out all of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If you destroy this asteroid, you will alter Earth’s history. If it doesn’t hit the Earth, you will forever change history as we know it. If this doesn’t happen, we may not exist.”
“I never thought of it that way. The only problem is, what if it isn’t Earth? We can’t just sit back and watch the destruction of the only planet known that can sustain human life. The universe is huge, why can’t this just be another solar system similar to ours? That would explain why the planets would be similar. Really, I think all of you are taking this too far in believing that we traveled back in time. Maybe it was created during the same time that earth was, but the continually expanding universe moved it way out here. Why wouldn’t that be another possible explanation? Clearly, there’s no limit to the imagination when it comes to explaining this.”
“We can’t take that chance. All of that is purely hypothetical. We have to act now; otherwise this opportunity will be wasted. Who knows what will happen to that planet if that asteroid hits. It could be completely destroyed for all we know. I’m sorry I just can’t take that big of a risk.”
"Sir, how are you planning on stopping an asteroid of that size?” the doctor asked.
“How much fuel do we have left?” Decked snapped.
“Umm…we’re just about empty. I’d say only enough for a few hours of flight,” the lieutenant replied.
“How long would we have if we put it at full burn?” he asked.
“Only a few minutes Captain, maybe ten at best.”
“I really hope you’re not considering what I think you have in mind…It would never work, and even if it did, we would be stranded here with no fuel and no way to signal Earth of this discovery,” said Dr. Peterson.
“The only way that we’re going to move that asteroid is moving it with our ship. We would have to land on the asteroid and use the remainder of our fuel to push it off its current path, away from Earth.”
“But then we would be stranded with no way home. Why in the world would we let you do that?” I exclaimed
“This planet is our only hope of survival. If we let the asteroid hit, we still don’t have enough fuel to come anywhere close to home. I’m open to any other plans if there are any suggestions. I don’t like this any more than all of you do, but as your commanding officer, I believe this will be our best course of action.”
“Now wait a minute. Out here, ranks don’t matter that much, and especially in situations like this. This should come down to a vote. We are still a democracy, right?” I interjected.
“I agree,” nodded Dr. Peterson. “This isn’t just your own life that you’re messing with. It could be the lives of the entire human race. This decision should NOT be left up to one person and one person alone.”
“Fine. We will vote on it. Let’s write down our votes onto a piece of paper and we’ll tally them up quickly.”
A few suspenseful minutes passed, as everyone was thinking their decision through. Slowly one by one, they came up to the captain and gave him their vote. He rifled through the pieces of paper, tallying each vote. His hand shakily wrote down the results. He exhaled slowly exhaled as he opened the last piece of paper. He turned towards the rest of the crew and announced the results.
“The results are 4 to 1…in favor of destroying the asteroid.”
“What?! Am I the only one who thinks that we’re messing with our future here? You guys really don’t believe that this is earth, do you?” I inquired.
“Apparently not. You asked for a vote and you got one. Don’t be sad with the results. The votes are in and you lost,” said Tony.
“It has been decided. Everyone get ready to land this ship on that asteroid. We’re going to save this planet!” yelled the Captain.
I begrudgingly moved to my position for the landing, while the rest of the crew found their places throughout the control room. Captain Decker gracefully piloted the ship towards the asteroid. He scanned the surface of the asteroid and the computer calculated the force needed to accomplish our task. With the calculations in place, we descended onto the surface of the asteroid. After we anchored the ship to the asteroid, we awaited our orders.
“Full burn on my cue…NOW!”
Lieutenant Ivey fired the engines at full power. We braced ourselves against whatever we could. Quickly, we began to feel the full weight of the asteroid alter its course. Once our momentum was shifted in that direction, simple physics took its course. The crisis had been averted, at least in their eyes. To me it had just begun.
“Sir, we’re almost out of fuel.”
“Put ‘er down on the planet. We’ll have to find some way to get a message back to Earth and report our discovery,” ordered Captain Decker.
We quickly entered into the planet’s atmosphere. The ship was about a mile from the surface, when the engines went silent. The sound of the wind howling outside filled our ears.
“Get those engines started NOW!” yelled Decker at the lieutenant.
“I’m trying sir. We’re completely out of fuel. We burned almost all of it moving the asteroid. I can keep trying to start the engines, or I can try to glide in for a landing.”
“Glide us in. I’ll keep working on the engines. Just make sure you get us down safely. Everyone, it’s going to be a rough landing, I suggest you buckle in.”
Lieutenant Ivey skillfully guided the ship towards a large plain below and prepared for a manual landing. The ground was looming as we were coming towards it, still going quite fast. The ship jerked violently as the lieutenant engaged the wing flaps. The air currents tossed us to and fro as the ship desperately tried to slow down. The rest of the crew, including the captain, had given up hope on the engines and quickly buckled in for the wild ride.
“Hold on! We’re coming in for the landing,” yelled the lieutenant.
The ship hit the ground hard, but Ivey had done a magnificent job steering the ship. Once we were on the ground, we quickly slid to a stop in one of the many plains that dotted the horizon and rocked to a halt. We looked at each other and all let out a sigh of relief.
“Let’s get outside and see how badly the ship was damaged in that landing.”
The crew hurriedly disembarked, just glad to be off of that ship and onto solid ground once again and started examining the ship.
“It looks like the hull is intact captain, so if we do manage to find some way off this planet, we can make it home,” assessed Tony.
Dr. Peterson shouted, “Is anyone injured? I have my med-kit with me if anyone needs some medical assistance.”
“We’re fine, doctor. No one was injured. Alright, it looks like we might be here for the long haul. Let’s try to set up some sort of camp around the ship. We’ll have some light security, in case some of those dinosaurs become a bit too curious.”
*beep* *beep*
“What’s that for?” asked Decker
“Oh, it’s a timer I set for when the asteroid was supposed to impact this planet. I guess I had forgotten that I’d set it,” I replied.
Everyone laughed as the timer that signaled the asteroid's projected impact sounded, we all cheered and felt like we had once again proved man's mastery over the universe and perhaps even God.
“See, your whole theory was nothing but a bunch of rubbis-” and he disappeared, along with the rest of his team and the ship, no longer a part of this world, or the future of this planet.
"Utopia," by Tim De Haan
Most of them had never seen a gun before. It had been over a 120 years since the last Remington had been produced and 100 years since there was a privately-owned weapon on Earth. The Global Congress had signed a legislative law, dubbed the Peace Movement, banning weapons and had spent twenty harsh years to make it that way. There were only two or three in the crowd that had seen one—let alone owned one. There was no more need for metal detectors, a military, or even security guards for Global leaders anymore. Everyone could walk outside—which was very clean and healthy due to the Green Movement back in the early 2000s—without a worry of being mugged or murdered. They had reached a “utopia” as some were calling it, but today was a nightmare.
* * *
They boarded the pilotless vessel bound for Crystal City on the moon earlier that morning of June 10, 3438. Nothing was out of the ordinary and the takeoff went surprisingly well considering the violent thunder storm that was taking place. Slivken Apollo, Head of the Global Congress for 52 consecutive years, had found his way into the sleek capsule and had situated himself in a seat toward the front after a long night. He was in his mid nineties and the white tuff of hair that hung on—resistant to the end—looked oily and improperly groomed. There hadn’t been time to take a shower and prepare before he departed, which allowed him to slip in through the crowd rather unnoticed. Most of the time, he would get a few admirers to shake his hand and thank him for what he had done for the universe.
He hated having to ride public transportation to Crystal City, but today he really had no choice since the moon’s teleportation systems were sabotaged. Now he would have to endure a painful three hours of noisy children and commoners as they departed for the moon. Luckily for him, he was very tired and would probably sleep most of the way.
