Chapter 29

The journey from Raka to the Pillars was arduous, even in the comfort of Golden Flight’s transmax. The roadway, a monotonous repetition of barren sights, rolled by slowly. The scenery was a blend of familiar Raka landscape, periodically intermixed with hills and steeps, ringed on the top with circles of rimrock. Bracken sat in the front cab with Eier, the driver. He was still chafing under the bitter rebuke inflicted on them by Shad. The group’s abrupt departure had left his ranch in a momentary state of crisis. Without their help, the gipen herd would be sure to suffer. The rancher had vented his displeasure quite effectively, promising to curse them to his grave. Ley had only smiled in his casual and aloof manner, softly repelling the verbal barrage as the group climbed aboard the trans and drove away.

Bracken slept fitfully between sharing the wheel with Eier. The driver was a quietly muted individual, his conversation consisting of nods and grunts. Bracken found his companionship boring. His countenance, a muddle of pale flesh highlighted by a large mole beneath his left eye matched his disposition. Driven into silence by his companion’s lack of communication, Bracken tried to sort out his memories again. He missed Lisha. Her warm beauty was gone. A deep void filled Bracken’s chest. Why hadn’t he gone after her. He should have forgiven her and comforted her: But she had betrayed him. Given half a chance, she would probably do it again, he told himself. With his loneliness came a bitterness. She had done this to hint She deserved all the pain that came to her. He hoped she was lonely too. Maybe she had gone back to Tizra. Tizra... how far away it seemed. He wondered how his parents were... his brothers. He missed them too. But something was broken. He couldn’t go home. They would never understand him. They just didn’t care. Finally, he drifted into a fitful sleep.

Two sunsets later, with several kinks in his neck, Bracken pulled the trans-max off the highway near Rimlex. Driving to the nearest Pillar, he parked near several other rigs. Small clusters of early arrivers sat around their smoking campfires, laughing and passing Mingus Gems between themselves. They would soon be running out of the stones without Ley bringing a fresh supply from the mine, thought Bracken.

While Ley and the group were stretching and preparing the meal over the fire, Frim Lieter appeared out of the dimming twilight. "Greetings, my name is Lieter. I’m the one who made contact with you through Chepa." Bracken remembered the professor. He looked even more excited than he’d been when they’d first met. "Which one of you would that be?" Chepa stepped out and introduced himself and the others in the group. "I          am glad to see you’ve come early," responded the professor. His thin features cast strange shadows against themselves as the campfire flickered in his face. "Tomorrow will be a full day. I was hoping to check over a few details with you before the morning." Lieter went on to explain the impromptu but adequate stage that was constructed on a large flat rock at the base of one of the Pillars. Scaffolding and mobile power units were erected to handle the broadcasting and amplification of Golden Flight’s music. Chepa discussed a few technical details with the teacher who assured him that all the necessary items had been arranged. Satisfied, Chepa took the tray of food from Eier and settled on a rock to eat his meal.

Lieter was about to leave when he noticed Bracken unloading some of his gear from the storage compartment beneath the trans. "Aren’t you the young man who was discovered with your friends at one of my contact gatherings?" he asked.

Bracken gave his night wrappings a toss toward what, in the fading light, appeared to be a patch of green grass. "Yes, it’s good to see you again Professor Lieter."

Lieter coughed several times, his weak lungs irritated by the chill evening air. "I was hoping to see you again. As I remember you were the only one in the group that night who didn’t become a touch point."

"Yes, I had some strange experiences that night. Some of them, I’m afraid, still remain to be resolved." Bracken knelt down and spread out his things.

"Well, tomorrow should take care of that."

"What do you mean?"

"The disk people are planning to manifest themselves tomorrow to the entire gathering. Semie, their leader, will be addressing the whole group. If you have any questions, I’m sure that he would be happy to answer them for you."

Bracken reached under his sleeping gear and removed a few stones. "And how would that be possible with all those people there? I hardly think he would have time to give me a private interview."

Lieter squatted down beside Bracken, trying to maintain visual contact in the increasing darkness. "You mistake the character of the disk people’s leader. He’s quite benevolent. If I told him your problem, I’m sure he would be happy to meet with you."

