Chapter 17

The road to Accad passed near the Pillars of Rimlex.  This odd configuration of granite hills rose like rows of broken teeth from the rolling plains of Umin.  Great fields of grain made a patchwork that, seen from the air during the day, spread like a quilt over the fertile prairie.  Here and there, a broad winding river meandered like a lazy snake in its crawl toward the sea.

Bracken sat musing at the side of the road, still slightly angry over the plight of having to leave his trans-rig behind.  He, Lisha and Silas had caught a ride from a friendly farmer as they were just leaving Tizra.  He had dropped them off at the "T" intersection near the Pillars and then headed west toward his grange.  The starry heaven gave off the only light, as the tail lamps of the farmer's vehicle grew smaller in the distance.   Not far from the perimeter of the Pillars rose a small knell garnished by a few lonely trees. Hoping it would provide more shelter and privacy for the night's rest, the three headed off across the fallow fields.

No sooner had they settled beneath the sprawling oaks than guidebeams from a group of trans-rigs appeared in the distance.  Coming from the direction of Tizra, they slowed as they approached the intersection.  Instead of turning to the west as the previous vehicle had, they took a small dirt road to the east which passed by a clump of trees not 300 yards away.   Unsure of the nature of the caravan, Bracken's group remained secluded as the line of what now appeared to be four trans-rigs rumbled by them on the rough road.  The vehicles came to a stop just beneath the base of the Pillars.

Silas squinted into the night trying to make out the scene more clearly.  "Seems strange that anybody would be out here this late. Who do you think they are?"

Bracken crouched behind his friend, riot answering until the vehicles had moved on.  "I don't know.  It could just be a party looking for a secluded spot for a good time."  Together they walked out from beneath the trees and stared off toward the mountains.  Faint echoes came from the group as they left their rigs and began to hike up the small ravine.   Passing between two of the larger pillars, they vanished down the other side.

Quietly, Lisha came up behind Bracken.  "I don't see any festivities.  This thing looks kind of suspicious.  I'd like to know what's going on."

"I agree with Lisha," Silas said.  "One of those rigs looks a lot like one I've seen around the Advanced Mind Training Center.  Maybe they're part of the strange group I've heard nunors about.  You know, the one professor Lieter started."

Bracken shrugged.   "Okay, we'll check it out.  But I don't want to be discovered butting in where I am not wanted."  Bracken took Lisha's hand and squeezed it tightly.   "Come on then!  Follow me and don't make a lot of noise."   Quietly, the trio headed off toward the pillars.

Cautiously, they moved up the path that the others had taken, following the trail between the high rock outcroppings.  As they neared the top, Bracken spoke again quietly.   "Remember, keep quiet and make sure you don't dislodge any loose rocks."

Creeping to the tip of the ridge between the two pillars, they carefully peered over.  A stone's throw away, the mysterious group sat on a large flat rock talking among themselves.  One of the students, a square-shouldered youth, was addressing the professor.  "Dr. Lieter, how long do we have to wait?  I don’t mean to sound impatient, but you do realize how foolish we'll appear if we don't see what you promised."  The young man's concern had a hint of pride in it.  He wasn't the type who liked to be embarrassed.

Lieter looked back at the student.  "As I told you before we left my home, it may be several hours or merely a few minutes."  Frim's high voice was gently leading the youth on patiently.  The group was skeptical at first, but an overwhelming feeling began to fill the night air, slowly pushing away their doubts.

"Be patient Yono, this will be a good chance for you to do some firsthand study of the heavens.  Note the large constellation mmediately to the south of the Starry Pitcher."  The teacher pointed his thin arm, index finger extended toward a bright configuration shaped something like a soaring sea bird.  "Can anyone tell me about the nature of this system; its name, number of stars, relative individual size, distance from our planet, number of solar systems?"

A murmur went through the group of students as they hurriedly refreshed one another's memories.  "All right, who will be the first to answer?"  questioned Lieter, his thin frame silhouetted against the bejeweled night sky.