The flight was going smooth and Apollo had nearly fallen asleep, but his mind kept reverting back to last night’s discussion. “But how could that be possible?” He thought. “Earth was the strongest of the Galactic Alliance so why hadn’t they heard about the issue before it happened? The Shiga and Neqil systems had reported disturbances, but no one ever thought that it was—”
Apollo suddenly stirred, bewildered from the great shock that had rocked the vessel from its charted path. Shrieks from children filled the cramped space and shook the hull with a brutal thrashing. Parents tried to comfort them with gentle words, but even in their voices could be heard a strain of nervousness. “What hit us?” wondered Apollo, trying to peer out a window. The autopilot came on the overhead speakers announcing they had been struck by some unknown object and that scans were being run to discover the source. A few minutes eked by ever so slowly as the passengers strained their ears for an update.
“The scans have all finished and there appears to be nothing to have hit the EA5300 Starlight which means either the object was decimated on impact or—“
There was another violent assault on the craft, causing the lights to flicker. This time the adults began to panic and Apollo knew that something terrible was happening. Sounds of engine burners close to the hull of the Starlight roared throughout the cabin and were followed by the clanging of airlocks. Someone was trying to board the ship.
* * *
It had been twelve years since Apollo was elected as one of sixty European Senators to the Global Congress and he was now searching for greater power. He had gone along with the Peace Movement that happened just before he was born—his parents told him how much better the world had become. Wanting to take the Peace Movement and use it to elect himself as Head of Congress, Apollo would take the enthusiasm for peace and expand it into a Galactic Peace. He wanted to show the rest of the universe how magnificent and beneficial banding weapons could be. Billions of commoners rallied behind Apollo, believing in his dream and eager for peace.
Election Day came and Apollo easily grasped his authority without resistance. Soon, he was deploying delegates to various systems all over the universe to spread his propaganda. Wherever they went, systems came in droves to surrender their weapons and military. With few threats remaining, the Global Congress was nearing the dismissal of the military alongside the rest of the Galactic Alliance. Many claimed this was the final step to the Peace Movement and Apollo was a visionary man who had saved the universe from imminent disaster.
With any movement, there had been some resistance. The Breeni system was in open rebellion against the Galactic Alliance. There had been a cease fire for several years due to major damage inflicted on both sides, but the tensions only grew. Even after being told that they would no longer have to fight the war they could not win, the Breenians refused to accept the offer of laying down their weapons for peace. Apollo knew that the Shiga and Neqil systems would never agree to disband their military if the Breenians would not do the same. The rest of the Alliance would end up listening to them because it was through their strong-arm defense that the Breenians were kept at bay from the rest of the Alliance.
Apollo had spent over three years sending delegates to promote peace until it seemed only few options left. He couldn’t abandon all his work and disappoint the people who loved him. They were a fickle group and would have him thrown out at the first scent of failure. There was always the possibility of forcing what he wanted… but how could he make sure that no one found out? Everything he did and his reputation rested on his belief in peace and nonviolence.
* * *
The airlocks were sealed and the patter of footsteps on the ceiling sounded like water droplets dripping from the leaves of trees after a cool spring shower. The autopilot announced an intrusion but was cut short and the ship changed course yet another time. A few men rose to their feet, ready for battle but were forced down by their wives’ desperate call or the realization that no one had any true fighting skills. None of the young agile men in the belly of the beached whale had seen a movie with weapons or martial arts. No one had been in the military or seen a war. No school even taught about the five World Wars, the Breeni Invasion, or the Yetti System Massacre. Dictionaries no longer contained words like ‘war,’ ‘weapon,’ ‘fight,’ or ‘murder,’ and those that remembered the lost words didn’t dare utter them.
What little knowledge of fighting existed was that of wrestling siblings or the occasional disputes in Europe after a soccer game, and even then those weren’t like they used to be a millennium ago. Most of the time, it ended within a few minutes and no irreversible damage was done. The Global Congress nearly passed a law to ban all aggressive sports but was only able to remove the most violent like football, hockey, rugby, and wrestling. Now, only golf, swimming, tennis, and gymnastics were allowed to be aired on television so as not to pollute the minds of those watching.
As the men slowly sank down again, knowing a defense would be futile, fear seized the hearts of everyone and terror tormented each soul. The presence of an unwelcome being lurked in every corner, searching for the opportune moment to reveal itself. Apollo looked at his hands—they were trembling. He had never been so afraid before, so utterly helpless. He would have kept a private guard for himself and the rest of the Global Congress, but that would have worked against Galactic Peace. Damn it all. Now when he really needed a weapon there was not one to be found.
* * *
Apollo spoke softly to his friend, Uri Lixil, about the voyage soon to take place. Lixil, a Global Marine Coronel of the Special Forces Division, usually embarked on top secret missions that were never recorded nor known to the general public, and this request was nothing new. The men conversed in Apollo’s study of his elaborate mansion in what was formerly known as Madagascar. The island had been converted into the governmental seat and contained many other luxurious houses for the Global Congress members. Lixil was nodding slowly, confirming the words as they spilled out from Apollo’s lips.
“Travelling at our fastest, we could reach them a week before the signing, but that would leave little time to take control. On top of that, we would want to be stealthy. No Alliance solider wants to end up in Breenian hands,” Lixil stated back to Apollo.
“Do you think… do you think that you could dispose of them, I mean, at least enough to allow for Global Peace to pass?”
“That would be near impossible. You know the Neqilians will want proof of them laying down their weapons and unless we completely destroy them, they will rise up again and the peace will end. We do have the firepower to force them to surrender and inadvertently forfeit their weapons, but the Alliance will see that we are doing and it will work against the peace movement.”
“Well, do you have a better idea?”
“Sir, give me authorization and I will take care of the details. The Breenians will surrender and the Pact will be signed. No one will be able to trace the blame to you.”
Apollo thought for a moment, but finally nodded once. It was barely noticeable in the dim light but Lixil’s keen eyes caught the movement.
“Consider the job done, sir.” Lixil stood, saluted, and departed out the back door. Apollo uneasily looked at random documents on his desk, unsure if he had made the right choice.
* * *
Without warning, the rear hatch flung open and in stepped a squad of armed soldiers. Many of them were tall and dressed very different from what Apollo had ever seen, but most of the people had not even seen a military combatant and were confused who the uninvited guests were. One of the soldiers shouted to get on the floor, but no one moved. Everyone had his or her eyes fixed unwaveringly on the strange objects the marines were holding. Apollo knew what they were, but was so stricken with fear he couldn’t move. Never in his life had he been held at gunpoint, nor had he thought it would ever happen.
“Get their attention,” ordered what appeared to be the commanding officer.
The burly man next to him pulled out a black metal seven. He held it from the top end, pointed it toward the ceiling, and proceeded to pull a small lever in the nook of the number. The ringing blast and screams that followed made Apollo’s heart miss a beat. Again, the commander ordered everyone on the floor; this time they obeyed. The leader began to walk through the aisles and intently examined each face. When he came near Apollo, their eyes locked and for the first time Apollo noticed how old the commander was—probably about the same age as himself. Apollo was the first to break away from the stare, and the commander moved on.
* * *
The Galactic Peace Pact was signed into effect. All the systems agreed that the universe was safe after receiving confirmation from their embassies that the system in which it was stationed had intentions of surrendering its weapons. Everyone’s military had been disbanded and weapons were demolished. The rejoicing took place an hour after the last weapon was melted down and the entire galaxy resounded with songs. Never before had there been so much bliss in the cosmos and for the first time everyone everywhere could delight in the same event.
Apollo was considered a hero. Everything he had ever wanted had come true in half a decade. There seemed nothing more to do other than guide the Alliance through the Pact and make sure it didn’t break down after a year or two. One simple, inconsiderate commoner could make an entire system furious with another. There were some close calls, but Apollo was able to remind the offended party of the splendor of peace.
Of course, there were the frantic radicals who knew that at any moment the Alliance would fall apart because some system would have lied. It never happened. No attacks, no wars, no fighting. Somehow Apollo had succeeded in universal peace. It was as if his propaganda had placed each system under a spell that couldn’t be broken. Apollo held all the secrets which would ultimately be forgotten. It would be at least half a century before it became official—they would have to wait until an entire generation completely forgot about weapons and the contagious disease of war.
