The Jovian Gate Chronicles

by Ron Vitale

Also by Ron Vitale

Stolen: Cinderella’s Secret Diaries (Book 2) (2012)

Cinderella’s Secret Diary: Lost (Book 1) (2011)

Dorothea’s Song (2008)

The Jovian Gate Chronicles (2007)

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2007 by Ron Vitale

Visit Ron Vitale’s website at www.RonVitale.com

Version: January 22, 2014.

To my wife, for her patience, understanding, love and nourishment. Thank you.

Toynbee’s Gate

I would not give up. I refused to allow Cardinal Giacomo to intimidate me with his piercing stare and deep, booming voice. To help me focus, I had declined a chair and knelt before the Cardinal’s desk on the marble floor, clenching my rosary beads in my folded hands. The metal crucifix, jabbed into my palm, heightened my discomfort, but I would not break. For my brother’s sake, I couldn’t.

Cardinal Giacomo didn’t even try to make eye contact with me. Instead, he stared out the Vatican’s windows, observing the air cars buzzing around a docking station. “During the questioning, if you tell us the truth you will not be harmed.”

His voice frightened me, reminding me of the times my father would yell at my brother when we were growing up. I adjusted my habit, tucking a few stray hairs back into hiding, and prayed for strength. “Yes, your Eminence.”

Cardinal Giacomo reached out to his BlueBoard and touched a spot on the screen. Data flowed in the top right-hand corner and a video feed pulsed into activity. The video profile took on the shape of another clergy member. “Buòn giorno.” The American butchered the greeting.

Ignoring me for a moment, Cardinal Giacomo tilted his head in salutation. His double chin wobbled from the sudden motion. “Greetings, Father Wolsey. Our Savior’s peace be with you.” Tapping the board’s security firewall settings with his thick fingers, Cardinal Giacomo approved the outward transmission of data to flow to his colleague’s BlueBoard.

“And His peace be with you.” The video feed’s size increased to a third of the screen. “It’s good to see you, my friend.” Father Wolsey paused, taking in my personal information that had been streamed to his BlueBoard. “Have you transmitted all of her records?”

“Everything is there.” Cardinal Giacomo glanced down at me with such contempt that I found it difficult to remain quiet. He adjusted the cameras trained on me and returned his attention to the BlueBoard. “She has agreed to cooperate.”

Father Wolsey scratched at his grey beard and leaned forward so that his beady eyes filled the BlueBoard’s screen. “Greetings, Sister Jeanne.”

I looked up at the BlueBoard and bowed my head. “Good morning, Father.”

He held my gaze and asked, “Do you know who I am?”

“No.” I remained kneeling and struggled not to fidget. My knees hurt, but I ignored the discomfort.

“I am one of the Holy Father’s closest advisors. Your story has earned his interest.” Father Wolsey sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. An intense look of concentration furrowed his brow. “It is our task to learn if you’re telling the truth, lying, or, possibly insane. If you cooperate, this will be painless for you. Are you ready?”

His calmness frightened me but I replied quickly by nodding.

Cardinal Giacomo punched in a code for the controls on his desk. A soft white light shined down on me. The bright light didn’t hurt, but I needed to cover my eyes from the glare until they adjusted. Cardinal Giacomo shifted his weight in his seat and said, “Don’t be afraid. The light will tell us if you’re lying. If you try to deceive us, you will be excommunicated and punished. Do you understand?”

Thoughts of rebelling against the Church flew from my head. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of my forehead and nearly went into my eye. In a low voice, I gathered the courage to reply. “Yes, I understand.”

Cardinal Giacomo glanced over at the BlueBoard and saw Father Wolsey’s signal that he was ready for the questioning to begin.

“How old are you?”

I stared up at the light, afraid to make a mistake. “Twenty.”

The consistency of the light remained the same. Cardinal Giacomo read his colleague’s question off the BlueBoard and asked, “When was the first time you heard the voices?”

“The day after my older brother disappeared.” Jacob’s accident in space was still hard for me to take. Alone and in a convent, I remember the exact moment when I was told. At first, I couldn’t believe he was gone. Now, two months later the dull ache in my chest refused to go away. It was the only physical remembrance I had left of him.

“What did the voices tell you?” Cardinal Giacomo bellowed out his question, bringing me back to the present.

I had been asked this question often since my secret came out so I knew better to tell too much up front. “They promised to guide me to the truth.”

Cardinal Giacomo observed the readings on his BlueBoard and nodded in agreement to Father Wolsey. I could only guess what Father Wolsey had written to him. “When was the last time the voices spoke to you, and what did they say?”

Closing my eyes, I willed the words to come out and prayed they’d appear to be the truth. “I heard the voices four days ago. They told me to remain faithful and God would reward me.”

The white light changed to a deep, ruby color, and a warning alarm went off. Cardinal Giacomo looked me in the eye. “I will repeat the question. What did the voices tell you?”

Up to this point, I had found ways to circumvent the truth. I was ashamed to tell the full story. The voices had just started coming to me in dreams and, more recently when I was awake. My Mother Superior had noticed my strange behaviors, like talking back to an empty chair, and decided to report me. Three days later I wound up kneeling before a Cardinal at the Vatican. Fear spread through me. If I lied, they would know. I closed my eyes but still could envision Cardinal Giacomo’s pudgy face. “Sister Jeanne, we don’t have all day. Do you not understand that your future is at risk?”

My strength faded and I just wanted to run away, curl up in a corner and disappear, but somehow I remained strong. “Yes, I understand what’s at stake, but I’m afraid to answer.”

Cardinal Giacomo raised an eyebrow. “Afraid? You have the Church’s protection. You’ll not be harmed for speaking the truth.”

I hadn’t been mistreated over the last three days, but an unspoken threat of punishment loomed over all I did. I needed to make a decision and I knew that only the truth would allow me to leave this room. I trusted myself and answered, “The voices told me that they were messengers from God. They told me I would go to the fifth planet and seek union with God through their doorway. There, I’d find someone I’d lost and uncover God’s truth.” I was afraid what they should say, but it was the truth.

The light turned back to pure white and did not change in shade. Cardinal Giacomo rubbed his forehead and sighed. In Father Wolsey’s office, I saw his staff in the background, scrambling to examine all the data streaming through the BlueBoard. I wondered how someone so insignificant as myself had become enmeshed in such a great mess. Father Wolsey took a softer approach and asked, “Tell me, were you close to your brother before he disappeared?”

Startled by the question, I answered, “Yes, I was.” My heart beat faster and I tried to hide my concern.

“In whose semblance have the voices spoken to you recently?” Father Wolsey’s calm voice soothed me.

Yet I hadn’t expected that question. I looked away from the BlueBoard, knowing that I had to tell the truth. The streaming light from above covered me. There was no way for me to hide. I stared at Father Wolsey and replied, “The voices sound like my brother’s at different ages.”

The light remained pure in color and did not change. I could see Father Wolsey’s staff scurrying to analyze the data from my response. Momentarily distracted by my answer, the Father handed over the questioning to Cardinal Giacomo. Taking in every movement I made with such intensity, the Cardinal smiled warmly at me as he punched a code into his control panel. A hologram materialized beside his desk, hovering there without a sound. Adjusting the settings, he enlarged the three dimensional display to fill up a large portion of the room. The hologram depicted a still picture of a busy pedestrian walkway. Birds, cars, and people appeared frozen in time. The Cardinal changed the angle, and zoomed in on the walkway.

For the first time since being brought to the Vatican, I became frightened. The Cardinal magnified a portion of the walkway that had an artificial marking glued to it. I exhaled in shock and covered my mouth with my hand. “How did you find this?” The long arm of the Church and its knowledge frightened me. I had never spoken of the markings to anyone.

Cardinal Giacomo zoomed back out and I spotted a familiar building near the Vatican. “What can you tell us of these markings?” The picture changed and underneath the Eiffel Tower another strangely marked message appeared hastily branded into the ground. Cardinal Giacomo increased the speed and the display cycled through dozens of similar images found throughout the world. He froze the last hologram and zeroed in on the tile’s wording. In large, broken type, haphazardly put together, the rectangular tile read:

TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOVIE 2001

RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.

I started to sway and had to use my hand to retain balance. The holographic image floated in front of me, accusingly, and could not be ignored. A lump formed in my throat and I clenched my teeth tightly together to remain in control.

Cardinal Giacomo leaned forward and repeated his question. “What can you tell us about who made these tiles?”

The white light intensified and the hologram moved closer to my face. The words, now a meter high, filled my vision with their bold and severe lettering. If the Cardinals had discovered the markings, then they would know that I had read Toynbee’s heretical writings. I crossed my arms and replied, “I don’t know who made them. I first noticed one of these markings in the middle of a street about a month ago near a bakery by the convent. Two weeks later I discovered another near the church.”

The light shining on me remained pure white.

Cardinal Giacomo ignored my answer by saying, “We see that you have researched the life of the twentieth century religious historian Arnold Toynbee. According to the records, he thought that the Baha’i faith,” he tilted his head down to read word by word the data on his BlueBoard, “a heretical sect that believed God could appear to people in different forms of Godhood as was needed at that particular time—would be the next great religion.” The Cardinal glanced up and I sensed he knew I was trapped. “Have you had contact with the Baha’i rebels in—?”

Father Wolsey interrupted his colleague and asked, “Did the voices ever tell you anything about these markings?” Startled, I couldn’t believe that Father Wolsey had wanted to skip over my heretical research and possible connection with rebels. Cardinal Giacomo sneered and coughed into his pudgy hand. His thick neck turned red from embarrassment. How much power did Father Wolsey have to be able to interrupt a Cardinal?

If I answered correctly, Father Wolsey was giving me a way out. I chose my words carefully and replied, “The voices told me that they were messages placed by the faithful to the cause and that I was being called to go to Jupiter to find the Savior. Only through the opening of the doorway could we resurrect our dead, free ourselves, and find salvation.”

I leaned forward and let the white light beam down on me, surround me with its intensity. My hands shook as I clenched them in prayer. A wave of anxiety washed over me and I began to sway from fatigue. I needed rest.

Cardinal Giacomo increased the light’s power and bellowed, “Did the voices tell you anything else?”