Bracken stood up again and stared over toward the campfire, his appetite awakened by the fragrant smell drifting from the cooking pot. "If that’s the case, I’d like very much to talk with him."

The professor coughed again before he responded. "See you tomorrow after the disks arrive. I’ll make sure you see Semie." Frim wheezed heavily. "I really should be getting back to my rig now. This night air is bad for my health." The two said goodbye with Lieter vanishing into the night, and Bracken walking over to the fire to eat his dinner.

The next day Bracken was up early helping Chepa’s group set up their equipment on the large stage. All morning a line of trans-rigs and hikers streamed onto the grassy plain that stretched out beneath the Pillars. Their rigs and tents made a multi-colored patchwork on the green meadow. The sky was a flat blue. One tiny cloud hugged the horizon. By mid-day, Bracken estimated that approximately five thousand people had gathered at the base of the Rimlex Pillars. Smoke from campfires and the scent of cooking food mingled in a cloud above the free flowing assembly. Many of the group were from Accad, and happy to be able to gather together again without fear of harassment from the Pirax. Others had received word and come from places all over Nerkush. An air of excitement exuded from the gathering as friends danced, caressed, ate, and greeted one another.

Long before Golden Flight’s first vigorous notes began to sound from the performing platform, the massive assembly gathered before it, waiting expectantly. When the group finally appeared before the anxious audience, a chorus of cheers and clapping resounded against the Pillared backdrop. The applause peaked and was still echoing over the plain, when Chepa motioned for the group to begin. Suddenly the gigantic sound broadcasters hummed to life like awakened creatures of electricity purring in subdued anticipation. The first note from Ayan’s amplified stam discharged with the ear shattering impact of a cannon being fired. The rest of the group joined him in the tight uniform sound that so characterized Golden Flight’s style. A barrage of sonic harmony poured over the waiting listeners.

Stimulated by the surges of musical resonance, the crowd responded, sending back waves of praise and soulish energy that magnified the output of the group. This exchange grew throughout the day as the sun slowly fell toward the eastern horizon. As the lower portion of its bright yellow face descended below the pillars, the exchange reached its climax. The complex melodies seemed to become one note. It resounded, like the ringing of some cosmic bell, calling to the end of the universe. Its tone seemed to drone on. Calling to the sky, beckoning to the stars, almost a pleading cry. Higher and higher it grew until it seemed to echo forever. In that moment of clarity the disks appeared.

At incredible speed five of them slipped over the top of the Pillars, abruptly slowing their speed to come to rest gradually on the flat mesa directly behind Chepa’s group.

In blissful bewilderment, the gathering watched. Simultaneously, all the spacecraft opened their portals. Rank upon rank of alien figures descended the lowered ramps and assembled in two parallel lines running approximately four feet apart ending at the middle of the stage. They looked almost angelic. Their bodies were covered with the strange, hugging garments that Lieter had seen on his first meeting with them. Their angular faces seemed to glow with an unearthly essence as they looked over the crowd.

Reaching their place, they turned in one unified sweep and faced the entrance to the larger mother ship. With an air of regality, Semie stepped forth. He walked to the platform. The luminous energy veil, which constantly guarded him from any unexpected assault, cloaked his entire face and body. Only the faintest outline of his indiscernible features showed through. Breathless, Chepa stepped aside to yield the microphone to the approaching disk leader.

Standing erect and still in front of the microphone, the alien spoke directly to the gathering in their own tongue. "This is an important day for your planet," said Semie. "You stand on the threshold of a new era." In the stillness of dusk, his voice echoed soothingly over the crowd. "We have come to assist you in your quest for a higher life. All efforts of war must end. You must turn your energies toward the stars. The law of your leaders is dying. A new age is coming. The future belongs to you." Eager faces peered up through the twilight at Semie, drinking in his words. Eyes, filled with amazement, strained to watch. Floodlights lit the stage as the evening grew darker.