* * *
The commander had a perplexed look on his face when he finished scouring the passengers. He called over one of his cohorts and conversed with him while the rest of the squadron paced around. Neither of the two seemed very pleased at not finding what they had come for. The commander kept glancing at the captives, straining his eyes without blinking. Though his eyes seemed weak in his aged state, they had not lost the sharp and piercing stare. The two didn’t talk long before the commander returned to the back of the room.
“We are in a dilemma. I am looking for someone, but I can’t seem to find him,” he said with a clear, strong voice. Even though he was much older than previously thought, his voice and the way he strode around the ship displayed a certain fervor about him.
Apollo watched and listened closely. Every movement, gesture, and inflection brought a memory of someone very familiar to Apollo, but he did not know who. He continued to search the commander’s face—wrinkles were beginning to form around his eyes and mouth. The commander caught Apollo’s gaze but did not hold it long, constantly searching each face.
The commander continued, “So this is what I am going to do for you.” He placed his giant black boot on one of the seats and leaned on his knee. His arched back was not frail like Apollo expected but firm and tone. “You all know the great Head of the Global Congress, Slivken Apollo. Ah, yes… the Great Apollo. I have been searching for him for quite some time now and I know he is on this ship.”
It suddenly became obvious to Apollo: this intruder was old friend Lixil. But he’s… dead. Apollo had killed him nearly fifty years ago. Thoughts of that day flooded his mind. This is impossible! The Neqilians reported his ship destroyed and Lixil was never heard of again for nearly half a century. Then today he shows up. Lixil had come to get his vengeance for what Apollo had done. Apollo you fool! You knew this would come back to haunt you! He tried to figure out what he should do, but they were here for him and he had no way of escaping.
* * *
“Is it finished?” questioned Apollo into the microphone.
“Yes, sir,” Lixil responded. “They Neqilians took the bait and the Breenians are taken care of. We won’t have to worry about there being any conflicts. The war will be over in less than a three days, just in time for the signing of the Pact. You may want to talk to the Neqilians about their actions.”
“I will. I won’t push them; just remind them of how painful weapons can be. Once they realize they don’t want this war anymore, they will put down their weapons and sign. Good work Lixil. Shall I expect to see you in a few days?”
“We will have to work out way out under radar cover because the Neqilians are not asking questions at the moment. We are targets in Breeni System right now and the Neqilians have resorted to shoot first, ask later. It may be a week if we can’t find the right conditions.”
“Good, good. Just get yourself back here without dying. I will need you here so that every solider is accounted for in the decommissioning service. You of all know how important that is.”
* * *
“I am embarrassed to say this, but I cannot recall Apollo looks like these days. It has been many years since I last saw him, and well, my memory isn’t what it used to be,” Lixil said at last to the passengers. He had waited to see if anyone would expose Apollo, but no one budged or made a sound—even the children sat quietly.
Grinning widely, Lixil continued, “If someone would like to point out who Apollo is, I would be grateful and reward you handsomely for your good work.”
Again he waited, but the fear the gunshot had placed in the hearts of all the travelers kept them silently cowering on the floor. Angered by the stillness, he called over his assistant to talk again. They were very efficient in conversation—not like politics—because they were finished within a matter of moments. This time, Lixil did not present a cheerful attitude but one of annoyance.
“I have given you a chance to hand over Apollo to me, but apparently you are too cowardly or ignorant to comprehend what I am asking. Therefore, I will have to use a more rash method. I need Apollo. Rather, I need him dead. If he is dead within an hour, I will let you all continue on your journey toward Crystal City. If not, then I will destroy this ship with everyone inside. Either way, Apollo is dead, but one way you are alive and the other you are not. I recommend you choose wisely.”
Lixil turned and headed for the rear hatch, followed by his entourage. The door slammed shut behind them and a lock being fastened could be heard through the heavy steel. Some started to get up; others fainted. Apollo began to shake violently. He was in the last moments of his life.
* * *
Apollo had just ended the conversation with Lixil when he started the next secure communication link to the Neqilian Cruiser Masoijv. A gruff and unpleasant voice answered his bidding.
“Ah, Senator Apollo,” the raspy voice proclaimed. “For what do I owe the honor?”
“Good day—or night depending on where you are. Admiral Tybis, I have reports from my best analysts that a small Earth vessel was hijacked over thirty years ago during the Breenian Invasion. It was assumed that all on board were killed and the ship destroyed in the fighting because the homing beacon was lost and there were no subsequent distress calls. Well, that ship has recently come back into view and is currently in the Breenian sector. It is not following any normal course which makes me assume that there are Breenian exiles on board. I am requesting that you intersect and destroy this ship before we lose it again. You have made swift work on the Breenians ever since they broke the cease fire, so we don’t want to lose the possibility of ending the resistance once and for all.”
* * *
Apollo finally moved once Lixil left the room. He looked up and noticed many eyes affixed to him, and for the first time in his political life, he felt awkward with so many people looking at him. Maybe because he knew it wasn’t for leadership, or even because he was the keynote speaker. No, this time it was because this was his fault; he put them all in this situation. No one knew why Apollo was being looked for or why he had a death sentence. He sunk his weary forehead in his hands, realizing how incredibly tired he was.
He lifted his head slightly and searched his wrinkled hands, noticing every crack and grove that crisscrossed over the surface of his skin like highways which choked the confused world in which he lived. Where had the time gone? Fifty years ago, his hands were smooth and strong. They had been flung around a stage in front of an audience that cheered passionately after every sentence. That used to drive him crazy. People would interrupt him every thirty seconds to shout and whistle, but most of them didn’t even have a clue what he was saying. All he wanted to do was get on a roll and let the words spill out, but the sheepish crowd thought it was their innate duty to provide support whenever he paused. He didn’t mind the herd mentality after a while, in fact, without it he may not have won. The people saw a good cause and threw their support at it. They rallied behind him even when he was about to take way more of their freedom. In a way though, he offered them a new freedom. The freedom from assault in the middle of the night. Freedom from war. Freedom from fear. He had solved one of the universe’s flaws single handedly and they loved him for it. It only cost him a dear friend, but he had been willing to make that sacrifice for the rest of the universe.
* * *
The hum of murmuring stirred Apollo from his thoughts and back to the commoners. He glanced over them and instead of seeing what he expected—anger and hostility—he saw confusion. The commoners were discussing amongst themselves about what Lixil has said and questioning what he meant. They were all wondering how Apollo was just going to die in one hour. He was old, they knew that, but he still had at least another thirty years of life, so it wouldn’t be natural causes. He was not ill or had an incurable disease—which were few these days. No apparent lethal accident was to be seen. The whole idea of Slivken Apollo just collapsing dead seemed preposterous. No one ever just died on command and certainly it wasn’t going to happen now, even if Apollo wanted to.
But what did that strange man mean by destroying the ship? No one can destroy a ship just because they say it. Something has to malfunction or an asteroid has to smash into it. But most of those problems are avoided by the automated pilot. Besides, most of those horror stories where a ship loses power and goes off course are probably myths anyway. No one actually believes in failing computers. So this man was just trying to scare them, and it worked. It was a good thrill. Probably something the public transportation designed to promote more customers to ride. Ever since the teleporter was built, only the poorest have to travel by ship. They were even able to get Slivken Apollo to ride on board. Well, it’s probably not the actual Slivken Apollo, just a good actor.
One brave soul got up to confront Apollo after a few minutes passed. Smiling, he extended his hand and said, “Mister Apollo, I just want to congratulate you on your fine job back there. You really had me worried there for a moment that you were going to die. Who were those other guys anyway?”
“Uh, well…” Apollo stuttered, glancing at the protruding hand before grasping it with his own. “They were my friends at one time, but now I guess they are against me. I haven’t seen them for ages. I thought Lixil—the leader—was dead.”
“He gave me a good scare. I haven’t been that terrified in a long time… and it felt good. I guess one needs a bit of fear in his life every now and then. Makes him feel human. I know for sure that I will write a good review when we get to Crystal City. My name’s Braak. I’m a journalist for the Crystal City Virtue. You might have read some of my works on golf tournaments in past years.”