I ignored the question, refusing to look up out of fear. Cardinal Giacomo wanted me branded a heretic and eliminated while Father Wolsey had his own agenda. Somehow I needed to find a way to walk a thin line.

Father Wolsey interrupted my thinking with his calming tone. “We need to know the full truth in order to help you. What did the voices tell you?”

A streak of rebellion surged through me. If I said too much now, then I would have no chance. The Church would excommunicate and imprison me or even make me vanish without a trace. I needed to stall for time. Preparing myself for the pain, I replied, “I can’t answer that.” The white light turned violet and my skin absorbed the color. The light picked away at my mind like tiny needles of light that bore into me, releasing the truth in flashes of insight. My memories flashed before me and I lost control, screaming in pain as the cold, marble floor seemingly rose up to meet me.

Cardinal Giacomo gazed down on me from his chair. No sign of pity or compassion crossed his face. “You must tell us all you know. If you have knowledge that threatens Mother Church, we must prepare. Tell us!”

The pain ate at me. I writhed in agony, but still tried to hold back. The light streamed down on me, incessant, and would not ease until I answered. Losing track of time, I could not fight any longer. I reached up at the holographic tile and croaked, “The voices told me that I’m to go to Jupiter and bear the child of God.” My hand fell back to the hard marble floor. Tears rolled off my cheek and I broke. Crying through sobs, I whimpered, “But I don’t want to go. I’m afraid.”

The violet light blinked to pure whiteness and both clergymen covered their eyes. Father Wolsey overrode the interrogation light and commanded, “Help her up immediately. She’s the one we want.”

Flustered at being ordered around, Cardinal Giacomo walked over to help me to my feet. I tried to push him away, but he dragged me over to a chair. Still in shock, I collapsed, and focused on Father Wolsey’s face on the BlueBoard.

“My child, you have no reason to fear because God has called you. The Church will support you if you let us.”

I heard Cardinal Giacomo clear his throat in obvious disagreement as he let go of me. A look of doubt crossed my face and I slipped forward, smacking my head onto the Cardinal’s desk. The pain overwhelmed me. Father Wolsey’s voice came through the BlueBoard. “I’ll call up Father Guadagno. Do not harm her.” I heard Cardinal Giacomo say something in reply, but consciousness faded and I fell into darkness.

***

A low beeping sound awakened me. I squinted and tried to move, but my body ached everywhere. I attempted to talk, but my throat was dry and scratchy. The light from the ceiling hurt with its pureness and warmth. After several attempts, a gurgling sound escaped my throat and I covered my eyes with my hand to block the light. The small movement took an enormous amount of effort. Trying to fight off returning to sleep, I winced from my stiff muscles.

“Sister Jeanne, can you hear me?” I did not recognize the deep, masculine voice, and the surroundings were not familiar.

A blur moved in front of the light and I attempted to concentrate on the movement. Calloused hands touched my eyelids and my vision began to clear.

“Hold still.”

I recoiled in shock as liquid drops fell into my eyes. My attendant sat me up and the room swayed as I concentrated on not getting sick. Closing my eyes and inhaling deeply, I filled my lungs with air. I held the breath for a moment, ignoring the ache in my chest, and slowly exhaled. When I opened my eyes and blinked, my blurry vision cleared. Reaching out, my hand brushed against the plastic encasement of a sleep chamber.

“You’ve been asleep for almost six months. Relax.” The man handed me a packet. He closed my hands around the container and pulled out its straw. “Drink from here. It’s water with electrolytes. It’ll help you.”

I sucked on the straw and a cool liquid, sweet in flavor, filled my mouth. I swallowed and for the first time noticed an unfamiliar sensation. Wiping my eyes again, I realized that restraining ropes held me to the sleep chamber. I levitated in place, above the chamber, and saw a middle-aged man, sporting a beard and moustache, also floating beside me.

I let go of the drink container and watched it drift away. “Where am I?”

“You’re on a space vessel.” The man pointed to a view port. “It’s a military ship headed to Jupiter.”

The lights from inside the room negated any chance I had of seeing outside. A low hiss of air coming in through vents and the background hum from various electronic devices distracted me. “I don’t understand.”

Pulling closer to me, the man rubbed at his bushy beard, unsure of how to explain what had happened. After his indecision passed, he said, “I’m Father Guadagno.” He put out his hand and I accepted it. His hands were rough and weathered. “The Vatican decided to send you on the mission and thought it best for you to go immediately so no one could delay your departure.”

“But I never gave my approval to go.” I tried to hide my panic. “I’ve never been in space before.”

Father Guadagno folded his hands in his lap. He floated away from me and said, “Sister Jeanne, you’re on a mission from God. The Holy Mother Virgin Mary didn’t have time to prepare when she was asked to carry our Savior. The angel called and she accepted.”

He looked into my questioning face. “I understand your concern, but for your safety the Church had to ensure that no one knew of your departure. Your mission is of the utmost importance. You have been called to meet God.”

My stomach nearly gave out on me. “I still think that I should have been asked.” The realization that I was hundreds of millions of kilometers from Earth came to me. I couldn’t simply leave the ship.

“You didn’t have a choice. Cardinal Giacomo wanted to imprison you and extract the information you have by force.” Father Guadagno floated closer to me. “His methods would have been painful and you would not have survived. Father Wolsey petitioned His Holiness to allow you to come on this trip. Make no mistake, the choice made for you was the better one.”

Still in shock, I just stared at his grizzled, bearded face. “But I don’t know what I need to do.” My voice quivered in fear.

Father Guadagno took hold of my hand. “First, I need you to trust me. We’re only a few days away from Jupiter and we’re on a Confederacy ship. The Church has no authority here. If you want to survive, then I need you to trust me. Do you think you can do that?”

I looked into his rugged face and wondered. No matter how much I shouted and argued, I still couldn’t get home. The reality of my situation began to sink in. If I didn’t cooperate, I would not survive. The Church could easily find an excuse to be rid of me. And yet I also wondered if what the voices had told me were true. Was I meant to find God out here and be reunited with my brother? With no way to return to Earth, my options were limited. I reached out to him and said, “Yes, I’ll trust you.”

A smile lit up his weathered face. “Good. Before we arrive at Jupiter, we’ll need to build your strength back up and help you become acclimated to zero gravity. You might feel nauseous for the next few days. If you need anything, tell me and I’ll help you. We are the only two Church representatives on the ship. The crew has treated me with respect but given me plenty of distance. I expect they’ll do the same with you.”

I unfastened the restraining ties and floated away from the sleep chamber. I touched my matted hair and missed my habit. Father Guadagno noticed me touching my hair and said, “We’re not allowed to wear any religious apparel while on this vessel. The agreement was part of the Church’s concessions.”

“I feel lost without it.” I smoothed my hair back and looked around. “Is there a place for me to clean up?”

“Yes, I’ll show you to your quarters and then give you directions on how to get to the conference room. Once you’re finished, meet me there. I’ll be with the Captain of the ship.”

I followed Father Guadagno out of the room and floated down the hall. I had the strangest sensation that up and down were relative terms. Without having been in space before, I didn’t know how to deal with the absence of gravity or in being brought to Jupiter against my will. If I wished to survive, I had to follow Father Guadagno’s lead. Yet my faith remained strong in that the voices could bring me to my brother. No matter how preposterous the thought, I had to keep that faith alive, praying that God would give me strength. I didn’t really know what I would discover out by Jupiter, but I would do everything within my power to help bring my brother back. Neither the Confederacy nor the Church would stop me.

***

After I had washed up, I followed Father Guadagno’s directions to the conference room. I still felt grungy after my birdbath of a shower, but it would have to do. I glided, head first, down the corridor and did my best to navigate the corridors. The walls were padded and handrails lined everywhere I looked. But I had yet to run into another person. The steady hum of equipment and the recycling of air through the vents distracted me, drowning out my concentration. Up ahead, I recognized Father Guadagno in a room. He had his feet locked into the ceiling’s footholds and a tall woman, with short blonde hair, wearing a military uniform floated upside down next to him. The two of them were conversing quietly as several uniformed crewmembers, who were also upside down, floated out past me.

Then it dawned on me that everyone else had oriented themselves differently than me—I was upside down and not everyone else. I reached out to a handhold and stopped myself from floating through the doorway. Father Guadagno noticed my predicament and came to my aid. Embarrassed at my simple mistake, I accepted his help. He pulled me into the room and pushed the control to shut the door. Taking a moment to reorient myself, I grabbed at a handhold on the wall to stop from drifting.

The woman on the far side of the room floated closer to me. “I’m Captain Sapov.” She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. “Let me come right to the point. My crew isn’t happy that we’ve been ordered to take on two untrained clergy members. And I’m not thrilled about it either. So if you follow instructions, there won’t be any problems. Understand?”

I suppressed my initial reaction to become defensive and replied, “Perfectly.”

Captain Sapov floated over to a BlueBoard, and touched the screen. External sensors went online and zeroed in on Jupiter. “We’re still a few days out from Jupiter so we’ll have time to train you on the basics and make certain you get your space legs. In the meantime, why don’t you head back to your quarters and get some food so Father and I can talk?”

Captain Sapov’s condescending tone angered me. I could feel my neck getting red and blotchy as I replied, “No, I’d like to stay here. I haven’t traveled all this way to be shunted into a corner.”

“Well, on my ship you do what I tell you.” Captain Sapov used the handrails to pull herself closer to me. “Do you have a problem with that?”

I ignored her and addressed Father Guadagno, “You’ve asked me to trust you, but I need you to do the same. I’ve been dragged out here against my will. At least let me be involved.” I reached out to him imploringly. “Please?”

Father Guadagno turned to the Captain and said, “I think it’s a good idea that she stays. She might be able to help us.”

The Captain started to say something but stopped. She forced a smile on her face and replied, “If the Church hadn’t paid us up front, there’s no way that I would put up with this.” She floated back to her BlueBoard, ignoring my angered look, and adjusted the controls. Taking a deep breath, she addressed Father Guadagno, and said, “Just don’t let her interfere, or I might change my mind.”

“Fine, that’s not a problem.” Father Guadagno changed the topic to smooth the mood. “Now, tell me more about the discovery your crew has made.”