A rather stocky, but intelligent-looking girl responded first.  She pushed her sight assisters up on the bridge of her nose as she began.  "That is the Trion Star System, sir."   The girl had an odd-sounding deep voice.  "Most astro gazers estimate that it contains at least seven hundred stellar bodies, although they haven't been able to arrive at an exact figure, because of an unusual tendency that leaves whole sections in a cosmic cloud.  I believe Professor Glinit has developed a theory concerning this particular effect.  Am I right, Professor?"  The girl looked at Lieter, confident that she was correct, her round face shining like a small moon in the dim light.

Frim was obviously pleased by his pupil's eager knowledge.  "That's right, Catine. Go on."

Catine continued reciting her well-learned facts.

Back on the ridge, Bracken turned a cynical look toward his companions beside him. "See, Silas, there's nothing strange going on here.  It's just a group of students from the Training Center on a field outing."

"I know, I've got ears."  An expression of dejection settled on Silas' face.  "I guess we'd better go back and get some rest. Sorry, Bracken . . ."

As the three companions began to creep slowly away from the ledge, they were startled as one of the students shouted, "Look!  Professor Lieter!"  The students and their teacher jumped up and turned toward the eastern horizon.  A shining disk of light approached them rapidly, skimming over the distant fields.  The whole group seemed frozen with wonder by the sight.  Only Lieter had the composure to speak.  "You see, Yono, it's just as I told you.  They always come.  They always appear, now that I've been made a contact."  The professor sounded assured.  He was basking in the glory of the approaching revelation, moving, through the night sky toward them.   "They've homed in on my mind waves.  Soon they'll be speaking to you through me."

"Why's that, Professor?   Why can't they speak to us directly?"

"They don't generally communicate through vocal language like we do.  Until mental contact is established, I'll be their mouthpiece."

Cautiously, Bracken and his group climbed back to their observation post and watched in amazement as the flat, glowing oval neared the group below them.  A loud hum pushed away the previous stillness.   The space vehicle filled the whole sky as it came to a hovering stop a short ten yards from where the students stood.  Without warning, a beam of light shot from its surface, focusing on Frim Lieter's now entranced face.  His whole frame appeared like a suddenly metamorphic butterfly glowing in the light of a new day.  He began to speak.  The group's attention shifted from the space disc to their professor.   An ominous tone issued from his vocal chords, which normally uttered a squeaky dissonance.  "Be restful, friends!" the deep voice comforted.   "We are among you for your own good."  The soothing modulations played a peaceful tune on the tense strings of the watchers' anxieties.  Gradually, they began to relax.  "As Professor Lieter told you earlier, this is a contact gathering.  Some of you did not believe him.  That is understandable."

Bracken crept closer, awed by the sight.  Frim stood firm, a gleaming sentinel of another dimension, illuminating the darkened landscape around him.  The voice went on.  "You are not the first to hold such questions, but now it is time to let such destructive thoughts vanish."

Catine looked at the disk nervously and then back to the professor.  "Who are you?"

The voice responded sonorously as Lieter turned toward the girl.  "As your instructor told you earlier, we are the inhabitants of the Trion Stellar System."

Yono stepped out of the group and advanced hesitantly toward the glowing orb.  "Then you've really come to help us, just like he said."

The Trionite responded through his oracle.  "Certainly, and let this be a lesson to you.  Such men as Professor Lieter are of great importance to your world.  You should have trusted him more completely.  We don't mean to scold though, merely to encourage."

Once again Catine stared up at the glistening object, her moon-like face reflecting its light.  "Will we be able to be like Professor Lieter?"  she eagerly asked.  "I mean, able to contact you and make others aware of your purpose?"

"Yes," the graceful voice instructed.  "All of you may become contacts if you so desire.   Something I hope you all will do.  There appears little time for your race if such a response does not come from more of your people."  Several clicks and whirls sounded inside the disc.  "Let us proceed with the matters at hand.   In a moment you..." the voice stopped abruptly.

Slowly, almost as if he were mounted on a swivel, Frim turned and faced the ridge behind which Bracken and his friends were crouched.  "Our sensors perceive the presence of others beyond that rise."