Apollo despised journalists, especially since they stopped writing about anything valuable. He could remember the days when the papers would be headlined in a sea of black. Wars and major political scandals covered the front and cruelty filled the middle and end. Journalists would do everything they could to get a good story—no matter what--and print it. Nowadays, the only things that made headline news were sports or who broke up with so-and-so. Politics were rarely covered except when Apollo made some speech on the current state of the Alliance or further expansion of Galactic Peace, but few seemed interested in that anymore. Apollo’s job had become very easy… too easy. He took away weapons and everyone lost interest in their government. Strange how those two things had become so intertwined that one could hardly exist without the other.
Apollo gave Braak a unpleasant look. “No I have never read your articles, but how could you think of something like that right now? Lixil is trying to kill me and all you can think about is your work.”
Braak returned a mystified look. “What? I don’t understand.”
“Weren’t you listening to Lixil? It’s just a matter of time before everyone in here turns on me—”
“I did hear what he said,” interrupted Braak. “He did a fine job as well; almost believed him. You know, you all really did a splendid job. Even after I have figured it all out, you just keep on going.”
“Figured what out? Braak, this isn’t a game! Lixil is trying to kill—”
“Of course it isn’t a game. I may not be an actor but I do know a few things. This is a skit, or rather a promotion by the public transportation, is it not?”
“A promotion? No, you have it all wrong. This isn’t a skit and I am no actor. I am Slivken Apollo, Head of Global Congress.”
“Of course you are,” Braak said with a smirk on his face. Apollo became irritated.
“No, Braak. I am Apollo. I’m only on this bloody ship because the teleportation system is down. Lixil is very real and he will kill us all.”
Braak became very puzzled suddenly. “You keep using that word ‘kill.’ Now I know I haven’t been on Earth very often lately, but I can usually pick up on the new terminology being flung around. You actors… always making up words to sound important. Please, enlighten me.”
The realization that Braak and the other passengers had no concept of ‘murder’ stunned Apollo. He had completely forgotten that his secrets were lost to the universe. No one had a friend or relative who was murdered and the news never covered any horrific tales. The word and the action had completely fallen out of existence.
* * *
It had been one hour. Lixil assumed Apollo would be dead by now, so he started his decent into the commandeered craft. He had spent the last hour mapping out what he believed was going on in the cabin. Minute after minute, he relayed what was being said, who did what, and ended his foretelling with bloodbath. He knew the human mind and could predict with little error what his enemies would do when they are divided. That’s why he is so good at what he does. It’s also why he survived to seek his revenge. It didn’t take much to defer the Neqilian cruiser. Admiral Tybis reported the ship destroyed and Lixil went back to what he did best. The Neqilians were smart in hiring an outside force while they disbanded their military. They could join the Galactic Peace Pact and yet do anything they wanted to. And the best part was that nothing could be traced back to them. Apollo could have done the same if he hadn’t tried to kill Lixil. He must have forgotten how good—and loyal—Lixil was.
Lixil only took a few guards this time, assuming there would only be a few survivors left. Two sides would have formed: one in defense of Apollo, and the other in opposition. The latter would have won out by sheer numbers, but only after losing some of their own. He would take the remaining commoners as hostage and ransom them. The best part was not having to worry about a special forces team busting down the front door and taking him captive. No one could stop him.
Lixil reached the rear hatch and ordered the lock removed and the door opened. He promptly stepped inside but quickly became horrified at the sight. There were no lifeless bodies, no last-standing survivors, no dead Apollo. They were all just sitting there, like they had been listening to someone. Their eyes—now on him—held confusion.
Apollo had spent the better part of the hour desperately trying to explain the concept of murder and what Lixil intentions for them all if they didn’t put up a fight. But all this talk of nonsense made the commoners sure Apollo was only a lookalike actor who had taken his job just a bit too seriously. Now they were just annoyed with the show.
Slowly, a few of them returned their gaze to an old man in the center. It was then that Lixil finally recognized his ex-friend. Anger burned in his soul and he reached for his sidearm. Taking notice, the crowd panicked again. Some immediately got down on the floor, others stood up in protest of a second shot being fired. This time, instead of pointing the weapon in the air and firing, Lixil aimed at Apollo’s chest and pulled the trigger.
* * *
He fell down. The old man collapsed to his knees and gasped frantically for air. Blood began to seep from behind his shirt as he groped at his wound. Apollo stood behind the kneeling man who had walked in the path of the bullet at the last second.
Half an hour ago, the old man sat calmly three seats down from Apollo and Braak. He listened to their conversation closely. He had trouble hearing everything mentioned, but there were words he hadn’t heard in nearly forty-five years and they perked his interest. On the edge of his seat, the string of syllables sailing across the room echoed in his ears. If only he could remembered what some of those words were, but it had been so long and his memory was deteriorating. Even though he didn’t understand the conversation, one thing he did know was the Apollo and Lixil were no actors. This was real. The soldier’s guns made that obvious. No promotion scheme would have weapons in them.
It, too, had been ages since he had seen a gun—or held one. His first and last rifle he ever owned he received from his father as a young boy. They went out hunting together and would return home triumphantly with a six-point buck or a few pheasants. He loved that time with his father. He loved his father. When they came to take away their weapons, his father resisted. The men tried to force their way into the house so his father told him to run, and he did when the shots rang out. All he could remember from that horrifying day was seeing his father lying in pool of blood. From that point on, he hated weapons and believed deeply in the Peace Movement. If it weren’t for guns, his father would have lived a long life; long enough to see Utopia. Apollo was a good man. Even though it was through the Peace Movement that the old man’s father died, Apollo removed weapons from everyone—including the military—so that there could be no more… murder. Yes, that was it. Apollo saved the world from murder, and Lixil was going to have Apollo murdered just like his father. Apollo had to live, whatever the cost.
* * *
It finally made sense. Apollo had been trying to tell the commoners something very real and they had just pushed it aside like an unwanted advertisement. They just didn’t understand the magnitude of Apollo’s concern and he had lost their interest within ten minutes. Not anymore. The old man was dying on the floor, thrashing around in pain. Death has seized his body but it did not come about by natural causes, an unforeseen accident, or a serious illness. This death was foreign to them, and it made them distraught. They looked at Lixil and saw true fear, but now they knew how to destroy it. They stood up with one intention.
Lixil and his troops were surrounded. They could try to fight their way out, but the massive group would surely overwhelm them once they had to reload—they already had limited ammunition with no system producing it anymore. The commoners moved in closer and the soldiers elevated their weapons parallel to the floor. The men and women knitted together, prepared to end fear.
“Do you know what you are about to do?” Lixil asked the enveloping swarm. “You praise Apollo for everything he has ever done in the universe, but you have failed to see who he really is. I offered to spare your lives at the cost of one. He did the same thing once. The Great Apollo desperately wanted Galactic Peace and did everything he could to get it. Even started a war in which an entire race was nearly wiped from the universe, oh except that he made it look like it was them who started it. He sent me and my troops to create that illusion and leave him out of the picture. Of course he couldn’t risk me getting back here and telling the universe exactly what he did, so naturally he had to have me killed. Only unfortunately for him, he forgot that I was trained to not only kill but also to survive.
“Don’t you see? The real enemy is Apollo. He has kept you ignorant and away from danger. What for? So that everyone plays nice and can get along? Or so he can rule the world? He doesn’t care about you. He wanted power and did everything he could to get it.
“Now I am doing exactly what he did! Kill one to save the rest. If you fight us now, many of you will die just like that foolish man on the floor. Take my offer and kill the man who has used you over and over again to gain dominance over you.”
The mob stopped pressing in and looked back at Apollo. Anger and disbelief swam through the sea of bodies. Whispers, just audible over the moan of the engines, bounced around the room. Apollo glared back at Lixil, hatred raging in his bones.
“I offered you peace,” countered Apollo. “Do you honestly think that it wouldn’t come without a cost? You all wanted Galactic Peace but it would have never happened unless I did something. But the one thing I could do would destroy everything I had worked so hard for. So I did what I had to. I did what was best for everyone. Look how far we have come without war! We no longer have to fear people like Lixil. No one has to die in vain like this man. You are better people without this knowledge. I wasn’t keeping anything from you that made you less human. If anything, it made you more human. Fear of attack or murder prevented you from living to your fullest potential. I have ended that for you. Look at yourselves now. You have been ready to kill us as soon as you found out about murder. I tried to stop that but now Lixil has ruined you.”