I glanced over at Father Guadagno and wondered what they had found. Following Father Guadagno’s lead, I pulled myself closer to the Captain’s BlueBoard. She adjusted the screen’s size and projected a larger viewing area. A real-time image of Jupiter appeared on the screen and became magnified. Captain Sapov marked a spot above the Northern Pole of Jupiter with her finger and said, “Within the last three hours, we’ve picked up a signal which is not from one of our survey ships. My crew has analyzed the signal and we’ve relayed it back to Earth, but we cannot decrypt the message.”

Father Guadagno came closer and stared at the markings Captain Sapov had drawn several million kilometers from Jupiter’s pole. “Can you play the message for us?”

The Captain keyed in her access code and spoke to the BlueBoard, “Startup voice activation. Recognize me.”

The BlueBoard responded in a calm, feminine voice, “Voice path confirmed. How may I assist you Captain Sapov?”

“Initiate sound proofing of this room and play the entire message of file Jup1a.” The Captain glanced up from the screen. “The message lasts for only twenty seconds but it’s continually being repeated.”

The BlueBoard announced, “Message playing now….”

For the first three seconds, I heard nothing and then a faint, deep bell tone filled the room. Slowly the tone increased in pitch until the sound faded off into the higher ranges of human hearing. Disappointment set in. I shrugged my shoulders and asked, “That’s the entire message?”

“Blue, pause playback.” Captain Sapov turned on me. “Yes, that’s it. But I’d like for us to hear it a few times to help us make some sense out of its meaning.” She adjusted the volume and said, “BlueBoard, continue playback.”

The BlueBoard played the remainder of the message and this time I covered my ears at the end. I waited for the low tones to come within my range of hearing and experienced an unlocking in my mind. The voices suddenly came back to me, hiding my brother’s voice in their melodic whisperings of secrets unknown. I tried to filter out the noise to hear my brother Jacob, but I couldn’t bring him to the forefront. Instead, the deep bass of the message’s pulse reverberate through me. The ship’s conference room vanished, allowing me to see two large metallic orbs in orbit high above Jupiter’s pole. With my new vision, I could see the magnetic sphere storming around Jupiter and an opening appeared in the top portion, clear of distortion, and interference. From far away, I heard myself shouting, repeating words I didn’t understand until the vision faded and the voices whispered soft lullabies in my ear. And then I understood their message—Jacob was safe and waiting for me. I needed only to go to them. I blinked several times and realized I was staring into Father Guadagno’s questioning face.

Captain Sapov held my legs and Father Guadagno had restrained me to the side conference room wall. He rested his hand on my forehead and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I think so. What happened?”

He eyed me up as though I had been possessed. “You covered your hands over your ears and then started convulsing while shouting about resurrecting the dead on the fifth planet.” He ignored my fearful look and continued. “And then lapsed into a language we didn’t understand. Do you remember any of this?”

I rubbed my temples and tried to recall the vision. “I saw two orbs floating above Jupiter, but I didn’t recognize what I was saying.” I chose to withhold the messages the voices had given me.

Captain Sapov unclipped a device from her uniform and clipped it around my wrist. “Blue, activate medkit procedure.”

“Medkit procedure in process.” The computer’s voice filled the conference room.

The wristband changed its size and tightened slightly. I glanced over at Father Guadagno. “I feel fine. Is this really necessary?”

He nodded. “It’s better that we examine you right after the episode and ensure that you’re not ill.”

Data streamed across the BlueBoard’s screen and Captain Sapov floated back to review the results. She read the report and shook her head. “There’s no sign of any trauma. Your blood pressure is slightly elevated, but not above the normal range.” She crossed her arms and said, “I don’t like this at all. I’m going to leave the monitor on and we’ll keep an eye on you to make certain you’re okay. We’re still a few days out from Jupiter and we need you to make contact. So why don’t you go rest up and let us handle this?”

Father Guadagno saw me about to protest and held his finger up. “Before you start to argue, listen to me. The bracelet won’t cause you any harm and it’s better to be safe. You’ll have plenty of time to review the message later.”

I touched the wristband and hid my disappointment. I bottled up my bitterness and kicked back off the wall floating away. “I understand. But before I go rest, I’d like you to say mass so I can take Holy Communion.” I had to send one barb toward the Captain.

Father Guadagno glanced over his shoulder to Captain Sapov and turned back. “I’ve agreed not to say mass while onboard. When we pray, we must be silent and do so only in our quarters.” He scratched at the back of his head, looking uncomfortable.

“And if I choose not to leave?” I needed to test him and find where he stood.

His eyes narrowed and his anger rose to the surface. “Then you will be forcibly dragged back to your quarters.” He paused a moment and added, “Sister Jeanne, we are not playing a game here. The Church cannot afford to fail. You will do as you’re told.”

“I see.” My response left much unsaid. I headed out of the conference room and said, “I guess I’ll see you later.”

I grabbed at the handholds on the ceiling and floated down the corridor, leaving Father Guadagno alone with the Captain. Now I knew the sides. The Captain and her crew were in it for the money, but Father Guadagno played a much more secretive game. He knew more than he let on and I would need to be wary of him. He could not be trusted. When I returned to my quarters, I strapped myself into the sleeping berth and plotted. I knew that the Captain and Father Guadagno had a plan, but now I needed my own. Rest was the last thing on my mind, but after several minutes my eyes closed and I fell into a deep sleep.

***

For the next three days, I became the model trainee once I learned that Father Guadagno and I would be performing a spacewalk to visit the mysterious orbs floating above Jupiter. I studied the instructions to the EVAC suit and practiced emergency procedures for hours. Now both Father Guadagno and I were securely stuffed inside our EVAC suits, awaiting the launch. The few days had passed quickly with each night ending with dinner with Captain Sapov. Partaking in a small rebellion before eating, I would pray silently, rejoicing in the act. My prayers had been simple and direct. I had prayed for strength, courage, and for my brother.

I listened to the chatter on the comm channel and continued to wait. The voices had remained silent and I had had time to focus and gather myself. I would not be beaten. As I looked around the shuttle’s small airlock, unmarked with any windows, it reminded me of a confessional. The comm chatter faded and an eerie silence filled the room along with the faint vibration from my suit’s compression unit. In a few minutes, I’d be in space, above Jupiter, free floating. No inkling of what would happen reached out to me, only a sense of pending excitement filled me inside.

“Shuttle, go for launch.” Captain Sapov’s stern voice came through clear over the channel.

I imagined the craft floating out of the shuttle bay, heading toward our destination point. Father Guadagno remained quiet and I sensed a deep meditation wash over him. I had lived around fellow clergy long enough to know when someone was praying. Bottling my excitement inside, I opened myself to the experience and thanked God. The enormity of the moment overwhelmed me and a deep longing for my older brother came over me. Since my brother disappeared, I hadn’t had time to truly grieve. Instead I had thrown myself into teaching at the convent and then became enmeshed in the trip to Jupiter. A thick, feeling of anxiety overcame me.

“You both ready back there?” Our pilot broke my train of thought.

Father Guadagno replied, “Yes, we’re ready. Open the main airlock door.” He reached out and took my gloved hand. Without speaking outloud, he mouthed, “I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” He held me firmly in place and then made the sign of the cross over my chest. Outstretched palm over my helmet, he closed his eyes and prayed. The airlock door slid slowly upward and the ship’s exterior lights lit up the gray hull.

“Jeanne,” Father Guadagno called to me and I pulled myself away from the magnificent view outside, “whatever happens out there, you must follow my lead. Do you understand?”

I detected a subtle threat, understanding more than he had said. I nodded at him. “Yes, I understand.”

Turning back toward the door, Father Guadagno moved outside. He nodded his head at me and then spoke to Captain Sapov. “I’m headed outside now. Sister Jeanne is following.”

“Once outside, initiate your suit’s engines and you’ll be there in approximately forty seconds.” The Captain’s voice sounded distant.

I left the safety of the airlock and floated after Father Guadagno. Tethered together by a flexible length of cord, I powered my engine and the slight burst of power pushed me away from the ship. For a moment, I felt disoriented and ill at ease. The ship’s lights still blinded me, but by my feet I could see a glow and when I glanced downward, the pole of Jupiter spread out below me. I was amazed at how pale the clouds were and how little light existed.

“We’re almost there. Be careful and let’s examine the orb with some instruments before we begin contact.” Father Guadagno breathed steadily and remained calm.

My suit began to beep and I glanced at my control panel that drifted beside me. “What’s that?”

Our pilot answered, “The radiation level around you has dissipated. It’s as though you entered a bubble that’s protecting you.”

I glanced at the back of Father Guadagno’s head and initiated my suit’s engines. If ever there was a time to act, it was now. I unlocked myself from Father Guadagno and surged past him. I could now see the orb pulsing in a soft white metallic glow. I increased my thrust and aimed directly for the orb. In a matter of seconds, I’d reach my destination and would give myself over to God. My brother and I would be reunited and I would fulfill God’s plan.

“We have a problem.” Father Guadagno announced over the channel to Captain Sapov. He quickly changed the tone of his voice and tried to sound soothing. “Sister Jeanne, please stop.”

I ignored him and counted away the remaining seconds. My engine shut off and I flew toward one of the orbs—a perfect sphere over a hundred meters in circumference. The orb pulsed and rippled like a bead of mercury rolling around in a beaker. I opened my arms and braced for impact. Father Guadagno and the Captain called to me but I no longer heard them. Their voices sounded muffled and distant. When I hit the orb, I plunged in it like I were diving into a refreshing pool, and a white light seeped into my suit. The light changed to a honey-like substance and I became enveloped in a sugary, sticky mass. The fluid dripped through my vacuum tight suit and as my momentum carried me through, the liquid passed out of me as light and the voices returned.

Red, purple, blue, yellow, and gold. Lights fired in my optical nerves and the colors spoke to me. Welcome. Journeyed far. Consummate with us. Sister. Images dripped into my conscious mind and the fire there broke me apart. Some outside presence touched me and the floodgates opened. Around me the orb elongated and grew, stretching forth. Its twin, another orb several meters from the first metamorphosed. No longer spherical, the two orbs had changed into enormous triangles. Touching together, the two objects formed a perfect square hundreds of meters on a side. At the center point, I floated, protected in a viscous substance. Inside me a presence grew. So soft and light. Open and accept. Vibrant colors flashed around me and my womb answered. A gateway inside awakened and I allowed the portal to open. Light streamed out from the small circle, originating in my womb, bursting forth to light the area.

