Chapter 11 - The Truth Will Out.

 “Err…OK, well, that was something that I didn’t expect. Captain, I think that this one is a little beyond us where do we go from here?”

Both J.D. and Watkins were confused and for a while no one spoke. All on board Alpha sat in stunned silence. Eventually the captain managed to break his trance like stare from the screen and became suddenly aware of what he was looking at. Quickly, he gathered his thoughts and asked the computer for a translation. Almost instantly it was available and he instructed J.D. to repeat it to the tribesmen.

“Please stand up. Come and join us, we have much to discuss.”

There was no time to contact the home world for advice and orders on this situation. This would be a situation where Daniels would have to make decisions based on the developments that would occur during this encounter, he would report later. 

The three leaders plus one other joined John and Matthew in a small hollow at the base of the cliff. The shaded area was large enough to seat all six of them in a circle. They sat cross legged and each of the leaders placed their respective artefact in front of them. The fourth member of the delegation placed a box in front of him. At this point there was no indication as to what it held.

So far this had been a day of surprises. Not, however, as surprising as it was about to get. Daniels instructed J.D. to become the spokesperson and asked him to relay any message that was offered to him. He then asked the computer for another translation.

“My name is John DeVie and this is my colleague Matthew Watkins. We have travelled a great distance to be here today”

The three tribesmen exchanged glances with each other and without speaking they nodded in agreement. Then one of them spoke.

“We know who you are. We have been awaiting your arrival for many generations”

All of the crew were shocked. Shocked to the point that all of them jolted in surprise when they heard the tribesman speaking in their native tongue. It was unexpected and it threw them into a momentary panic. People were checking the systems for errors, checking the earpieces to see if there was any anomalies, or if they really did hear what they thought they heard. The plain truth of the matter was that the crew and these people shared a common language.

Daniels addressed the crew.

“OK, John, Matthew stay calm, do not panic ask them to give you a moment to…to…erm…to give this situation some thought”

They passed on the message and all was agreed. The party sat quietly waiting.

“Everyone else stay calm, let me think.” For a while he massaged his eyebrows deep in thought, trying to find the best next move. Suddenly it became clear. “Matthew where are your backpacks?” he asked. Watkins replied that they were in the cave. He was then instructed not to alarm the others but to tell them that he had to retrieve something of great importance from the cave and to go and get them. If he had to, he was to invite one of their party to accompany him. Duly, he made the offer but they all declined saying that whatever he had to do, he had to do, and that they were his servants. This statement confused everyone but at this time nothing was said. With this he went to get their backpacks.

Part of their expedition kit was spare earpieces. Daniels had decided that, with their permission, they would use the spare ear pieces to allow greater communications with the crew. Now that things were calming down they had all realised that this was an opportunity that could not be missed. By the time Matthew returned with the back packs DeVie had already been talking with the tribal leaders and secured their consent to place the devices in their ears.

They took the ear pieces from their back pack and showed them to the people before them who looked at them quizzically. Making hand gestures only, J.D. and Watkins suggested that they insert the devices now to which the elders agreed. At this point everyone of the crew remained silent. They then proceeded to insert ear pieces into the ears of the remaining two at which point one of the elders interjected and prevented the fourth member from being fitted with a device. He waved his hand in front of him indicating that he was not to be privy to what was happening to them, he pointed to the main three of the party which suggested that they, and only they, should use whatever it was. After they had all been fitted with the devices Daniels spoke in a quiet voice and in his own language.

“Do not panic. My name is Captain Jason Daniels”

Despite his request for them to stay calm, the sound of this dismembered voice in their heads  was, at first too alien for them to digest and in a minor panic they abruptly got to their feet and started to display outwardly visual signs of panic. This in turn prompted a reaction from the waiting tribes, who started towards the party. Realising that their fellow tribesmen were intent on protecting their leaders using whatever force was necessary, the three leaders quickly composed themselves and held out their outstretched arms in such a way that it quelled any uprising instantly. The mob stopped in its tracks and after a questioning look at their leaders, and the leaders assuring them that all was well, they returned to their crossed legged positions. J.D. and Watkins breathed a sigh of relief, as did the rest of the crew. The leaders re-joined the circle ready to talk. Daniels waited a few moments to allow them to settle themselves and to become more accustom to the strange voices in their heads.