Lixil circled around, allowing everyone to see his face. “Fight for your freedom; the freedom this man has stolen from you! You want peace, but peace cannot last forever. Then what? Will you just let a foreign system take over? Will you let yourselves be conquered because Apollo is thirsty for power? He is the reason you are here right now. Do not let him force you—”
Apollo interrupted, sickened by Lixil’s words. “People, do not believe him. Have I attacked you? Have I caused you any harm? For nearly fifty years now there has never been a murder or a war and suddenly Lixil is the one who descends on you and is trying to overpower you. Think about how good your life has been before today. No one goes hungry anymore because there are no disputes over food. There are no longer nations because there is no need to fight over boarders. Everyone is part of the same family, but Lixil is not. He has not lived on Earth—or the moon—for the past half century. Yet he believes that he can order you around like ignorant animals. You are not animals at all. You are human beings, something Lixil could never be.”
The crowd stood still, caught in the middle of two angry men. Did they really want peace? Was there more to life than never fearing? Did they want murder and violence to enter back into society? They looked at the dead man on the floor, blood slowly trickling from the hole in his chest. Didn’t they have the right as human beings to know about the human ‘flaws’ that existed for thousands of years? What other things were hidden from them? Did they really want to know? The tension grew as all three parties looked at each other.
* * *
Only Braak and eight other survivors walked off that ship when it docked at Crystal City. He would never forgive himself for what he did. One of Lixil’s soldiers couldn’t take it anymore and a slaughter took place. The civilians advanced on Lixil and at least twenty were riddled with holes before they could rip the weapons away. It was strange to think that it took one-hundred years to remove the knowledge of murder, but it only took one hour to reestablish it. The rest of the troops came in after hearing the commotion, but they weren’t ready for an ambush.
Braak and the other survivors crowded around Apollo after the attack, weapons in hand. Apollo had hidden once the fighting began, concerned only with self-preservation. Braak lightly kicked him in the side to get his attention and Apollo pulled his head out from under the fortification of his arms.
“Thank you for sparing me,” Apollo exclaimed, his voice quavering.
“Are you really only concerned with power? You’re just going to tell them this wasn’t real, aren’t you? And they will accept whatever you say because you are in charge,” Braak said while shaking his head. “You will have us confined without a hearing so we can’t argue our case. And the world will continue spinning in perfection.”
“I will not. I can promise you that the universe will know what happened. The perfection has already come to an end. I never wanted this… I wanted peace. I wanted to show the universe that we are not the barbarians we were. I wanted to make a difference; to end fear. And the only way I knew was to destroy the one thing that kept us from becoming greater. Was it right? Looking back, I would not have changed anything.”
“These people deserved to know what you took away from them!” Braak roared as he pointed at the corpses hewn on the floor.
“I stole nothing from you. I kept you from becoming the monsters you are now. You will forever regret—”
Apollo slumped to the floor. His Utopia had come to an end.
Deep down, Braak felt more human in that short moment than his entire life. He never wanted to murder, nor would he ever do it again, but for the first time in his life he felt connected to the rest of humanity—past and present. He would forever live his life in fear, but at least he would understand why.
* * *
They boarded the pilotless vessel bound for Crystal City on the moon earlier that morning of June 10, 3438. Nothing was out of the ordinary and the takeoff went surprisingly well considering the violent thunder storm that was taking place. Slivken Apollo, Head of the Global Congress for 52 consecutive years, had found his way into the sleek capsule and had situated himself in a seat toward the front after a long night. He was in his mid nineties and the white tuff of hair that hung on—resistant to the end—looked oily and improperly groomed. There hadn’t been time to take a shower and prepare before he departed, which allowed him to slip in through the crowd rather unnoticed. Most of the time, he would get a few admirers to shake his hand and thank him for what he had done for the universe.
He hated having to ride public transportation to Crystal City, but today he really had no choice since the moon’s teleportation systems were sabotaged. Now he would have to endure a painful three hours of noisy children and commoners as they departed for the moon. Luckily for him, he was very tired and would probably sleep most of the way.
The flight was going smooth and Apollo had nearly fallen asleep, but his mind kept reverting back to last night’s discussion. “But how could that be possible?” He thought. “Earth was the strongest of the Galactic Alliance so why hadn’t they heard about the issue before it happened? The Shiga and Neqil systems had reported disturbances, but no one ever thought that it was—”
Apollo suddenly stirred, bewildered from the great shock that had rocked the vessel from its charted path. Shrieks from children filled the cramped space and shook the hull with a brutal thrashing. Parents tried to comfort them with gentle words, but even in their voices could be heard a strain of nervousness. “What hit us?” wondered Apollo, trying to peer out a window. The autopilot came on the overhead speakers announcing they had been struck by some unknown object and that scans were being run to discover the source. A few minutes eked by ever so slowly as the passengers strained their ears for an update.
“The scans have all finished and there appears to be nothing to have hit the EA5300 Starlight which means either the object was decimated on impact or—“
There was another violent assault on the craft, causing the lights to flicker. This time the adults began to panic and Apollo knew that something terrible was happening. Sounds of engine burners close to the hull of the Starlight roared throughout the cabin and were followed by the clanging of airlocks. Someone was trying to board the ship.
* * *
It had been twelve years since Apollo was elected as one of sixty European Senators to the Global Congress and he was now searching for greater power. He had gone along with the Peace Movement that happened just before he was born—his parents told him how much better the world had become. Wanting to take the Peace Movement and use it to elect himself as Head of Congress, Apollo would take the enthusiasm for peace and expand it into a Galactic Peace. He wanted to show the rest of the universe how magnificent and beneficial banding weapons could be. Billions of commoners rallied behind Apollo, believing in his dream and eager for peace.
Election Day came and Apollo easily grasped his authority without resistance. Soon, he was deploying delegates to various systems all over the universe to spread his propaganda. Wherever they went, systems came in droves to surrender their weapons and military. With few threats remaining, the Global Congress was nearing the dismissal of the military alongside the rest of the Galactic Alliance. Many claimed this was the final step to the Peace Movement and Apollo was a visionary man who had saved the universe from imminent disaster.
With any movement, there had been some resistance. The Breeni system was in open rebellion against the Galactic Alliance. There had been a cease fire for several years due to major damage inflicted on both sides, but the tensions only grew. Even after being told that they would no longer have to fight the war they could not win, the Breenians refused to accept the offer of laying down their weapons for peace. Apollo knew that the Shiga and Neqil systems would never agree to disband their military if the Breenians would not do the same. The rest of the Alliance would end up listening to them because it was through their strong-arm defense that the Breenians were kept at bay from the rest of the Alliance.
Apollo had spent over three years sending delegates to promote peace until it seemed only few options left. He couldn’t abandon all his work and disappoint the people who loved him. They were a fickle group and would have him thrown out at the first scent of failure. There was always the possibility of forcing what he wanted… but how could he make sure that no one found out? Everything he did and his reputation rested on his belief in peace and nonviolence.
* * *
The airlocks were sealed and the patter of footsteps on the ceiling sounded like water droplets dripping from the leaves of trees after a cool spring shower. The autopilot announced an intrusion but was cut short and the ship changed course yet another time. A few men rose to their feet, ready for battle but were forced down by their wives’ desperate call or the realization that no one had any true fighting skills. None of the young agile men in the belly of the beached whale had seen a movie with weapons or martial arts. No one had been in the military or seen a war. No school even taught about the five World Wars, the Breeni Invasion, or the Yetti System Massacre. Dictionaries no longer contained words like ‘war,’ ‘weapon,’ ‘fight,’ or ‘murder,’ and those that remembered the lost words didn’t dare utter them.