I thought I heard cries of shock and alarm from those on the ship, but couldn’t answer them. Then space folded and the square’s protective restraints held me as the light shifted. A gateway to the beyond opened around me. I became aware as a pinpoint of light in my womb became alive. Answers came through to me and I saw my unborn child. God had come to me! My child would resemble my brother Jacob and even have his memories and more. The child was God’s gift to me. The colors faded and I saw into another place beyond the gateway. A sun, similar to Earth’s, and a planet. The light went out from around me, but the new life inside me grew.

I opened my eyes and recognized Father Guadagno coming toward me. I concentrated and then heard him ask, “Are you okay?”

I reached out to him and replied, “It happened. The voices were right. God has blessed me with child and he will grow up to be like my brother.”

“What’s happening out there?” Captain Sapov spoke on the encoded channel.

Father Guadagno ignored her question and switched off his external comm. Only I could hear him now. “Sister Jeanne, look at me. Take it slow. What happened? What did you see?”

“Father, a great light came to me and impregnated me. And now God has allowed me to be the key to open the gate. Do you see the other sun? They want us to join them.”

“Who wants us to join them?” Father Guadagno pulled me close. Together we floated in front of the Jovian gate.

“God and his angels.” I looked up and tried to clasp my hands in prayer in the bulky spacesuit. Even to me, the action appeared comical. “I am going to have God’s child. I’ve been blessed.”

A concerned look crossed Father Guadagno’s face. “Sister Jeanne, I need you to listen to me. You are not pregnant with God’s child. An alien race has opened up a gateway to their planetary system and want us to make contact with them. God did not do this. They’ve only used you.”

I pushed him away and floated back. “No, that’s not true. God has spoken to the aliens. They are to be our messengers to His will. The voices have told me this.”

He pointed a medical instrument at me and began taking readings. “Sister Jeanne, as a representative of the Church, I implore you to listen to me. You are not carrying God’s child. An alien race is all you encountered.”

I was still disoriented from my experience, but I knew I needed to make him see. “Why are you trying to tell me this? Can’t you see? God has come back to us in our need! He is coming and wants us to prepare for Him.”

Father Guadagno finished examining me and turned off the device.

I grabbed hold of his suited arm and shook it. “I’m telling the truth, aren’t I? That’s what the instrument told you. I’m pregnant.”

Father Guadagno reached behind his suit’s jetpack, pulling out a weapon that he pointed at me. “Yes, you are.”

I took in the weapon and, for the first time, understood how much the Church feared me. I drifted alone hundreds of millions of kilometers from my home and the man who I had thought would be my protector was threatening me.

He continued to train the device on me. “Prepare yourself to meet Our Savior.”

I had so many questions, but had run out of time. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because aliens aren’t the messengers of God. We’ll make our own destiny and find God without their help.” He pushed my arm off of him. “God gave us his only Son! Don’t you understand that? God made us in his image and not theirs!”

I had to think fast. “Please, don’t kill me. Let my baby and I live.” My argument was weak, but I needed to stall for time.

A look of murderous rage crossed his face and then a beam of light streamed at me. An immense surge of heat passed through me and then extreme cold followed. Warning lights flashed on my suit’s control panel and I saw crystallized red droplets and a mist float before my field of vision. My suit attempted to perform an emergency rescue, but I knew it was too late.

I glanced down and saw a hole in my stomach. Looking back up, I saw that Father Guadagno had put away the weapon. I shook my head and tried to fight the cold creeping in. Already the suit could not keep me warm. I put my hands over my womb, trying to save the new life fleeting from me. I held Father Guadagno’s gaze and cried out to him, “Don’t you understand? I was bringing God back into the world.” I shuddered as my eyes began to flutter. Father Guadagno redirected me toward the gate, and initiated the countdown for my suit’s emergency backup engines. In seconds, I would cross the gate’s barrier into another star system. He pulled my head close until our helmets knocked together. “Thank you for helping us open the gateway.” All trace of his pretending to care for my well being had vanished. I had been used. “In a few seconds, you’ll be dead. But before you leave us, I want you to know that your brother isn’t dead. He’s safe back in Earth orbit.” He glanced down at the few seconds remaining to my suit’s countdown and said, “So you wasted your time and did exactly what the aliens wanted. If you see them in the afterlife, tell them that humans will find God on our own. We don’t need them.”

I let my anger seep out of me. It would not serve me to be petty in my last moments. Hundreds of replies filled my mind, but only one seemed appropriate. I took in Father Guadagno’s face, lit by the backlight of Jupiter’s glow, rolled my eyes up to the heavens and prayed, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.”

Father Guadagno’s rage at my words ripped out across his face. He started to sputter an angry curse at me, but my suit’s engines had ignited and pushed me far out of his reach. I flew forward toward the gate, feeling the cold sucking my life from me. When I crossed the gateway’s barrier, warmth flooded through my body and my vision clouded. The angels’ voices sang to me and from afar I imagined that I could see my brother Jacob waiting to embrace me. If this was all I would ever know, then I would find peace and it would be enough.

Five Wounds

Marcy placed his hand against the window and imagined he could feel the heat of entry into the atmosphere against the pane. The white, hot burning of the air around the ship obscured the stars. At nineteen, he still couldn’t believe he had been chosen for the mission.

“You nervous?” Trey leaned over and jabbed him in the ribs. His friend could make light out of any situation.

“Yeah, you could say that.” He rubbed his temples and exhaled. “It’s not every day you travel 41 light years to make contact with the first alien race that could be as smart as humans.”

“Piece of cake.” Trey winked at him. Older by two years, his friend’s carefree attitude normally helped him calm down and put events in perspective. But not today.

“Let’s hope so.” Marcy sat back and winced as the tug of gravity pulled on him. The ship rolled over and he could see the green expanse of New Sardis below. Virgin forest stretched as far to the horizon as he could see. Hand-picked for the assignment by his superiors back on Earth over a year ago, he had joined the Triumph’s crew full of optimism, but the six month journey to the Toynbee Gate had tempered his spirit.

“You space out on me again?” Trey adjusted the navigational controls and locked them onto autopilot. When Marcy didn’t answer, he dropped his joking attitude and asked, “What’s really bothering you?”

“I’m worried about our mission. If we do find the aliens and the Holy Church learns about it, there’s going to be some tough battles and we’ll be stuck in the middle.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Trey checked the controls and then sat back in the pilot’s chair. “We’re just the peons doing the ground work. Let the Captain and the rest of the crew deal with those things. Our job is to make contact with the colonists and prepare for the arrival of the main team.”

“Yeah, but what if the aliens are intelligent? Don’t you think that’s going to change things?”

Trey thought for a moment and replied, “You’re right. It will changes things. After the Pope dropped last year’s Papal Infallibility doctrine bombshell, there’s going to be a lot of tension over whether we find that aliens are just as smart as humans. A lot of politicians support the Church’s belief that humans were directly made in God’s image and aliens are more like animals.”

“So we’re basically in the hot seat over this whole mess. Great.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. In the end, humans will continue to explore space and spread out through the stars just as we always have.” Trey turned to his friend and asked, “Do you really think that the Confederacy or the Church will stop exploring this planet because of some aliens who might have Stone Age-like human intelligence?”

Marcy didn’t have a chance to reply. The communications array flashed with an urgent message. Trey tapped the array and Captain McGeary’s voice echoed through the tiny ship. “Victory, are you there? Over.”

“Reporting, Sir.” Trey leveled the ship off and boosted the power to the communication system.

“Proceed directly to the coordinates we’re sending you. We just learned that infighting has broken out among the colonists. A large fire has been set deliberately on the border to the aliens’ homeland. Do everything you can to assist the Mayor and loyal colonists to put out the fire and save as many aliens as you can. We’re loading up several shuttles with supplies to help. We’ll rendezvous with you at—”

Feedback burst through the speakers and a deafening crackle tore through the ship’s communication system. Marcy covered his ears and Trey cut the array’s power.

Calibrating the ship’s sensors, Trey looked back over his shoulder to Marcy, and asked, “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the colony’s jamming our signal.”

The ship buffeted forward suddenly, smashing Trey’s face against the control panel. Marcy braced himself by holding onto a control panel, but he rolled out of his seat as the ship spiraled downward out of control.

“Hold on.” Trey’s fingers sped over the controls and warning lights blinked from every display. A trickle of blood streamed down his nose from the impact against the navigational controls. He fought to regain control of the ship and heard a proximity alarm wailing over the other warnings.

Marcy fought the g-forces to pull him back into his seat and glanced at the sensor display. “What is that?” He pointed at the large blip on the display and was sucked back to his seat.

“I don’t know!” Trey pulled at the controls and the ship dived straight down. A loud popping and rumbling sound washed over them and they saw an enormous, burning piece of metal streak by them. Other pieces, smaller, but just as dangerous to the ship, flashed by in bits.

Marcy switched his panel over to the ship’s defensive systems and fought for power to intensify the energy screens.

A blast wave blew past their craft, buffeting the tiny vessel around in the air, and disabling most of the controls. Marcy managed to buckle his safety belt and then reached over to adjust Trey’s as his friend fought to land the ship. A hiss of air seeped from a hull breach in the back. The engines groaned in protest and gave out as they fell to New Sardis like a wounded bird. Neither spoke as they clutched the sides of their seats. Giving up hope that he had the experience to land the ship safely, Trey activated the autopilot emergency landing sequence and prayed they would be saved from becoming a meteorite. The ship pulled back against the fall and emergency rockets fired to soften the crash. Jerked up from their seats, Trey and Marcy saw the ground reach up at them and lost consciousness as the ship purged its power to save its occupants.

***

Marcy ached. Everywhere. His shoulders were bruised from the bite of the safety belt against his shoulders during the crash and he could taste blood in his mouth. The iron taste shocked him into full consciousness. Moving his tongue around to search for missing teeth, he winced and probed a cut on the inside of his left gum. He swallowed and opened his eyes. Yellow emergency lights had turned on upon impact and the engines had initiated their safety shutdown sequence. Looking to his right, he saw Trey still crumbled in his seat. He heard him moaning and thought that a good sign. An acrid smell of burnt computer chips filled his nostrils and a light wisp of smoke drifted from the panel in front of him. Their situation didn’t look good.