Another beam of light leaped from the surface of the disc illuminating Bracken's trio.  The voice intoned again, and increased a note of firmness in its still gentle flow.  "Come out! You won't be harmed. We intend only peace."

Their concealment now exposed, the three obediently scrambled over the rock rise into the view of the entire group.  "We didn't realize what was going on," declared Silas, a look of embarrassment on his normally placid face.  "We'll be happy to leave and never mention a thing we've seen."

"That won't be necessary," the oracle replied calmly.  "We can easily erase your memory of this incident if we so desire."  The voice stopped for a moment and then went on, the ominous syllables somewhat warmer.  "But maybe there is another alternative.  Our memory scanners tell us that you've heard the previous conversations.  Perhaps you desire to join those who are becoming contacts."

Lisha and Silas drew back at the strange offer, but surprisingly, Bracken stepped forward.  "I'd like to know more about this.  If you can stop Nerkush from its senseless drive toward destruction, I'm interested.  It's good to discover a force that's seeking to increase awareness among the men on this planet - even an alien force."

The Trionite responded pleasantly through the professor.  "Very well, you may come with the others, while your friends remain behind.  We have no desire to force our way on your people."

Lisha looked worriedly at Bracken.  "What do you think you are doing?" she moaned.

"She's right, Bracken," Silas said warily, staring up at the bright, hovering oval.  "You don't know what will happen to you if you enter that thing.

Bracken turned to his friends confidently.  "If they wanted to harm us, I'm sure from what we've already seen they would have little trouble.  If you don't want to go, fine, but please let me.  You two are starting to sound like my parents."  Bracken's voice took on an unusually crisp authority.  "It's time people stopped worrying about themselves and started doing something to change the foolish destiny of this planet."

The alien voice came to life again, interrupting their conversation.  "I'm glad to see you're coming.   Your friends have no need to worry.  You'll be returned safely in a while."  Lieter had begun to move toward the glowing craft.  "Please follow the Professor."

Inside the space disk, the series of clicks and whirrs continued as servo-drive motors came to life.  Gradually its smooth surface was broken, as the outline of a rectangular opening appeared.  A gleaming metallic stairway extended itself slowly to the ground.  A faint green light illuminated the corridor, stretching back from the craft's entrance.  An almost human creature, his body layered with a glistening garment, stood by it, extending a welcoming arm toward them.

Frim stepped up the stairway confident from his earlier experiences with the Trionite.  The others followed, somewhat shakily, but eagerly interested.  Bracken was the last to vanish through the door of the floating spaceship as Lisha and Silas watched anxiously below.  The steps retracted and the hatch closed sealing with a hiss.  "I hope he'll be all right."

Silas muttered half-heartedly, "Well, all we can do now is hope that these aliens will keep their word.  Bracken acts a little crazy at times, but I guess he's got to be his own man."

Lisha looked dejectedly at the disk. "I know, but I was hoping he'd consider me at least..."  The sudden increased hum of the saucer's power source drowned out her last words.  Silas and Lisha watched as the disk climbed back into the sky and rapidly vanished over the horizon.

Inside the speeding ship Bracken felt his body pressed heavily into the comfortable seat which his Trionite host had offered him.  The others in the group were seated beside him, their chairs formed a circle facing the Trionite who had welcomed them aboard.  They watched in awe as the expansive landscape beneath them appeared on a large viewscreen suspended above their host.

As inspiring as the sight on the viewer was, Bracken found his new surroundings of equal interest.  The interior of the craft was a world of its own.  Uniquely designed plastic-like panels with opaque rectangles of green light dotting them, ran from ceiling to floor.  Their pale illumination cast an ethereal atmosphere over the chamber.  Elsewhere readouts blinked on instrument panels before the watchful eyes of the several aliens seated in front of them. Undoubtedly, they motioned the speed and navigation of the space ship.   Near the doorway stood a lone alien.  His hands operated a hexagonal panel studded with various buttons mounted beside squares of colored light.  The spacious room reflected the aura of a technology that had reached its apex.