"Open your minds and let our energies touch you." As he spoke, rippling waves of light radiated from the alien and washed over the audience. "Receive the essence of the universe. It will make you children of the cosmos, sons and daughters of eternity." Members of the assembly fell back in ecstasy, entranced by unseen visions. "You are making another step in your evolutionary process. Soon you will be a new race." Quietly, a faint melody began drifting through the air. The sound of flutes and cymbals played a peaceful tune as darkness covered the plain. Bracken looked around. Where was the music coming from, he wondered. He looked back at Semie and suddenly realized the source of the music. It was coming from the alien leader. Entranced, he listened with the others as the melody played on and on. Finally it stopped and Semie spoke again.

"It’s an ancient melody. Thousands of years old." His voice seemed melancholy. It almost sounded lonely, thought Bracken. Like he was remembering another time. A time when the melody meant something more than it did now. "I’ve been waiting for you to hear it."

The sound was gone now. The evening was growing cold. The people, too entranced to light fires, huddled together for warmth. "We must leave now," said Semie, his voice gaining its grandeur again. "We will be meeting with you again, all of you. Wait for our return."

A chill breeze began to come up from the east. The crowd huddled closer together. "We have much more to teach you, but this is enough for today. I’m pleased to see you have received us. Don’t believe the lies of the Fathers. Stay in unity." Semie paused and then spoke again. "Goodbye, my friends." With that, he turned and walked back toward the ship. At that point, the crowd rose to their feet and expressed their grateful sentiment with deafening applause.

Frim Lieter, who had been standing beside Bracken at the rear of the stage, motioned to the youth to follow him as they walked toward the departing Senile. Intercepting the disk leader, Lieter and Bracken were invited to come aboard the mother ship. Walking in numbed expectancy, Bracken followed Semie and Lieter down the aisle formed by the aliens and into the heart of the giant spacecraft. Bracken felt excited. He knew he was close to a discovery. Now he was certain that at least some of his questions would be answered.

They entered the command center of the disk and found seats around a large silver-topped conference table. Frim briefed Semie on Bracken’s previous experience with the space disk. "Bracken seems to have some unresolved questions regarding your mission. Perhaps you can answer them for him."

"I’ll be more than happy to," said Semie, addressing Bracken warmly. "You’re not the first to have doubts." The alien leader turned to Lieter. "It is best that you return to the group outside. I’m sure they’ll be needing your counsel."

"Certainly, Semie," said Lieter. "Goodbye, Bracken." The professor smiled and then walked back through the craft to the crowd.

Frim’s voice seemed strangely ominous, as if he knew something Bracken didn’t. But as Bracken looked into his face, his eyes seemed friendly and sincere. If he knew anything, his countenance failed to betray it. "Goodbye," said Bracken, "I’ll join you when I’m through here."

As the professor left the room, Semie turned to Bracken and in a deep, warm tone spoke to him. The alien leader’s presence was overpowering. He sounded most benevolent yet still Bracken had a troubled premonition. What could it be? he wondered. What strange thoughts and visage are hidden behind the glowing veil? he asked himself. "So you appear to have some muddled perceptions concerning your last visit with us." The energy veil gave off a slight hum as Semie moved his head.

Bracken lifted his hands from his lap and rested them on the polished tabletop. "Yes, as Frim has told you, the entire interior of the disk seemed to be dissolving." The memory of his previous trip on the disk was still vivid in his mind. "Even Talay appeared different. Undoubtedly, it was as he had suggested —merely the effect of the flight. But ever since, I’ve had unresolved thoughts about the entire thing."

"Sounds like a dangerous conflict." Semie appeared to grow slightly irritated by Bracken’s second thoughts. "Unless it is resolved, it will no doubt hinder our cause." Abruptly, Semie turned and spoke what sounded like an order to a nearby aide, in an alien tongue. The spacecraft swiftly came to life. "Perhaps another journey will help you come to a positive conclusion."

Bracken placed his hands on the arms of his chair, gripping them tightly in anticipation of the liftoff of the huge spacecraft. "I certainly hope you’re right. I have no desire to hinder anything that will change the destiny of my planet in a positive way." Bracken tried to remain calm. He hid his fears under a cloak of peacefulness. Where are they taking me? he wondered. Maybe they know what I’m thinking.