Unlocking his safety belt, he knelt beside Trey and searched for a pulse.

“Enough already.” He swatted away Marcy’s hand weakly. “I’m not dead.”

“Thank God,” Marcy undid his safety belt, “I thought you were in worse shape.”

He wiped the blood from his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’re lucky to be alive.”

His nasal sounding voice almost made Marcy chuckle. “What happened?”

“I think the Triumph has been destroyed.” Trey let go of his nose and tried to stand up. “It’s the only thing that would explain the large blast wave that hit us.”

“Who could do something like that?”

“I doubt the colonists. Maybe your concerns about the Church aren’t too far-fetched.” Trey pushed himself up and reached for the first aid kit underneath the control panel.

“Well, we need to get out of here and make contact with New Sardis’ Mayor.”

Trey shook his head dejectedly. “The only thing the communication array is good for is recycling.” He pounded the display panel with his fist. “And the tracer beacon can only be picked up by another Confederacy vessel. Unless you feel like waiting here for six months, I think our best bet is by foot.”

“When we get closer to the colony, we can try the laser beacon.” Marcy hit the emergency exit button and helped Trey out of the ship.

“I don’t know if we should do that. Without knowing what the fighting’s about, we don’t want to bring unwanted attention to ourselves.” Trey stumbled down the landing ramp and fell to the ground. His legs were still shaking from shock. “Maybe it was the colonists who fired upon the Triumph. We really don’t know. I think we should keep low until we figure out what’s going on.”

“I agree.” Marcy followed and looked out over the horizon. “Do you know where we landed?”

“Well, from what I saw on the display before we crashed, we have to head that way.” He pointed toward a pillar of smoke rising above the trees.

“Wonderful.” Marcy pulled the supply packs from the shuttle. He shouldered both of them and helped Trey to his feet. “Out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Trey wiped the blood from his nose and stood up. “Okay, enough wisecracks. Let’s just get going.”

Together they headed toward the burning forest fire and hoped that they would not run into any unwanted attention. Marcy wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared up at the sky. The warmth from the sun and the slightly increased gravity made hiking through the forest difficult. If fighting had broken out between opposing sides within the newly established colony, he could only imagine how the Church and Confederacy would react to the events. Each side would bolster their forces and send rescue teams. Catering to the fear that an alien race might be as intelligent as humans, the Church would continue to manipulate events by appealing to that fear.

Clearing his mind of troubling thoughts, Marcy tried to remain calm. Help was over 41 light years away. If a rescue team left Earth today, it would take them six months to arrive at Jupiter’s gate and then another week once in the 55 Cancri system to reach New Sardis. They were on their own until they could find help.

Marcy blocked the sun’s glare from his eyes and looked toward the smoking ruin ahead. The trees on New Sardis appeared stunted and bushier than trees on Earth. Without saying a word to Trey, Marcy kept walking and tried to remember all he could of the predators and animals on the planet. With some luck, he thought they could reach the outer settlements of the colony by late afternoon. Straightening the packs on his back, Marcy trudged onward, following close behind Trey as they headed toward the colony.

***

Having lost track of time and unable to go any further, Trey stopped hiking and sat down on a rock to rest. His nose had stopped bleeding hours ago, but from the soreness in his face, he feared the worst. “How bad do I look?”

Marcy tried to mask his smile. “Not bad. I’ve seen worse.”

“I busted it, didn’t I?” Gingerly Trey attempted to touch his nose and grimaced.

Marcy walked over to him and prodded Trey’s nose with his fingers. Trey winced. “Be careful.” Two dark black circles ringed the bottom of his eyes while a discolored yellowish spot graced the right side of his nose.

Marcy ignored his friend and said, “It’s broken alright. And I think the intense bruising is from the heavier gravity.”

“I’ll be fine.” Trey blinked away tears and asked, “How far do you think we are from the fire?”

“I’d say several kilometers. If the wind shifts, we’ll need to be careful.” Marcy rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. “The smoke is starting to pick up.”

“We’re going to need shelter away from the fire if we don’t find help before nightfall.” Trey looked around at the dry brush and trees. “From the look of things, New Sardis is in its dry period. Doesn’t look as though there’s been a good soaking rain for a long time.”

“I think you’re right. The fire’s probably burning out of control.” Marcy walked over to the nearest tree and sized it up. Abnormally tall compared to its surrounding neighbors, the tree stood approximately 30 meters above the forest floor.

“Hold on there, cowboy!” Trey jumped up and headed over to Marcy. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I was going to climb the tree and see if I can get a better view of the surrounding area.” Marcy shook his pack off and let it drop to the ground.

“Just don’t get too cocky and start shooting the beacon into the sky.” Trey warned. “Remember, I outrank you and I think the situation still warrants caution.”

“You’re right. I’ll come consult with you before I do anything rash.” He saluted his friend mockingly. “While I’m up there, do me a favor and hide yourself in case someone tries to sneak up on us.”

“Good idea.” Trey took his weapon out of its holster and dragged the packs into a thick section of bushes. When he had hidden himself from view, Marcy reached up and pulled himself to the first level of branches. He stood on his tiptoes so he could reach the next set of branches and pulled himself up to the next level. The added gravity and walking most of the day did not help. Fatigue and thirst had weakened him. After balancing on a branch, Marcy brushed away a stray bunch of leaves that scratched at his face. He tried not to think of Trey laughing at him for his clumsiness and he continued to climb. After several minutes of pulling apart entwined branches near the top, Marcy reached as far as he would dare. The branches further up appeared to bend back downward as though they had forsaken trying to reach the sun and wanted to fall back to the forest’s floor.

He wrapped his arms around the thin trunk and gazed out over the forest. Closer than he had thought, he saw the flames from the fire and heavy clouds of dark, thick smoke obscuring the horizon. The wind appeared to have shifted and the advancing fire ate the dry wood of the forest hungrily. Not being an expert on such blazes, Marcy feared that the fire might overrun them. Turning his head to take in the other directions, he noticed several smaller fires burning in the opposite direction. He guessed that those fires had started from the falling pieces of the Triumph. Marcy searched the horizon for any sign of a human settlement but the thick smoke ahead blocked his view.

A sudden explosion from below nearly shook him off the tree. Desperate, Marcy wrapped his arms around the trunk and held on as the tree swayed. Another volley of explosions echoed to the far left and Marcy started climbing back down. He then heard an antique weapon firing and climbed down faster. Hanging from a low branch, Marcy dropped to the forest floor and ran over to Trey.

“What’s going on?” He dropped to his stomach and hid next to him.

“Sounds like the revolution has found us.”

Marcy nodded and they both heard an inhuman scream to their right. Trey tightened his grip on his weapon and waited. Marcy slid his gun out of the holster and hit the charge button. Bounding into the clearing, a lanky human-sized creature jumped up the tree Marcy had been in, and turned back to stare at them. Trey motioned for Marcy to remain quiet. The creature, covered in a thick pelt, used its long legs to hang upside down from a branch. Resembling a chimpanzee, but having large oval eyes and a wider, flat nose, the alien sniffed at the air and motioned to them.

Trey could see two people headed into the clearing, armed with a shoulder rocket launcher and an outdated rifle. The alien made no noise but stretched out its arm and continued to point at Marcy and Trey. Without words, the message became clear. Bright red flashes of light blurred Marcy’s vision and a wave of fear wash over him.

The colored lights switched depth and his vision clouded, filled with purples and blues. A torrent of meaning flooded over him. Blood. Chased. Searched. Danger. Marcy rubbed at his eyes and heard people enter the clearing. The alien leaped down to the ground and lifted its arms into the air to show its supplication. Purple stains marked the wounds in its hand. Bowing before one of the men, the alien stared past him to Marcy hiding in the bushes.

“Looks like he’s finally giving up.” The human colonist reloaded his rocket launcher. “Nice chimp. Just stay still a little bit longer.”

The other colonist chuckled. “Do you think he knows it’s going to hurt?”

“Do I care? I’ll just be glad when there’s one less of them to deal with.”

The alien’s eyes bore into Marcy and the colors swirled in a pattern of desperation. Help. Me. Message I have. Spoke with virgin. She comes soon!

Marcy snapped out of his trance and acted. He jumped up from hiding and pointed his weapon at the two colonists.

“Wait!” Whispering under his breath and not knowing what to do, Trey followed Marcy’s lead.

The two colonists stood still and put their weapons in the air.

“Drop the weapons to the ground. Now!” Marcy took his finger off of his weapon’s safety button.

Trey came up beside Marcy and aimed his weapon at the colonists. He had never seen Marcy so emotional.

The heavyset colonist who held the rocket launcher squatted and put the weapon down. “No need to get excited.”

“Who are you two?” The second colonist placed his rifle to the ground.

Marcy eased up on his weapon and replied, “We’re officers from the Confederacy vessel Triumph here to—”

Before he could finish, strong furred arms wrapped around his midsection, knocking him hard to the forest floor. A single shot from a pistol whizzed past Marcy’s ear and the discharge sunk into the tree across from him. Trey reacted and fired his weapon at a third colonist who had crept up on them from behind. His weapon’s energy charge crackled through the woman and burned a hole through her chest as she tried to reload. The alien screeched and jumped away as Marcy raced to turn over. The two remaining colonists had reached for their weapons, but Marcy was quicker. He fired twice and they tumbled like felled trees.

“Damn!” Marcy banged his fist into the dirt. “What the hell is going on down here?”

Trey stood up and searched the clearing’s perimeter for sign of other colonists. “Never take charge like that again! I am in command here. Do you hear me?”

“Look, they were going to kill the alien. We had to do something.”

“I know. I know. I just don’t want to be put in a position like that again.” Trey leaned against a tree and took a deep breath.

“You’re right, I overstepped my bounds. I’m sorry.” Marcy walked away from the alien, whispering, “But the alien made contact with me. Didn’t it try to communicate with you, too?”

“I didn’t hear anything.” Trey moved close to Marcy and eyed the alien suspiciously. “What did it say?”

Marcy rubbed his temples. “I can’t quite explain it. I think he spoke to me telepathically. Something about needing our help and a virgin coming soon. It didn’t make much sense.”