What little knowledge of fighting existed was that of wrestling siblings or the occasional disputes in Europe after a soccer game, and even then those weren’t like they used to be a millennium ago. Most of the time, it ended within a few minutes and no irreversible damage was done. The Global Congress nearly passed a law to ban all aggressive sports but was only able to remove the most violent like football, hockey, rugby, and wrestling. Now, only golf, swimming, tennis, and gymnastics were allowed to be aired on television so as not to pollute the minds of those watching.
As the men slowly sank down again, knowing a defense would be futile, fear seized the hearts of everyone and terror tormented each soul. The presence of an unwelcome being lurked in every corner, searching for the opportune moment to reveal itself. Apollo looked at his hands—they were trembling. He had never been so afraid before, so utterly helpless. He would have kept a private guard for himself and the rest of the Global Congress, but that would have worked against Galactic Peace. Damn it all. Now when he really needed a weapon there was not one to be found.
* * *
Apollo spoke softly to his friend, Uri Lixil, about the voyage soon to take place. Lixil, a Global Marine Coronel of the Special Forces Division, usually embarked on top secret missions that were never recorded nor known to the general public, and this request was nothing new. The men conversed in Apollo’s study of his elaborate mansion in what was formerly known as Madagascar. The island had been converted into the governmental seat and contained many other luxurious houses for the Global Congress members. Lixil was nodding slowly, confirming the words as they spilled out from Apollo’s lips.
“Travelling at our fastest, we could reach them a week before the signing, but that would leave little time to take control. On top of that, we would want to be stealthy. No Alliance solider wants to end up in Breenian hands,” Lixil stated back to Apollo.
“Do you think… do you think that you could dispose of them, I mean, at least enough to allow for Global Peace to pass?”
“That would be near impossible. You know the Neqilians will want proof of them laying down their weapons and unless we completely destroy them, they will rise up again and the peace will end. We do have the firepower to force them to surrender and inadvertently forfeit their weapons, but the Alliance will see that we are doing and it will work against the peace movement.”
“Well, do you have a better idea?”
“Sir, give me authorization and I will take care of the details. The Breenians will surrender and the Pact will be signed. No one will be able to trace the blame to you.”
Apollo thought for a moment, but finally nodded once. It was barely noticeable in the dim light but Lixil’s keen eyes caught the movement.
“Consider the job done, sir.” Lixil stood, saluted, and departed out the back door. Apollo uneasily looked at random documents on his desk, unsure if he had made the right choice.
* * *
Without warning, the rear hatch flung open and in stepped a squad of armed soldiers. Many of them were tall and dressed very different from what Apollo had ever seen, but most of the people had not even seen a military combatant and were confused who the uninvited guests were. One of the soldiers shouted to get on the floor, but no one moved. Everyone had his or her eyes fixed unwaveringly on the strange objects the marines were holding. Apollo knew what they were, but was so stricken with fear he couldn’t move. Never in his life had he been held at gunpoint, nor had he thought it would ever happen.
“Get their attention,” ordered what appeared to be the commanding officer.
The burly man next to him pulled out a black metal seven. He held it from the top end, pointed it toward the ceiling, and proceeded to pull a small lever in the nook of the number. The ringing blast and screams that followed made Apollo’s heart miss a beat. Again, the commander ordered everyone on the floor; this time they obeyed. The leader began to walk through the aisles and intently examined each face. When he came near Apollo, their eyes locked and for the first time Apollo noticed how old the commander was—probably about the same age as himself. Apollo was the first to break away from the stare, and the commander moved on.
* * *
The Galactic Peace Pact was signed into effect. All the systems agreed that the universe was safe after receiving confirmation from their embassies that the system in which it was stationed had intentions of surrendering its weapons. Everyone’s military had been disbanded and weapons were demolished. The rejoicing took place an hour after the last weapon was melted down and the entire galaxy resounded with songs. Never before had there been so much bliss in the cosmos and for the first time everyone everywhere could delight in the same event.
Apollo was considered a hero. Everything he had ever wanted had come true in half a decade. There seemed nothing more to do other than guide the Alliance through the Pact and make sure it didn’t break down after a year or two. One simple, inconsiderate commoner could make an entire system furious with another. There were some close calls, but Apollo was able to remind the offended party of the splendor of peace.
Of course, there were the frantic radicals who knew that at any moment the Alliance would fall apart because some system would have lied. It never happened. No attacks, no wars, no fighting. Somehow Apollo had succeeded in universal peace. It was as if his propaganda had placed each system under a spell that couldn’t be broken. Apollo held all the secrets which would ultimately be forgotten. It would be at least half a century before it became official—they would have to wait until an entire generation completely forgot about weapons and the contagious disease of war.
* * *
The commander had a perplexed look on his face when he finished scouring the passengers. He called over one of his cohorts and conversed with him while the rest of the squadron paced around. Neither of the two seemed very pleased at not finding what they had come for. The commander kept glancing at the captives, straining his eyes without blinking. Though his eyes seemed weak in his aged state, they had not lost the sharp and piercing stare. The two didn’t talk long before the commander returned to the back of the room.
“We are in a dilemma. I am looking for someone, but I can’t seem to find him,” he said with a clear, strong voice. Even though he was much older than previously thought, his voice and the way he strode around the ship displayed a certain fervor about him.
Apollo watched and listened closely. Every movement, gesture, and inflection brought a memory of someone very familiar to Apollo, but he did not know who. He continued to search the commander’s face—wrinkles were beginning to form around his eyes and mouth. The commander caught Apollo’s gaze but did not hold it long, constantly searching each face.
The commander continued, “So this is what I am going to do for you.” He placed his giant black boot on one of the seats and leaned on his knee. His arched back was not frail like Apollo expected but firm and tone. “You all know the great Head of the Global Congress, Slivken Apollo. Ah, yes… the Great Apollo. I have been searching for him for quite some time now and I know he is on this ship.”
It suddenly became obvious to Apollo: this intruder was old friend Lixil. But he’s… dead. Apollo had killed him nearly fifty years ago. Thoughts of that day flooded his mind. This is impossible! The Neqilians reported his ship destroyed and Lixil was never heard of again for nearly half a century. Then today he shows up. Lixil had come to get his vengeance for what Apollo had done. Apollo you fool! You knew this would come back to haunt you! He tried to figure out what he should do, but they were here for him and he had no way of escaping.
* * *
“Is it finished?” questioned Apollo into the microphone.
“Yes, sir,” Lixil responded. “They Neqilians took the bait and the Breenians are taken care of. We won’t have to worry about there being any conflicts. The war will be over in less than a three days, just in time for the signing of the Pact. You may want to talk to the Neqilians about their actions.”
“I will. I won’t push them; just remind them of how painful weapons can be. Once they realize they don’t want this war anymore, they will put down their weapons and sign. Good work Lixil. Shall I expect to see you in a few days?”
“We will have to work out way out under radar cover because the Neqilians are not asking questions at the moment. We are targets in Breeni System right now and the Neqilians have resorted to shoot first, ask later. It may be a week if we can’t find the right conditions.”
“Good, good. Just get yourself back here without dying. I will need you here so that every solider is accounted for in the decommissioning service. You of all know how important that is.”
* * *
“I am embarrassed to say this, but I cannot recall Apollo looks like these days. It has been many years since I last saw him, and well, my memory isn’t what it used to be,” Lixil said at last to the passengers. He had waited to see if anyone would expose Apollo, but no one budged or made a sound—even the children sat quietly.
Grinning widely, Lixil continued, “If someone would like to point out who Apollo is, I would be grateful and reward you handsomely for your good work.”
Again he waited, but the fear the gunshot had placed in the hearts of all the travelers kept them silently cowering on the floor. Angered by the stillness, he called over his assistant to talk again. They were very efficient in conversation—not like politics—because they were finished within a matter of moments. This time, Lixil did not present a cheerful attitude but one of annoyance.
“I have given you a chance to hand over Apollo to me, but apparently you are too cowardly or ignorant to comprehend what I am asking. Therefore, I will have to use a more rash method. I need Apollo. Rather, I need him dead. If he is dead within an hour, I will let you all continue on your journey toward Crystal City. If not, then I will destroy this ship with everyone inside. Either way, Apollo is dead, but one way you are alive and the other you are not. I recommend you choose wisely.”