“Don’t panic. My name is Jason Daniels and I am the leader of a small band of explorers sent here from the sky to collect the information held within the cave above you. We are seven strong but represent people who number many, many millions. We come from a place called God, and we only have limited time in this place. We therefore beseech you allow us to continue our work. We will, as far as possible, not disturb this place and will leave as soon as our mission is complete. However, we would like to learn more about your people. Who are you, where did you come from and most important why are you here now?”

The middle of the three chieftains spoke first.

“In time, all will be revealed to you but first we must facilitate your mission. We have selected members from each of our tribes to assist you in your quest. They number thirty six, twelve from each tribe, and are at your disposal to perform whatever duties you see fit. They are sworn to you and are yours to command.

Also, we bring the sacred gift for you. It has been in our care for two millennia but now it is time to relinquish it to its rightful owners.” 

At this the first elder motioned to the fourth member of their delegation to hand over the box which had sat in front of him since they sat down. Having delivered the package, he was dismissed, and he duly took his place among the ranks. Watkins received the gift and thanked them. The third elder instructed him to open the box which he did. It contained another block of the orange transparent material but this one was different. Contained within the block was a package and clearly visible was a note it read…This is a record of the crew of Alpha 106, it spans a period of sixty years. This disc is the last record of a mission that we consider to be a complete success. To whoever finds this, please use the information wisely and treat the bearers with ultimate respect as they will treat you. We have lived fulfilled lives and have found a home among these people. Do not grieve for us, celebrate our lives. God speed. MK,GP,BH.

Watkins read out the inscription and when he had finished a wave of emotion washed over the crew. It was a proud emotion for a crew that had died over two and a half thousand years earlier. Anne Homer wiped a tear from her eye and said “that’s beautiful.” Everyone heard what she had said but it was something she meant and felt no embarrassment for saying it. Daniels said that he was going to dispatch Travis to their location to collect the disc so that it could be processed and transferred back to the home world. Now it was time for the elders to tell their story. Before they began they stood up and faced their brethren and motioned that the selected few should now attend and become the workforce for J.D. and Watkins. Now that they had a workforce, the two men returned to the cave and began work in earnest. They would of course be able to hear what the elders had to say via the ear pieces. The three kings sat with their backs to the cliff face looking out onto their tribes and taking the story in turns, they began.

“We three tribes are the direct descendants of your original mission to this planet. My name is Melchior, this is Balthazar and this is Gaspar. We are the current kings of our tribes. Our names are inherited when we take our rightful place and directly reflect the original names of our forefathers. Everyone is only known by one name, so, in our history the name of each member of the trinity was shortened to suit. We are each strong nations and from the teachings we have always known that this day would come. We, and generations before us, have been expecting this day for hundreds of years. Our scriptures began on the first day of their arrival and have continued ever since. The place where we are now is the most sacred of all places to our tribes it was selected by your people to be the place at where the records lie. It is called Secacah, and has been protected day and night by specially trained members of our tribes since records began. At this time there are four chambers containing our complete history from day one.

At first there were only the three of them but over time they took wives, had children and attracted followers to their way of life. Before long their community had grown to such an extent that they were attracting attention from outsiders. The attention was not always welcome and for many years the tribe experienced many losses due to malicious attacks from outsiders. It was decided by the trinity that it would be better to split the tribe into three distinct tribes each being led by one of the trinity, and that our ancestors should shun outside contact in favour of a more secluded existence and through this we have lived a peaceful way of life for hundreds of years. We are a simple people who live off the land, and due to the teaching and guidance of our elders throughout the years, we have become self sufficient and have no need of others.

When the great divide happened each tribe set out to find different lands to occupy. It is written that their journeys were long and arduous but eventually all three tribes settled and became rooted to one place. Our tribal network covers a triangular area that is seven days from each other and this place lies at the very centre of our lands.