Trey went over to the creature and crouched beside it. Curled up and grooming its arm, the alien cowered back from him.

“Look, it’s been wounded.” He pointed at a purple stain on the back of its hand.

The alien pulled its arm away and jumped back, pointing deeper into the woods.

“What do you think it wants?” Marcy looked over to Trey.

“I don’t know. Has it tried to talk to you again?”

“No, but we need to make a decision and get moving soon. We only have a few hours of light left and the fire is spreading fast.”

The alien bounded up to Marcy and tugged at his pant leg. Making a series of clicking sounds with its tongue, it gestured back into the forest and then headed off at a fast pace.

Trey nodded to Marcy and they followed quickly. They could smell the thick black smoke in the air, holding a scent of burning wood. The smell clung to their clothes and skin, intensifying as they chased after the alien. After several minutes of running, the alien stopped and pointed at a large bush.

“What do you want?” Marcy asked the chimpanzee-like creature. Winded from running, he bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing deeply.

Trey leaned against a tree and spit, clearing mucus from his mouth. “He better not be bringing us on a wild goose chase. I’m not in the mood.”

The alien pointed behind the bush and then hopped around to the back, seemingly climbing down a ditch. Marcy walked forward, with caution, and Trey drew his weapon, preparing for an attack. A low, soft moan could be heard from down below. A distinctly human sound. They rushed behind the bush and saw the alien tending to a wounded human male. With the alien’s help, he struggled to sit up, and put his hands up in protest. “Hello, please don’t shoot! I’m unarmed.”

“Who are you?” Trey stayed firm in his protective stance.

The man leaned back against the alien to relax, grabbing at his injured left leg. “My name is Dr. Wicker, resident exobiologist of the New Sardis colony. I’m glad that Pio Oo’kasha found help.” Eyeing Trey and Marcy’s uniforms, he asked, “You will help me, won’t you?”

Trey clipped his weapon to his belt and came forward. “Yes.” He jumped into the ditch and put out his hand. “I’m Senior Airman Trey Walker and my friend is Airman Jeffrey Marcy. We’ll do our best to help you to safety.” He cut open Dr. Wicker’s pants and examined the injured leg.

Marcy came forward and gave Dr. Wicker a container of water. “Can you tell us what’s happening down here? Our ship has been destroyed and we encountered several hostile colonists, trying to kill this alien. I think he’s been wounded though. He’s bleeding from a wound in his hand.”

Dr. Wicker reached back and Pio put his hands out for display. “I hate to involve the two of you in this mess, but it seems that my alien friend is mixed up in a rather bewildering miracle.” Pio reached out and both Trey and Marcy could see wounds in the palms on both hands. Dr. Wicker made a clicking sound with his tongue and Pio mimicked the sounds, showing similar wounds on both his feet. Pio smiled and then reached to its side. A purplish wound could be seen hidden by the alien’s fur.

Dr. Wicker patted Pio’s hands and leaned back against the alien to rest, ignoring Marcy’s inquisitive looks and said, “You’re looking at an alien who some claim has the Stigmata.”

Trey stopped examining Dr. Wicker’s leg and a look of bewilderment came across Marcy’s face. “What are you talking about?”

Dr. Wicker replied, “There are some colonists who believe that Pio was given the Stigmata by God and that he has shown them the Virgin Mary.”

Marcy held his tongue, but Trey asked, “What sort of trick is this?” He stared at Pio and was at a loss for words.

Marcy leaned closer to Dr. Wicker, staring at Pio’s wounds. “Look, our ship has been destroyed, we’ve been trekking through the forest all day, and we’re tired. Don’t play us as fools.”

“I wouldn’t presume to toy with either of you.” Dr. Wicker stared into Marcy’s eyes, leaning forward. “I’m a scientist. Rationally, I wish to prove that Pio’s condition is simply part of a common medical condition common to his race. But when his wounds were discovered, the colony became polarized. A militant group formed under the leadership of Father Guadagno and then all hell broke loose. Look, I need your help. You can disbelieve all you want, but we’re not safe here. There might be more colonists after me. We need to get to safety.”

“Well, you’re going to need help getting around. Your leg is broken, in several places, I think.” Trey covered up Dr. Wicker’s leg and rummaged through his medkit. “I can give you something for the pain, but we’re going to need you to walk with us. We’ve been ordered to find Mayor Butler and assist him. Do you know where he is?”

Dr. Wicker’s faced clouded in anger. “They killed him at the start of the revolt. That’s what made me take Pio and come out here in hiding. My habitat is less than a kilometer away, but that’s where the colonists found me. I was able to sneak away with Pio as they were destroying my lab. When I tried to get away, I fell down this ditch and hurt my leg.”

Marcy rubbed at the back of his neck to relieve his tension. “Any ideas where we can go that’s safe?”

“There’s a storehouse an hour’s walk from here.” He tried to pull himself up and cringed in agony. “It’s away from the fire and should give us time to figure out a plan. If you gather some sticks and have some rope, we can bind up my leg so I can travel.”

Marcy looked to his friend. “You ready?”

Trey nodded and gave Dr. Wicker a dose of pain killer. Together, they straightened his leg and then, with Pio’s help, gathered branches. Trey bound the doctor’s leg and Marcy handed him a long walking stick he had found. “I know this is going to hurt, but we have to get moving.”

Marcy pulled the doctor to his feet and allowed him to shoulder most of his weight onto him. Dr. Wicker and Marcy hobbled to the end of the ditch. Trey tied rope around the doctor’s waist and looped it underneath his shoulders. Together, Trey and Pio dragged him out of the ditch, with Marcy making certain that his leg remained straight. After Dr. Wicker had been pulled to the top, he rested on the cool ground and breathed deeply. He looked up into Marcy’s face and said, “You can’t imagine how much that hurt.”

Pio came forward and smiled, standing at his full height. When not slouched over, Marcy could clearly see the purple wounds on the alien’s hands and feet. Pio ruffled Dr. Wicker’s hair and clucked several fast noises. The doctor chuckled weakly.

“What did he say?” Marcy asked as he lifted him to his feet.

Grimacing from pain, he pushed himself to a standing position with the staff. “He told me that the pain would eventually go away if I stayed, but I’d also be dead.”

Trey shouldered both his and Marcy’s pack, leading the way. “Does Pio talk to you telepathically, too?”

“Only when he has something extremely important to say. Most of the time, he speaks through a series of clicks. I don’t understand everything he says, but enough that I understand his jokes.”

Marcy smiled and helped Dr. Wicker walk. He glanced up at the horizon and could see the sun low in the sky. Marcy ignored his tired muscles and the heavy weight of Dr. Wicker leaning on him. The air, thick and hot with smoke, burned his eyes, and frustrated their progress. He lost track of how long they walked, but the sun had set, and the glow of twilight had faded. From behind, they could see the smoke from the forest fire, billowing up to the sky. But the wind had changed and now blew in the opposite direction, allowing a fresh breeze of air to wash over them. They had left the forest and now trekked through the open plains. Wild grass swayed in the wind and up ahead they saw the storehouse. A large domed structure, large enough for all of them to rest in. With renewed hope, Dr. Wicker increased his speed until he rested against the storehouse. He pulled out an ID card and unlocked the dome. Without a word, they went inside.

Marcy rested Dr. Wicker onto a cot and asked, “Do you think the colonists will find us here?”

“With the fire still burning out of control and the revolt going on, I doubt it.”

Trey had dropped the packs onto the ground and said, “I’ll take first watch. Everyone else get some rest. In the morning, we’ll talk.”

No one argued. Marcy gave Dr. Wicker another pain relief shot and Pio came over to be with the doctor. Smiling at the alien, Marcy came back to Trey and whispered to him, “We’re really in a bind.”

“Tell me about it.” Trey touched his broken nose and winced.

Marcy patted his friend on the back and collapsed on a cot. He closed his eyes and worried that he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Worries of being found, the implications of Pio’s wounds, the loss of his crewmates, and dozens of other concerns spun through his mind. But at last, sleep won out, and a long, dreamless night stretched out over him.

***

Marcy woke with a start. Trey put his hand to his mouth and waved his gun toward outside. He whispered into his friend’s ear. “About ten people are headed this way.”

“Could you see who they were?” Marcy rubbed his eyes and reached for his weapon.

“I could see that they carried heavy weaponry from the light of the moons. They don’t look friendly.” Trey ran over to a window and peaked out. “We need to talk.”

“Sure.” Marcy came over to him and asked, “Do you want me to draw their fire so that you can help Dr. Wicker and Pio escape?”

Trey whipped his head around and replied, “I’d never ask that of you.” He pulled his friend closer to the other end of the storehouse and saw that Dr. Wicker and Pio still slept soundly. “Look, if we turn Pio in, we can work out a deal with the rebels.”

“What are you saying?” Marcy tried to pull away, but Trey held him fast.

“We can’t survive an assault on this storehouse. There’s nowhere to run.” He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. “And I’m not going to have either of us risk our lives over an alien. I don’t care if he’s some miracle or not.”

“But I do care.” Marcy continued to back away from Trey. “Even if there’s only a slim chance that Pio is some sort of miracle, I can’t give up that opportunity. We could be on the verge of humankind’s greatest discovery!”

“Look, if we hand over Pio, maybe they won’t kill him. We really don’t know.”

“And what about the colonists we killed? Do you think they’ll just forget that?” Marcy went to turn around and head to Dr. Wicker’s cot.

“Wait.” Trey hissed the word and Dr. Wicker rolled over in his sleep. Outside, he could see a group of eight figures trekking through the wild grass. Up ahead, a good distance from the main group, two figures scouted the area. They would reach the storehouse in several minutes. “Do you have a better plan?”

“No, I don’t.” Marcy replied.

“Then we need to be careful. If we fight to save Pio’s life, we’ll die and the Confederacy will declare war on this colony. And you know that a war would quickly draw the Church’s forces into the conflict. Would you want that to happen?”

Marcy took in Trey’s words and nodded. “I understand, but I’m not going to back down on this. I’m not going to stand by and let an innocent creature be tortured or killed. It’s not right.”

“You’re not in command here. I am. And I decide what is right for us.” Trey drilled his finger in Marcy’s chest. “Do you hear me?”