Periodically, through their flight, the Trionite host who was seated facing the group had been communicating with his guests.  He was no longer using the professor, though, but implanted his words directly into his listeners' minds.  "My name is Talay."  His thoughts were pleasant but Bracken felt a sense of apprehension.  Something wasn’t quite right.  The alien had a placid smile formed on his gray lips.  His eyes were almost narrow slits.  "Your planet appears to be a lovely place from this vantage point.  It's sad that such is not the case, in reality."  The alien's mental conversation seemed to rise like sparkling bubbles in the thoughts of those who heard him.  "Yours is not a unique problem.  In the known universe we have discovered several other planets that have similar crises occurring upon them.   Each of them have come to a place where they're at the point of destroying themselves."  Talay's smile dimmed a little at this point.  His thin, bony hands were clasped gently together above his lap.  "They've unleashed a technology they are neither willing nor capable of controlling."

Yono leaned forward in his cushioned chair.  "Are you using a similar tactic in dealing with the problems there?"

"As we have explained to professor Lieter," said the alien, his answer filling each of the group's minds spontaneously, "we are but one unit of an interstellar assistance force sent to aid races such as yours."

Bracken gazed intently at the Trionite seated across from him.  "What exactly does this program of yours involve?"

The guide momentarily ignored Bracken's question.  Somewhere deep in the heart of the Ship, the lumbering of its energy force changed noticeably.  "We’ve reached observation level.   If you'll notice the view above my head, you should be able to get a clear picture of Your planet below.  I didn't want you to miss the spectacle of seeing your home from 500 miles out in space, a luxury afforded few of your people."  The Trionite joined the others as they gazed intently at the splendor of the blue-green glow filling the screen.  Going back to your question, Bracken," their alien friend went on, returning his glance to the group, "we hope to raise the overall consciousness of your sphere."

Catine shifted her weight, still staring at the scene on the viewer.  "How long will that take?"

"Perhaps a generation.   But gradually as the contacts increase and our presence becomes accepted, we will be able to make an open display of our purpose.

"Then we're to be the first Phase of that plan?"

"Exactly," acknowledged the alien, in what appeared to be a smile curving on his face.   "Soon others will join you and there's time for ..."

Yono interrupted, a slight note of tension in his masculine voice.  "That's what I don't understand. It seems to me that we're at the crisis point now.  How can we wait another generation?"

Professor Lieter turned to face the others from his spot at the end of the seats.  He appeared to have come out of his trance.  "Don't you realize that this single ship has the power to hold in check all the armaments and arsenals of our entire planet?  It will be a simple thing for our friends to hold back the release of these destructive weapons until we have reached a state of maturity, until we are capable of dismantling them and putting our technology to a more fruitful use."

A buzzing accompanied by two flashing hexagons appeared on the screen.  "Nothing to be alarmed about!" the Trionite assured them.  "That is merely the signal that our leader is now ready to address you."  At this point even Frim Lieter looked surprised. "Yes, this is a special occasion that even you, Professor Lieter, have yet to experience."

The blue-green sphere of Bracken's globe vanished from the screen, leaving its surface momentarily blank.   Then it came to life again. A shudder of amazement went through the group as the veiled form of the Trionite leader appeared.  Talay explained that the energy veil which shrouded the leader's entire body, revealing only a faint outline of his appearance, was necessary for his protection.  The leader's life was of the highest importance and needed to be preserved while the expedition was in this primitive section of the universe.

"My name is Semie," announced the image on the viewer.  "Please receive my warmest greeting.  I have but a few moments to speak with you as my duties are many."   Even though the leader's form was veiled, a strong sense of authority emanated from him.  His guests stared back in awe.  "Let me say that I am glad that you have been chosen to assist us in the multiphase program.  I hope all of you will take the treatment and become contacts as Professor Lieter has done."  Semie's voice filled the observation room.  The audio monitors strained under the resonance.   His message thrilleh them, enthralled them, commanded them.  It felt so easy to obey; to help; they were chosen.  "Dedicated people like yourselves are a great asset to your race.  If you are agreeable, the triumph of our cause will be completed more easily.  Our forces will be in contact with you in the future, as the program evolves.  Goodbye and good luck."  With that, the image vanished, replaced once more by the azure planet.