Throughout the year, our scribes document every part of our daily lives as decreed by the Magi. It is their sole purpose in life and has been so since the beginning. They write about everything from daily happenings to major events and disasters. They keep records of who is born and who dies within our communities and they also keep records of who lives where and what their role in the community is. So, you can imagine that over the period of a year there is a substantial amount of material created. Once every year the documents are sealed in their containers and sealed in the time honoured method and brought to this sacred cave to take their place with all of the other documents. All three tribes attend on the same day and the ceremony always takes place as the sun sets over the mountains. Our priests, and the chosen members of their order place the documents and our guards keep them safe from anyone who would desecrate our history.

Our history and our way of life is governed by the master record. It is a document that has been passed down though the generations from the original copy that was written by the original kings of our tribes, your countrymen. Every twenty years our master record is remade by our scribes and checked by the present king and his court for mistakes. It has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. The master record is exactly the same for all of the tribes ensuring that our history can follow the same divine path. It is our law and our guide. The second appearance has been foreseen since the beginning and as is written in our laws we are your servants, and are duty bound to do your bidding. So mighty ones, command us and we will obey.”

Hearing this last sentence Daniels motioned to Hatch to cut the communications with the elders and turned to the rest who had been listening intently to what had been said.

“Well it seems that 106 did more than a good job. They are responsible for an entire community who have lived their lives by the ideals of just three men. Now it seems that to them we are some sort of deities to be worshiped an obeyed.” We need to get home involved in this one.”

He ordered Hatch to re-establish communications and to talk to them while he talked to high command.”

The captain had made contact with base and was talking to Over Commander Lyle Harrison,

“Hello sir sorry to bother you but we have had a very interesting morning here. Things have been moving fast and developments have meant that I have had to make some unorthodox decisions. Firstly, all of the crew have had to be told about the mission DeVie and Watkins were sent on and now things have developed in a way none of us could have imagined.” He continued to fill Harrison in on all of the details and Harrison listened without interruption. When he had concluded his report Harrison asked him to stand by, he had to discuss this with his team. Daniels agreed and returned to the rest of his crew. On his return he walked in just as J.D. was making a progress report. He said that they had organised the workforce into several production lines. Two tribesmen were opening each of the containers, while two more were unpacking and laying out the documents. At this stage either J.D. or Watkins would digitise the documents. A further two were charged with re-packing each container and passing them to the final four on the line whose job was to reseal the vessel. At the present rate of production they estimated that the job could be completed within four days. The captain suggested that he may send Mary or Anne to join the effort and maybe speed things up somewhat. At this point Watkins joined the conversation. “Sir, with all due respect we have not seen any women here at all. We have no idea how females fit into this society as I recall from our own history our planet used to be a male dominated society. It may be the same here at their present stage of evolution.” The captain spoke to Travis who was en route to join the others. “Travis, did you get all of that?” he said that he did. “Well mister psychologist what do you think would it be a good idea or not. Give me your thoughts.”

“Well sir, given what I have observed to date, I would certainly say that Matthew has a valid point. This certainly seems to be a male dominated society. I’m not sure whether the leaders would accept a woman in their midst, there is always a chance that it could affect the work. In my opinion I think that it would be better to leave things as they are for now”

Daniels thought for a moment. He valued the opinion of Wheatley and took his opinion on board. He decided not to send anyone else for now. Both Anne and Mary felt slightly belittled by this, they were not used to being treated as anything other than an equal. They kept their feelings to themselves and remained silent.

The communication panel in front of Hatch was indicating that a communiqué was coming in from the home world. He informed Daniels who immediately retired to his quarters. Over the intercom came the voice of Harrison.

“Jason, this is Lyle, I have Tom and Peter with me.” They all greeted each other then Harrison continued. “First of all I want to say that you have done a great job, we can see that you had no choice in the decisions you have had to make, and we all agree that if we had to advise you we wouldn’t have done anything differently. But now, things have taken a turn that was unforeseen and we have to think on our feet. We are going to be here with you for the next few hours to see how this all pans out. We want you to continue running the show while we listen in. We will not interject unless absolutely necessary. Let the crew know what is happening I think your decision to keep everyone informed and in the loop is probably the best course for now. So get back to the deck, we will observe.”

He thanked them and returned to his post. As he did so he couldn’t help but feel vindicated by the decisions he had made that day.