“Yeah, I hear you,” Marcy backed away, “and I’m not going to listen to you.”

A mixture of anger and frustration welled up over Trey’s face. His neck flushed with blotch marks as he tried to control his temper. He swallowed down a retort and moved toward the door.

Marcy blocked Trey’s path and held out his hands, pleading. “Please, don’t do it.”

Dr. Wicker heard the arguing and sat up, confused and in pain. “What’s going on here?”

“Everything’s fine.” Marcy held his hand down to tell Dr. Wicker to remain in his cot. “We’re all going to be fine.”

Trey took a step forward to test his friend’s resolve.

Marcy remained firm in his stance. “Trey, I can’t let you give up Pio.”

Upon hearing his name, Pio woke up, stretched his arms, and looked inquisitively at Trey.

Dr. Wicker sat up in his cot and grabbed at his injured leg. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but the colonists will kill Pio if they get him. We can’t allow that to happen.”

“Just shut up and keep quiet.” Trey drew his weapon and aimed it at Marcy, motioning for him to move aside.

Marcy looked shocked as he inched forward with his hands out. “Are you willing to shoot me after all the years we’ve been friends?” His hand was only a meter from his friend’s weapon.

Trey kept his hand steady and replied, “I don’t want to shoot you, but I’m not willing to risk starting a war over an alien.”

Before Marcy could reply, Pio bounded forward, opening the dome’s door. He hopped out of the storehouse and clucked his tongue, waving at the advancing scouts. Marcy tried to run to the door, but Trey tackled him and held him down. “No, wait, see what he’s going to do.”

Dr. Wicker hobbled off his cot, but stopped as Trey pointed his weapon at him. “Back off! Let Pio go. It’s his choice. No one forced him to leave.”

The doctor fell back to his cot and waited for the sound of weapon fire. Marcy stopped struggling and Trey ran to the small window. Together they both saw Pio raising his hands in greeting at the scouts. He opened his palms and purple blood dripped from his wounds. Waving his arms in the air, Pio opened his mouth, and a pure, flawless musical note flowed out of him. Trey and Marcy were bathed in Pio’s telepathic flood of goodwill. Words of color formed in their minds as dark magenta, blessed white, and living green words floated through the air. A sense of peace descended over them and the two scouts stopped advancing toward Pio. They lowered their weapons, listening.

Marcy clutched Trey’s arm, smiling. “They’re stopping to listen. It’s working!”

Pio swayed his hips, dancing and singing of hope. Above him, a yellow globe of light materialized, hovering over the grassy plains. Pio smiled and raised his arms up to the light, welcoming it like the morning sun. The globe lowered itself stretching out into a humanoid shape. Still Pio sang and the light solidified, answering to the music. One of the two scouts dropped onto his knees and began to pray. The other dropped his weapon and backed away. The humanoid shape stood in front of Pio now fully formed. Clicking his tongue at the apparition, he raised his voice in song. The humanoid shape, now resembled a young human female with dark hair. She stepped out of the glowing sphere of light and raised her arms in welcome. “My name was Jeanne and I’ve come with a message.”

Without warning, a solitary energy bolt lanced through the night air, searing Pio’s fur and passing through him. Pio swayed for a moment longer and then his large, bulbous eyes rolled upwards, and he collapsed onto the dirt. Purple blood seeped into the ground as the energy discharge echoed through the fields. Jeanne lowered her arms in disappointment and then flickered out of existence. Several of the advancing colonists ran off while the others refused to go any further. Marcy cried out in anger and made to go to the door, but his legs refused to move. Realizing that Trey had stunned him with his weapon, he fell forward and saw Dr. Wicker’s look of anguish. Outside the remaining colonists argued until a rough, commanding voice shouted, quieting the men.

Trey came close to Marcy and whispered, “It’s for your own good. There’s nothing we could have done to save him. If we’re lucky, they’ll let us go. Just relax.”

Tears of frustration welled in Marcy’s eyes as he remained paralyzed face down on the floor. He could not believe what he had seen. And he couldn’t explain it. No one would believe him if he told his story.

Marcy struggled to fight the stun charge, but he was incapacitated. He would remain that way for hours. At the door to the storehouse, they heard movement and Trey jumped to the side of the entranceway with his gun ready.

“Listen.” A figure stood on the threshold of the doorway, remaining out of clear view. Trey could not get a clear shot at him. He could see the man’s shadow on the wall and the pulse rifle he held at the ready. “I know three of you are in there. For letting the alien go, I’m giving you a chance to get away.” He turned to go, but waited a moment and said, “My name is Father Guadagno. Remember me, for I won’t forget you. I give you my word that if I ever see any of you again, I will personally kill you.” He withdrew from the doorway and whistled. Three of the colonists trained their weapons on the storehouse as he walked away.

Trey holstered his weapon and went over to Marcy. “See, I told you that they would spare us.”

He dragged his friend to the far corner of the room, but Marcy no longer cared. He heard Dr. Wicker say something in protest and another stun bolt went off. For Marcy, the world had begun to close in on itself and he knew that the battle for the planet had begun. Marcy envisioned a fleet of ships coming to New Sardis, bringing thousands of xenophobic humans who would raze the aliens’ homes. Everything would be erased and made clean again. He thought about the innocent aliens who would lose their lives in the process and made a decision. A ray of hope came in him. He would fight to escape and then help the aliens. An integral part of him had to learn the truth: Did the aliens truly have a message from God? From what he saw tonight, it appeared that way. Consciousness faded from him and he imagined running away from the Church’s grasp, the Confederacy, and heading toward discovering the truth. Although darkness had engulfed him, he would cling to the hope that we would prevail.

Jacob’s Calling

Jacob listened to his breathing echoing through his helmet and the surreal realization that he floated out in space at the Lagrangian 4 point, observing the thousands upon thousands of flotsam-like metallic coffins drifting in orbit sunk deep into his consciousness. Although he had observed the same scene each day for the last year, today the strangeness of it all grabbed his attention.

With Earth far enough away to resemble a blue-green orb, his home planet appeared caught in space. He reached out and pretended to cup the planet in his gloved hand, reminiscing. He shrugged off his dark mood and chased away his thoughts of grief and suffering. Thoughts of his sister faded from his memory and he headed back to work. After he had learned of his sister’s death, Jacob had taken the first shuttle to L4, volunteering to become an undertaker of sorts among the stars. In outlandish coffins, the nouveau rich bought their off-world graves, hoping that some future scientist could resurrect them.

Thinking back, he had never seen his sister’s remains. The Church had claimed that she had been lost in space, opening the Jovian gate. On learning of her fate, his grief had overwhelmed him and to silence his inner turmoil, he had chosen to float among thousands of the dead as they waited for their technological miracle. To ease his pain, he just wanted to drift apart, partake in the experience of choosing to be alone rather than being lonely.

“Jacob, can you hear me?”

The feminine voice startled him out of his revere. He glanced around the emptiness of space and tried to remain calm. He had no idea what the hell was going on.

“Can you hear me?” He hadn’t imagined the voice as he first thought.

Jacob turned on his communication array and replied, “Yeah, I’m here. What do you want?” With the static coming through on the channel, he couldn’t recognize the person speaking.

“Good. Stay where you are and I’ll be right there to pick you up.” Silence greeted her so she chimed back in. “I can’t believe that you’d forget your one and only after only a few short years.”

Jacob searched for the ship, but couldn’t find it. An overwhelming sense of longing surged through him. There weren’t many people in his life that could have him acting like a schoolboy again, but his ex-wife was one of them. Even though she had left him to join a convent and his friends had jibbed that she had cheated on him with God, he bore the humiliation well. Still angry at her for running off without a word while another part of him ached for her, he couldn’t decide if he was happy to see her. Often, Helen had this strange effect on him. From the Earth side direction, he detected the reflected sunlight bouncing off of the ship’s exterior.

“You still there?” She sounded almost jovial.

“Helen, what’s going on?” He adjusted his personal navigation system and gently ignited the thrust to bring him toward the office station.

“I don’t have much time.” She dropped off for a moment and then returned with the signal sounding stronger. “You’ll thank me in the long run, trust me. You know that I wouldn’t be doing this unless I thought it necessary. You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.”

“You coming out here to convert me or something? Save me from myself before I die and go to hell? Come on now, what’s going on?” He drifted toward the office and fought to remain control of his nervousness. He hadn’t seen her in over two years and his heart was jumping like the time he was a teenager about to ask a girl out for his first date.

“Darling, if you stopped to think about how a nun could hijack a ship, track you down, and travel all this way to come see you, you’d realize that you were in some big do-do.”

The ship, long and sleek, matched the orbital speed of the graveyard and boosted its inertia to shorten the rendezvous time. Seeing the ship approaching, Jacob pulled himself into the airlock, shut the outer door and made his way into the inner portion of the station. Large enough to house three adults for several months, Earthers would feel claustrophobic in such cramped corners, but Jacob didn’t mind them. For a moment, he thought about hiding and then heard Helen’s voice on the emergency channel. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Please set the computer to help me dock. I don’t want to have to crash into your little home to get at you.”

He wondered if she’d follow through with her threat, but the part of him that had missed her gave in. His fingers danced over the BlueBoard without a thought. “I’ve locked in your ship’s trajectory. I’ll see you in ten minutes.”

“Mille merci, my little buttercup.” Her whimsical tone reminded him of days gone by. If only… He massaged his forehead and shook himself to clear the thoughts away. Living in the land of ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ wasn’t going to help him now. He needed to pull himself together. Not sure what else to do, he took a quick birdbath of a shower, rubbing floating water droplets onto his face, and then patting himself down with a towel. He changed into his cleanest clothes and glanced at himself in the mirror. The four days’ worth of growth on his face would have to stay.

Combing his graying hair back, he grunted in frustration as the hair refused to stay down. A static charge and weightlessness had him resembling the bride of Frankenstein’s child. He tossed the comb into his cabinet and quickly closed it so none of the items could drift away in the zero gravity. From a speaker off in the far corner, the proximity alarm announced the approaching ship. He finished sprucing himself up and then floated toward the station’s control center. Of the most basic of designs, the ship’s other sleeping quarters were positioned around a central circular hub. The BlueBoard lit up to display navigational information as Helen’s ship approached. He initiated confirmation for the docking procedure, allowing the computer to automate the process.