For a few moments all of them sat quietly.  Then Catine spoke softly in almost a whisper.  "He certainly is powerful.  I hope we'll be able to talk with him again."  It had been powerful but still Bracken's feelings of doubt increased.  Somehow everything was too perfect, too right, too sterile.  Bracken felt mentally seduced.

"A certain possibility," said Talay, "if you become a contact."  He stood and moved toward the entrance through which they had arrived.  "If all of you will follow me, we can proceed with the treatment."

The group followed Talay quietly down the hall.  Bracken followed warily.  As they reached an intersecting corridor they turned to the right and entered a softly lit chamber.   Each was encouraged to take a chair similar to the one they had been seated in previously.  Suspended above each was a metallic probe.

"Now, if some of you feel hesitant about this and would like to wait until later, that would be fine.  We do not desire to force anyone into this programming."  No one but Bracken seemed to feel any apprehension.  Slightly ashamed, he hid his fears and smiled back at Talay as the alien adjusted his seat.  Talay looked down at Bracken with ancient, empty eyes.  "Sit back then, and relax.  We'll begin in a moment."

The Trionite took a seat in front of the group beside Frim who had no need of the treatment again.  The apparatus slid gently into place over each head.  A soft hum was all that acknowledged the beginning of the cycle.  Once the sensation began, each person relaxed completely - all except Bracken, who suddenly stared in disbelief.  Before his eyes, the surrounding walls of the ship began to lose their sophistication.  The winking lights and complex readouts began to slowly vanish.  In their place appeared curving walls of stone.  The Trionite himself changed in appearance, looking fearfully hideous.   Bracken quickly reached above his head and pushed away the probes.

Talay stood and moved toward Bracken.  "Is something the matter?"

Bracken shook his head slightly not wanting to admit what he'd seen.  "I don't know.  Everything looks different since we left the other chamber."  Bracken shook himself again hoping it would clear his senses.  Gradually the polished walls and winking lights returned.  Once again he felt he was on a genuine spacecraft.  "I'm okay now.  I guess I was just a little dizzy.  Maybe it was the effect of space travel."

"Shall we continue with the treatment then?" inquired Talay.

Bracken felt a sudden hesitation.  "No, I think I'Il wait, for now."

"Very well," his host said.  "Just wait quietly until the others are finished.  Our ship is presently returning to the contact location.  Once on the ground, your equilibrium should return quickly."

Bracken watched silently as the others around him enjoyed the pleasantness of the treatment.  He was about to admonish himself for stopping the procedure when the probes lifted from the others.   Each one had an elated smile and began to share the beauty of their experience.

Talay's voice rose above the chatter, instructing them.  "We have landed now.  You can return to our contact point."

Quietly, the group followed him to the disk entrance and received a farewell as they descended from the craft.   "You will be contacted for further assignments in the future.  Until then, goodbye."

As Bracken reached the bottom of the stairway, Lisha and Silas ran to meet him.  "What happened?" they both said in unison.

"It's a little confusing.  I want to wait until morning, maybe my head will be a little clearer then."

Lisha clung to his arm tightly.  "I was afraid you wouldn't come back.

"Leaving the space disk, Professor Lieter approached Bracken. "I don't know what happened to you in there but I hope that it won't keep you from following through and having the treatment.  We need more like yourself who see the urgency of the hour."

"That's something I'll have to think about after my head clears a little."  Behind them, the ladder retreated.  The humming of the spacecraft increased as its door sealed.  Bracken and the others turned and watched the disk spin away into the night.

After it had vanished from sight, the professor held out his hand and turned to Bracken. "Here's my card, please get in touch with me when you've made a decision.

"Bracken took the card and smiled shakily back at Lieter. "I'll do that. Right now, though, I'm really tired.  Do you suppose you could give us a ride back toward the highway?"

After a short and bumpy ride, the professor dropped them parallel to their camp.  "Don't forget to contact me."  Bracken yawned a thank you, agreeing he would.  The planet's three moons had risen high in the night sky when the trio collapsed into their sleeping gear beneath the trees.