Lixil turned and headed for the rear hatch, followed by his entourage. The door slammed shut behind them and a lock being fastened could be heard through the heavy steel. Some started to get up; others fainted. Apollo began to shake violently. He was in the last moments of his life.
* * *
Apollo had just ended the conversation with Lixil when he started the next secure communication link to the Neqilian Cruiser Masoijv. A gruff and unpleasant voice answered his bidding.
“Ah, Senator Apollo,” the raspy voice proclaimed. “For what do I owe the honor?”
“Good day—or night depending on where you are. Admiral Tybis, I have reports from my best analysts that a small Earth vessel was hijacked over thirty years ago during the Breenian Invasion. It was assumed that all on board were killed and the ship destroyed in the fighting because the homing beacon was lost and there were no subsequent distress calls. Well, that ship has recently come back into view and is currently in the Breenian sector. It is not following any normal course which makes me assume that there are Breenian exiles on board. I am requesting that you intersect and destroy this ship before we lose it again. You have made swift work on the Breenians ever since they broke the cease fire, so we don’t want to lose the possibility of ending the resistance once and for all.”
* * *
Apollo finally moved once Lixil left the room. He looked up and noticed many eyes affixed to him, and for the first time in his political life, he felt awkward with so many people looking at him. Maybe because he knew it wasn’t for leadership, or even because he was the keynote speaker. No, this time it was because this was his fault; he put them all in this situation. No one knew why Apollo was being looked for or why he had a death sentence. He sunk his weary forehead in his hands, realizing how incredibly tired he was.
He lifted his head slightly and searched his wrinkled hands, noticing every crack and grove that crisscrossed over the surface of his skin like highways which choked the confused world in which he lived. Where had the time gone? Fifty years ago, his hands were smooth and strong. They had been flung around a stage in front of an audience that cheered passionately after every sentence. That used to drive him crazy. People would interrupt him every thirty seconds to shout and whistle, but most of them didn’t even have a clue what he was saying. All he wanted to do was get on a roll and let the words spill out, but the sheepish crowd thought it was their innate duty to provide support whenever he paused. He didn’t mind the herd mentality after a while, in fact, without it he may not have won. The people saw a good cause and threw their support at it. They rallied behind him even when he was about to take way more of their freedom. In a way though, he offered them a new freedom. The freedom from assault in the middle of the night. Freedom from war. Freedom from fear. He had solved one of the universe’s flaws single handedly and they loved him for it. It only cost him a dear friend, but he had been willing to make that sacrifice for the rest of the universe.
* * *
The hum of murmuring stirred Apollo from his thoughts and back to the commoners. He glanced over them and instead of seeing what he expected—anger and hostility—he saw confusion. The commoners were discussing amongst themselves about what Lixil has said and questioning what he meant. They were all wondering how Apollo was just going to die in one hour. He was old, they knew that, but he still had at least another thirty years of life, so it wouldn’t be natural causes. He was not ill or had an incurable disease—which were few these days. No apparent lethal accident was to be seen. The whole idea of Slivken Apollo just collapsing dead seemed preposterous. No one ever just died on command and certainly it wasn’t going to happen now, even if Apollo wanted to.
But what did that strange man mean by destroying the ship? No one can destroy a ship just because they say it. Something has to malfunction or an asteroid has to smash into it. But most of those problems are avoided by the automated pilot. Besides, most of those horror stories where a ship loses power and goes off course are probably myths anyway. No one actually believes in failing computers. So this man was just trying to scare them, and it worked. It was a good thrill. Probably something the public transportation designed to promote more customers to ride. Ever since the teleporter was built, only the poorest have to travel by ship. They were even able to get Slivken Apollo to ride on board. Well, it’s probably not the actual Slivken Apollo, just a good actor.
One brave soul got up to confront Apollo after a few minutes passed. Smiling, he extended his hand and said, “Mister Apollo, I just want to congratulate you on your fine job back there. You really had me worried there for a moment that you were going to die. Who were those other guys anyway?”
“Uh, well…” Apollo stuttered, glancing at the protruding hand before grasping it with his own. “They were my friends at one time, but now I guess they are against me. I haven’t seen them for ages. I thought Lixil—the leader—was dead.”
“He gave me a good scare. I haven’t been that terrified in a long time… and it felt good. I guess one needs a bit of fear in his life every now and then. Makes him feel human. I know for sure that I will write a good review when we get to Crystal City. My name’s Braak. I’m a journalist for the Crystal City Virtue. You might have read some of my works on golf tournaments in past years.”
Apollo despised journalists, especially since they stopped writing about anything valuable. He could remember the days when the papers would be headlined in a sea of black. Wars and major political scandals covered the front and cruelty filled the middle and end. Journalists would do everything they could to get a good story—no matter what--and print it. Nowadays, the only things that made headline news were sports or who broke up with so-and-so. Politics were rarely covered except when Apollo made some speech on the current state of the Alliance or further expansion of Galactic Peace, but few seemed interested in that anymore. Apollo’s job had become very easy… too easy. He took away weapons and everyone lost interest in their government. Strange how those two things had become so intertwined that one could hardly exist without the other.
Apollo gave Braak a unpleasant look. “No I have never read your articles, but how could you think of something like that right now? Lixil is trying to kill me and all you can think about is your work.”
Braak returned a mystified look. “What? I don’t understand.”
“Weren’t you listening to Lixil? It’s just a matter of time before everyone in here turns on me—”
“I did hear what he said,” interrupted Braak. “He did a fine job as well; almost believed him. You know, you all really did a splendid job. Even after I have figured it all out, you just keep on going.”
“Figured what out? Braak, this isn’t a game! Lixil is trying to kill—”
“Of course it isn’t a game. I may not be an actor but I do know a few things. This is a skit, or rather a promotion by the public transportation, is it not?”
“A promotion? No, you have it all wrong. This isn’t a skit and I am no actor. I am Slivken Apollo, Head of Global Congress.”
“Of course you are,” Braak said with a smirk on his face. Apollo became irritated.
“No, Braak. I am Apollo. I’m only on this bloody ship because the teleportation system is down. Lixil is very real and he will kill us all.”
Braak became very puzzled suddenly. “You keep using that word ‘kill.’ Now I know I haven’t been on Earth very often lately, but I can usually pick up on the new terminology being flung around. You actors… always making up words to sound important. Please, enlighten me.”
The realization that Braak and the other passengers had no concept of ‘murder’ stunned Apollo. He had completely forgotten that his secrets were lost to the universe. No one had a friend or relative who was murdered and the news never covered any horrific tales. The word and the action had completely fallen out of existence.
* * *
It had been one hour. Lixil assumed Apollo would be dead by now, so he started his decent into the commandeered craft. He had spent the last hour mapping out what he believed was going on in the cabin. Minute after minute, he relayed what was being said, who did what, and ended his foretelling with bloodbath. He knew the human mind and could predict with little error what his enemies would do when they are divided. That’s why he is so good at what he does. It’s also why he survived to seek his revenge. It didn’t take much to defer the Neqilian cruiser. Admiral Tybis reported the ship destroyed and Lixil went back to what he did best. The Neqilians were smart in hiring an outside force while they disbanded their military. They could join the Galactic Peace Pact and yet do anything they wanted to. And the best part was that nothing could be traced back to them. Apollo could have done the same if he hadn’t tried to kill Lixil. He must have forgotten how good—and loyal—Lixil was.
Lixil only took a few guards this time, assuming there would only be a few survivors left. Two sides would have formed: one in defense of Apollo, and the other in opposition. The latter would have won out by sheer numbers, but only after losing some of their own. He would take the remaining commoners as hostage and ransom them. The best part was not having to worry about a special forces team busting down the front door and taking him captive. No one could stop him.
Lixil reached the rear hatch and ordered the lock removed and the door opened. He promptly stepped inside but quickly became horrified at the sight. There were no lifeless bodies, no last-standing survivors, no dead Apollo. They were all just sitting there, like they had been listening to someone. Their eyes—now on him—held confusion.