He motioned again for Hatch to cut communications for the leaders. When this was done he addressed the crew. Having briefed them on the current situation he introduced the commanders who greeted and praised the crew on a great job done thus far. Then he turned his attention to the task at hand. His primary objective was to get field reports from every member of the crew, so that the commanders could be put firmly in the picture as to what was happening on the surface. When he was ready he asked Marius to once again re-connect the link to the leaders. Once the connection had been established he commenced with the field reports. 

The three leaders sat patiently listening to all of the reports, and became familiar with all of the voices connected to the seven people they had been told were members of this small band of people who had been sent to be with them. The attention was then turn towards the leaders.

“This is Jason Daniels I would like to speak to one of the three kings.” Realising they were being spoken to, the kings looked at each other and decided, quickly, who should be the spokesman.

“Master, this is Gaspar; I am at your service.” 

Daniels looked at his crewmembers and shook his head slowly. He was uncomfortable with the idea that another being should be subservient to him. Being of lower rank was alright because that was the order of things in the chain of command, but he did not like being revered without reason. He was determined to nip this in the bud before it drove him to distraction. He spoke gently to Gaspar.

“Hello Gaspar, I need for you to do something for me.” He said. Gaspar asked what he wanted. “Please stop referring to me or any of my party as master. Simply use our given names. My people will introduce themselves so that you may learn how to address us.” He then instructed the crew to introduce themselves one at a time. When they had done so, there was silence. Daniels waited for a reply, but there was none. He thought for a second that there may be a fault with the ear piece that was in Gaspar’s ear.

“Gaspar, can you hear me?”

The three kings were looking at each other; their faces were a mix of horror, disbelief, and wonderment. How could people so powerful make such a request? Sheepishly Gaspar began to reply.

“Master, we cannot comply with your request. You are our masters; you are the almighty ones, the ones we have waited for since time was recorded, you and your kind are the very reason for our existence. We are your servants and such, we are honour bound to do your bidding. We could never assume such a position in your presence.”

They were uneasy about the request made of them and they stood, uncomfortable, thinking that in some way they may have upset these mighty beings. The captain once again cut communications, then, he addressed his superiors.

“Sirs, would it be permissible to ask these leaders to simply not revere us for the next two weeks, after that they can think of us as they will. But for now, we are finding this really distracting. If we deserved the adulation then maybe it would be ok but we don’t. We are just regular people”

The conversation continued between them for half an hour or more, with the home world expressing the opinion that this had been their belief system for generations and that as visitors to this world, they had no right to alter the order of things. The crew would then argue that simply by being here at this time, coupled with the fact that they were now in the company of over three hundred tribesmen who each in their own right were to be witnesses to this event, meant that their belief systems had already been either contaminated or confirmed. The eventual outcome of the debate was that there should be some effort made to make the crew’s job as easy as it could be. To assist the crew, Harrison had agreed to speak to the elders in an attempt to make proceedings more formal while they were here. When Harrison had taken the time to prepare himself, the captain spoke to the elders. On this occasion he was speaking to Melchior. This time he was greeted with what had become the usual greeting whenever they spoke.

“I am here oh mighty one, tell me your bidding so that I may serve you better.”

Daniels said to him that this type of greeting must stop and that he wanted him to speak to someone who was of an higher authority that he was who would give him the permission to relax more in their presence. Melchior asked where this person was. Without knowing more about their history and what their teaching were, he was at a bit of a loss in explaining this one, so he decided to do a little ground work first. He asked Melchior where he thought that they came from. Melchior answered this question by revealing a little about their history. He said that they had been expecting this visit because it was laid down in the master records that visitors would arrive from beyond the stars, and that they would walk among us for a brief period of time. They would appear as we do but possess a knowledge that was far beyond that of our own. He also said that the original three were benevolent men who were worshiped. They bought a supreme sense of order and organisation to a group of people who were destined to become the three tribes. Their teachings have been passed down through the generations and form our laws. We imagine that we live our lives according to the ways laid down by the divine ones and we hope that we share a similarity to you. It is of course not our place to see ourselves a mighty a you. It has been written over the generations that at the second coming we will submit ourselves to you and do your bidding without question. And so the love we feel for your ancestors, we feel for you.