In a flurry of acceleration and lumbering sound, the disk was in flight. Suddenly it came to rest again, settling with a rumbling and scrapping that tore at Bracken’s nerves. On the view screen he could see that the space vessel had looped back over the top of the Pillars and then flown to the northern end of the range. Why had they stopped here? He looked at the lonely landscape, projected on the screen. The night outside was cold and bleak. Bracken felt the same way inside. The disk became deathly still. Even without looking around, Bracken felt as if everyone aboard was watching him. He thought he heard a mocking snicker. "Why did we stop here?" he asked. Turning around, he looked toward the ship’s commander. The energy veil that had covered Semie’s face had vanished. In its place, he saw a frightening, yet somehow familiar face. Where had he seen it? Why did he know it? Then he remembered. It was the same face he’d seen calling to Silas the night he dove off the cliff.

"What’s going on?" shouted Bracken in fearful anger.

Semie’s face broke into a hideous grin. "Enough of your questions, you meddling fool!" The words were like daggers, ripping his heart apart with fear. "You must be terminated," said Semie. "It’s almost a pity. You would have been a most effective tool if we could have controlled you."

In a rush of anxiety, Bracken reached out toward the alien, who quickly stepped back. ‘What do you mean, terminate? I thought you were going to help me, to help our planet."

The creature’s face took on a vicious glint. "You have believed a lie, a very, very old one."

"Who are you?" said Bracken, almost begging.

"Surely you’ve heard of me before. Somewhere in your past you’ve been told of my plans. Only you didn’t believe I was real." Semie laughed.

A vague memory from Bracken’s past stirred in his mind. A piece of the puzzle seemed to fall into place. But still he couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it. "But what of this ship? The things you said to the others?"

"This craft is only a rock transformed and used for our purposes. I’ve been doing things like this throughout the ages. I used to turn sticks into slithering beasts. But your race has grown more sophisticated, so I must use more advanced forms of deception. Nonetheless, it’s still a lie. It’s a good one, I would say, seeing you believed it."

Bracken knew he was trapped. They would kill him if he didn’t act fast. Semie continued talking. His voice droning on in a hypnotic cadence. "It’s such a pleasure to see the torment of your soul. You’re so sincere. It’s enjoyable to see the tenor in your eyes." Bracken could feel Semie’s gaze pulling at him, grinding him, mocking him. His fiery eyes seemed to be feeding on the shredded fabric of Bracken’s soul. The alien laughed again. I only wish I could stay and watch a little longer."

With that closing taunt, Semie and his aides faded from Bracken’s sight. The craft became quiet again. Slowly the light in the interior of the ship faded into blackness. Bracken felt panic settling in on him. Beads of perspiration had formed on his upper lip. Suddenly the floor beneath Bracken dissolved and he plunged down until his feet smashed into stone. Momentarily, he lay sprawled upon its surface, trying to assimilate what had occurred. Where was he? How would he ever escape what he knew was coming. He was to die. As he lay in the cold darkness, he could feel the rock’s surface rising. He was being rapidly entombed, as the interior of the rock rematerialized. Almost without thinking, he reached for the energy egg in his pouch. Removing the stud cover, he set the trigger mechanism for an outward blast and ran through the darkness to find what he knew must be the rematerialized wall enveloping him. Finding it, he attached the egg to the wall and ran back. Moments later, the side of the hollow tomb erupted in a flash of light and concussion that sent him sprawling to the floor. Quickly picking himself up, he sprinted towards the opening and crawled through. He fell to the ground outside, just as the massive boulder collapsed upon itself.

In a state of physical and mental shocks Bracken lay twisted across the rocky surface on which he had fallen. Unable to move and unsure of his conditions he remained motionless for several hours as the night settled around him. During those agonizing moments as he became aware that he had not broken any bones, thoughts began to fall together like the tumblers in a lock.

The jagged pillars rose in the night sky. They looked dark and lonely. It would be a long walk back toward the gathering. Slowly, he picked himself up and began to trek back. As he walked, one thing now seemed foremost in his mind: he must go to the Mingus Mine.