Apollo had spent the better part of the hour desperately trying to explain the concept of murder and what Lixil intentions for them all if they didn’t put up a fight. But all this talk of nonsense made the commoners sure Apollo was only a lookalike actor who had taken his job just a bit too seriously. Now they were just annoyed with the show.
Slowly, a few of them returned their gaze to an old man in the center. It was then that Lixil finally recognized his ex-friend. Anger burned in his soul and he reached for his sidearm. Taking notice, the crowd panicked again. Some immediately got down on the floor, others stood up in protest of a second shot being fired. This time, instead of pointing the weapon in the air and firing, Lixil aimed at Apollo’s chest and pulled the trigger.
* * *
He fell down. The old man collapsed to his knees and gasped frantically for air. Blood began to seep from behind his shirt as he groped at his wound. Apollo stood behind the kneeling man who had walked in the path of the bullet at the last second.
Half an hour ago, the old man sat calmly three seats down from Apollo and Braak. He listened to their conversation closely. He had trouble hearing everything mentioned, but there were words he hadn’t heard in nearly forty-five years and they perked his interest. On the edge of his seat, the string of syllables sailing across the room echoed in his ears. If only he could remembered what some of those words were, but it had been so long and his memory was deteriorating. Even though he didn’t understand the conversation, one thing he did know was the Apollo and Lixil were no actors. This was real. The soldier’s guns made that obvious. No promotion scheme would have weapons in them.
It, too, had been ages since he had seen a gun—or held one. His first and last rifle he ever owned he received from his father as a young boy. They went out hunting together and would return home triumphantly with a six-point buck or a few pheasants. He loved that time with his father. He loved his father. When they came to take away their weapons, his father resisted. The men tried to force their way into the house so his father told him to run, and he did when the shots rang out. All he could remember from that horrifying day was seeing his father lying in pool of blood. From that point on, he hated weapons and believed deeply in the Peace Movement. If it weren’t for guns, his father would have lived a long life; long enough to see Utopia. Apollo was a good man. Even though it was through the Peace Movement that the old man’s father died, Apollo removed weapons from everyone—including the military—so that there could be no more… murder. Yes, that was it. Apollo saved the world from murder, and Lixil was going to have Apollo murdered just like his father. Apollo had to live, whatever the cost.
* * *
It finally made sense. Apollo had been trying to tell the commoners something very real and they had just pushed it aside like an unwanted advertisement. They just didn’t understand the magnitude of Apollo’s concern and he had lost their interest within ten minutes. Not anymore. The old man was dying on the floor, thrashing around in pain. Death has seized his body but it did not come about by natural causes, an unforeseen accident, or a serious illness. This death was foreign to them, and it made them distraught. They looked at Lixil and saw true fear, but now they knew how to destroy it. They stood up with one intention.
Lixil and his troops were surrounded. They could try to fight their way out, but the massive group would surely overwhelm them once they had to reload—they already had limited ammunition with no system producing it anymore. The commoners moved in closer and the soldiers elevated their weapons parallel to the floor. The men and women knitted together, prepared to end fear.
“Do you know what you are about to do?” Lixil asked the enveloping swarm. “You praise Apollo for everything he has ever done in the universe, but you have failed to see who he really is. I offered to spare your lives at the cost of one. He did the same thing once. The Great Apollo desperately wanted Galactic Peace and did everything he could to get it. Even started a war in which an entire race was nearly wiped from the universe, oh except that he made it look like it was them who started it. He sent me and my troops to create that illusion and leave him out of the picture. Of course he couldn’t risk me getting back here and telling the universe exactly what he did, so naturally he had to have me killed. Only unfortunately for him, he forgot that I was trained to not only kill but also to survive.
“Don’t you see? The real enemy is Apollo. He has kept you ignorant and away from danger. What for? So that everyone plays nice and can get along? Or so he can rule the world? He doesn’t care about you. He wanted power and did everything he could to get it.
“Now I am doing exactly what he did! Kill one to save the rest. If you fight us now, many of you will die just like that foolish man on the floor. Take my offer and kill the man who has used you over and over again to gain dominance over you.”
The mob stopped pressing in and looked back at Apollo. Anger and disbelief swam through the sea of bodies. Whispers, just audible over the moan of the engines, bounced around the room. Apollo glared back at Lixil, hatred raging in his bones.
“I offered you peace,” countered Apollo. “Do you honestly think that it wouldn’t come without a cost? You all wanted Galactic Peace but it would have never happened unless I did something. But the one thing I could do would destroy everything I had worked so hard for. So I did what I had to. I did what was best for everyone. Look how far we have come without war! We no longer have to fear people like Lixil. No one has to die in vain like this man. You are better people without this knowledge. I wasn’t keeping anything from you that made you less human. If anything, it made you more human. Fear of attack or murder prevented you from living to your fullest potential. I have ended that for you. Look at yourselves now. You have been ready to kill us as soon as you found out about murder. I tried to stop that but now Lixil has ruined you.”
Lixil circled around, allowing everyone to see his face. “Fight for your freedom; the freedom this man has stolen from you! You want peace, but peace cannot last forever. Then what? Will you just let a foreign system take over? Will you let yourselves be conquered because Apollo is thirsty for power? He is the reason you are here right now. Do not let him force you—”
Apollo interrupted, sickened by Lixil’s words. “People, do not believe him. Have I attacked you? Have I caused you any harm? For nearly fifty years now there has never been a murder or a war and suddenly Lixil is the one who descends on you and is trying to overpower you. Think about how good your life has been before today. No one goes hungry anymore because there are no disputes over food. There are no longer nations because there is no need to fight over boarders. Everyone is part of the same family, but Lixil is not. He has not lived on Earth—or the moon—for the past half century. Yet he believes that he can order you around like ignorant animals. You are not animals at all. You are human beings, something Lixil could never be.”
The crowd stood still, caught in the middle of two angry men. Did they really want peace? Was there more to life than never fearing? Did they want murder and violence to enter back into society? They looked at the dead man on the floor, blood slowly trickling from the hole in his chest. Didn’t they have the right as human beings to know about the human ‘flaws’ that existed for thousands of years? What other things were hidden from them? Did they really want to know? The tension grew as all three parties looked at each other.
* * *
Only Braak and eight other survivors walked off that ship when it docked at Crystal City. He would never forgive himself for what he did. One of Lixil’s soldiers couldn’t take it anymore and a slaughter took place. The civilians advanced on Lixil and at least twenty were riddled with holes before they could rip the weapons away. It was strange to think that it took one-hundred years to remove the knowledge of murder, but it only took one hour to reestablish it. The rest of the troops came in after hearing the commotion, but they weren’t ready for an ambush.
Braak and the other survivors crowded around Apollo after the attack, weapons in hand. Apollo had hidden once the fighting began, concerned only with self-preservation. Braak lightly kicked him in the side to get his attention and Apollo pulled his head out from under the fortification of his arms.
“Thank you for sparing me,” Apollo exclaimed, his voice quavering.
“Are you really only concerned with power? You’re just going to tell them this wasn’t real, aren’t you? And they will accept whatever you say because you are in charge,” Braak said while shaking his head. “You will have us confined without a hearing so we can’t argue our case. And the world will continue spinning in perfection.”
“I will not. I can promise you that the universe will know what happened. The perfection has already come to an end. I never wanted this… I wanted peace. I wanted to show the universe that we are not the barbarians we were. I wanted to make a difference; to end fear. And the only way I knew was to destroy the one thing that kept us from becoming greater. Was it right? Looking back, I would not have changed anything.”
“These people deserved to know what you took away from them!” Braak roared as he pointed at the corpses hewn on the floor.
“I stole nothing from you. I kept you from becoming the monsters you are now. You will forever regret—”
Apollo slumped to the floor. His Utopia had come to an end.
Deep down, Braak felt more human in that short moment than his entire life. He never wanted to murder, nor would he ever do it again, but for the first time in his life he felt connected to the rest of humanity—past and present. He would forever live his life in fear, but at least he would understand why.
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