Daniels felt aware that these three leaders with all of their history, records and teachings, really had no concept of where they were from. He surmised that they had a romantic idea that there was a place beyond the stars that existed as a home to them and the visitors. It was also quite obvious that anything he or any of the crew said to them would change nothing about the way they addressed them. It was time to get Harrison involved.

Harrison had, of course, been monitoring this exchange closely and had decided that this was, in comparison to them, a society in its infancy and as such he must approach them as if talking to, children. Not in a condescending manner, but in a kind fatherly fashion. On his console he typed a message to Daniels to signify that he was ready. The captain spoke to the leaders.

“Your teachings are quite correct, we do come from a place beyond the stars and we have travelled far to be here. Our home is called God and one of our leaders wishes to talk to you. The next voice you will hear will be that of Lyle Harrison”

Almost instantly, Harrison began to speak; there was an anomaly with the communication systems. It was unexplainable at that moment but it had the effect of adding a deep reverb to the communication. There was nothing that could be done about it for now, but the conversation with the elders had to go ahead. As he spoke, Hatch tried to correct the problem without success.

The deep reverberated, surreal voice of Harrison came into their ears and as it did so the three men fell to their knees proclaiming that it was a voice from God. Harrison knew instantly that whatever he said would have little or no influence on these people. After they had calmed down he began to re-address them. His tone was slow and considered.

“Melchior, Gaspar, Balthasar. My name is Lyle Harrison and I am speaking to you from far away in the place we call God. Originally we sent some of our people to your world to learn about you and your peoples. To us, they were very special people, and it seems that they have become very special to you also. They were extraordinary men who appreciated simple things. They did not ask for any special treatment, they only did what they thought was right for the people who were important for them. Your people are such people. Although we are descendants of the three who began your society, we do not require any form of adulation or any special attention. We are grateful for the assistance you show to us, and your help is more that enough. Please treat our representatives as your friends. Address them as you would a brother, a sister or an ally.”

When he had finished talking the three men huddled into a small circle, and in a whisper they hurriedly discussed what the voice from God had just said. They were unaware that everything they were saying could be heard by all. Having deliberated about their reply, they addressed the voice. Balthasar spoke,

“Almighty ones, with the greatest respect we can show, we must decline your request,” As he spoke he was overcome by a great feeling of trepidation, a fear that he may anger these powerful beings, bringing down retribution on his people. But, somewhat warily, he continued. 

“Since our tribes were formed, and records began, our beliefs have been set in stone. This is the way we worship and keep the memory of the original visitors alive. All of our people believe the same. We three are merely the present kings of our tribes, and as such are just the representatives of our great peoples. We cannot ask our people, or be seen by our people to treat or address you in any other way. To us you are the almighty ones, the ones who bought order to our lives, the very source of who we are. We cannot turn our back on our tradition or our people. So with due respect we hope that you will accept that to us, to all of us, you must be worshipped because it is the order of things.”

Everyone who could hear, had stopped what they were doing and had listened intently to what the leader had to say. With the greatest compassion, they had realised that these three men were indeed strong, rightful leaders of their people. Everyone felt humbled that a comparatively primitive society could show such fortitude and sense of being. For them it was clear that they had absolutely no right to try to interfere with their beliefs. 

From the brief silence that followed, Harrison felt that he was in tune with the thoughts of all of his people on the surface and believed that he was about to speak on their behalf.

“You three men are indeed fine representatives of your nations, and we accept your reasons for not changing the way in which you address us. It was wrong of us to attempt to alter things. You are strong willed and we respect your decisions. You will not hear my voice again, but, know this. I feel honoured to have this opportunity to speak to you. I hope you continue to be strong because I feel that you are, and will continue to be, great leaders who will lead your tribes into great prosperity and wisdom”

With this the three leaders once again fell to their knees and raised their hand to the skies in adoration. Gaspar spoke on their behalf, “Masters, we are, and always will be, your servants. Look down on us and see how we grow. We hope we will live up to your expectations.”

Chapter 12 - Celebration