“I’m almost there.” Helen’s voice crackled over the station’s loudspeakers. “You ready for me? I don’t see the airlock prepped yet. I’m still getting a red light on my end.”

Unable to respond as he climbed ‘down’ the ladder in the center of the room, Jacob made his way to the airlock. He banged his head on an insulated coolant pipe and stopped to rub the back of his head.

“Come on, butter cakes, I don’t have all day.”

Muttering several not so pleasant words under his breath, Jacob arrived at the airlock and entered the code to unlock the door. A green light flashed inside and after several seconds the door opened with a swoosh.

Before he could see Helen, he heard rock and roll music from the late ‘60s blaring from inside her ship and the smell of Vanilla wafers wafted into the station. The smell reminded him of his childhood all those years ago.

“Helen, you there?” He leaned into the airlock, using the floor rings to hold him steady. From behind, he heard a warning alarm from the central station’s BlueBoard. He turned around to glance at the local data display and tumbled back into the station’s wall as Helen catapulted into him.

Unraveling herself from a fetus position, Helen aimed her charge weapon at Jacob and discharged a pulse. The stun bolt caught Jacob full in the chest and he spun around from the force’s blow. Drifting back into the wall, he bounced off and inertia shot him toward the airlock. Dressed in retro jeans, Helen grabbed his shirt and sang along to the Beatles’ song “Honey Pie.”

She laughed at herself and adjusted a button on her armband to lower the volume of the Beatles’ tune coming from her ship. Jacob tried to speak, but drool only pooled out and drifted away.

“It’s okay, my love. You’re going to be fine. No matter how much you think I’m off my rocker, you’ll thank me.”

Jacob grunted his anger at her.

She simply patted him on the head and pulled his floating form into the airlock. “No, you really don’t have to thank me, it’s okay.”

“Hmmmrph!” His tone of frustration jumped up several levels.

“Look, darling, there’s no way I’d be able to come in here and convince you to come so I had to take action. You know how I am. Act first, think later.”

“Mmmmrugh, mmeeaaa muvinragh!”

“I got no idea what you just said there, but I can surely guess it wasn’t to wish me a nice day.” Helen shut the airlock and pushed him into her ship. The smell of vanilla permeated the entire area. Several cookies drifted near the ship’s BlueBoard, creating a mini-solar system of treats. Jacob took in as much as he could as she pushed him into a chair. He detected no sign of accomplices which lessened his fear. Part of what attracted him to Helen was her free-spiritedness. His mother had told him that she wasn’t the type of woman to settle down, but other men patted him on the back on such a catch. As juvenile as it sounded, having her in his life for only a night would be more than enough for any man.

Helen finished strapping him into the chair and then secured herself into her own. She wiped the drool from his lips and shook her head. “You always were such a lonely, lovely little puppy. You make a girl just want to eat you all up.”

Jacob smiled but his eyelids kept fluttering and soon he would be unconscious. The stun charge had traversed his system, saturating his entire body. All his cells were drunk on the energy pulse. Helen pulled the hair away from his eyes and whispered, “Just sleep now. I’ll explain everything to you when you wake. I’m taking you to see your sister, Jeanne.”

He let her words sink in and a thousand thoughts exploded inside his head. He couldn’t have heard what she had just said. It just didn’t make sense. Helen smoothed her hand across his forehead and leaned close. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s what I thought at first, too. ‘She’s dead. How could she still be around?’”

Jacob couldn’t resist the stun charge any longer. Could this all be true? When Helen was around, his life was anything but boring. Love for his sister swelled inside him as the scent of vanilla cookies swept him away into the dark bliss of nothingness.

***

Jacob opened his eyes and winced. Gravity pulled at his limbs, weakening him. Sunlight streamed in from an open window and a cool breeze caused tall ferns to sway into his room. Disoriented and unsure of his surroundings, Jacob tried to sit up but his muscles would not obey him. Voices from across the room caught his attention. A young man with a wild, unkempt beard bent close to Jacob and whispered, “Welcome to New Sardis in the 55 Cancri system.”

“Where is she?” Jacob strained and pulled himself to a sitting position.

“Helen will be back later tonight. We didn’t expect you to wake up so soon.” He helped Jacob sit up. “My name is Marcy. I used to be a pilot in the Confederacy.” Marcy offered him a wooden mug. “Here, drink this. It’ll give you strength and help you get back on your feet faster.”

Jacob took the mug in both hands and sipped at the lukewarm liquid. The sweet juice soothed him and helped him to think clearly. “Why was I brought here?”

Marcy sat down on a chair and folded his hands in his lap. “We’re hoping you can confirm that a miracle is truly taking place on this planet. Helen told me that you and she had heard rumors two years ago of an alien with the stigmata who lived here on New Sardis.”

“Yeah, that’s part of the reason why Helen left me to join the convent. She wanted to be part of the big scene, coming here to meet the alien.” Jacob scratched his head and smiled. “But she always had a tendency for believing in such things. I had told her that it would only be a matter of time before the whole thing was proven to be a hoax.”

Marcy leaned forward and said, “Well, I met the alien and it was true. The Church fabricated a story that the whole thing was a fake. But I saw the blood come out of the alien’s hands. Everything you heard was all true.”

“So, what does all of this have to do with me?” Jacob swung his legs off the table and drank more of the refreshing liquid.

“An apparition of your sister is appearing at Pio’s gravesite.” Marcy observed Jacob’s reaction while trying to hide his own excitement.

“That can’t be possible.” Jacob put the wooden mug off to the side and tried to stand up but fell back on the resting table.

Marcy jumped up and helped steady Jacob. “What reason would I have to lie to you?”

“I don’t know. But none of this is making sense.” Jacob ran his hand through his hair and fought back anger. “I was kidnapped from my job by my ex-wife, only to wake up to find out that I’ve been asleep in hibernation for the last six months. Not only am I no longer near Earth, but I’ve been brought against my will through the Jovian gate to the 55 Cancri system. And if that’s not enough, you actually believe that my sister, who gave her life to open the Jovian gate, is now popping up over some dead alien’s grave? How much of this am I supposed to take with a straight face?”

Marcy had known it would be hard to convince Jacob. He shook his head in frustration. “I told Helen that I didn’t want to be here when you woke. I’ve screwed this all up. Look, I don’t expect you to take anything I say as truth, but we took a chance in having you come out here. There wasn’t an easy way for us to sneak you past the Church’s watchful eye. It’s not as though we could contact you and ask if you’d come. The fastest way was to do this against your will. I’m not proud that this is what we did, but when we bring you to the gravesite tonight and you see your sister’s spirit, we’re all hoping that something might happen.”

The wind picked up outside and the rustling of leaves distracted Jacob. A long time had passed since he had last heard such a sound. He looked down at his hands and saw how rugged they were. He’d worked hard all his life and had only wanted to forget his sister’s death. Now he was being forced to confront his grief and loss. “What do you think might happen? No, let me rephrase that. If I didn’t even know that my sister’s spirit was appearing out here light years away from Earth, how could I possibly know what is happening?”

“We know that you’re knowing anything about your sister is a long shot, but once word spreads to the outer colonies, the Church will raze the whole area. We needed to act fast. Helen has been reported missing from her convent back on Earth. It won’t take people long to realize that you’re not at your work and can’t be found. With the little time that we have remaining, I’m hoping that you’ll come with us. What do you have to lose?”

Jacob shook his head and tried to clear the tears from his eyes. “I’ve lost my sister. Isn’t that enough? I’ve also lost the love of my life to the Church. Now you’ve taken me from my job and expect me to just kick back and enjoy the scenery. If Jeanne is truly appearing, then why can’t I reach her now? How come I’ve not been able to have her hear me?”

Marcy backed off and said, “I apologize. I’ve put you at risk and have no way of convincing you that what I’m saying is the truth. I also don’t have any answers for you. Look, why don’t you get cleaned up and eat. We’ll talk when Helen gets back tonight. When we get together later, we’ll take you with us tonight to Pio’s grave or I’ll have members of my team smuggle you back to Earth. Does that sound fair?”

Jacob nodded. “Thank you.”

Marcy walked over to a cabinet and gathered up a clean outfit and shoes. “I’ll leave these on the chair for you. The shower is outside. It’s all manual so be warned that the water is only as warm as the sun can make it. I’ll leave some food out for you for when you’re done. And if you need me, just give a shout. Someone will find me for you.”

Jacob watched Marcy leave and he slowly shuffled his way over to the door, snatching up the clothes on his way out. Once outside, the sunlight blinded him for a few moments but the cool breeze blew back his hair. Lush, green plant life surrounded the small habitat and off to the side he saw a wooden stall with a large container of water on top. A string dangled from the plastic container, enabling a person to take a shower. Jacob went inside the stall and stripped. He placed his dirty clothes on a lower shelf built into the stall and made certain his new clothes wouldn’t be wet. Tugging at the string, caused a warm flow of water to wash down on him. He closed his eyes and rubbed the water into his face, free for the moment.

And then he truly began to fear: He had never told anyone of his dreams of Jeanne. He certainly wasn’t going to tell Marcy. Since she had died, she had come to him at night, asking him to come find her. The dreams didn’t happen often, but enough that he had packed up everything he owned and moved to the L4 point. The sparse life had cleansed him and no one could hear him cry out his sister’s name in the middle of the night. For months, he had thought himself slowly going insane. The night before Helen came for him he had dreamed of his sister. She had stood in a grass prairie with her arms outstretched, bearing him a smile of such joviality that he couldn’t help but smile back. She had pointed at him and said, “I will bring you to me. You can’t run too much longer. I love you.”

He washed some soap into his hair and could hear her voice echoing in his mind. Tonight he had to choose to face his fear or to run back home. Smiling to himself, he knew what his choice would be.

***

Helen saw twilight on the horizon and knew there wasn’t much time. The low setting sun had set some time ago and now the approaching night would soon be here. She glanced down at herself and shivered at the brisk breeze in the air. She had nowhere to go. And the realization that she was truly trapped, frightened her.

“Are you clear on the plan?” Father Guadagno approached her, shouldering his old-fashioned shotgun.

“I’m to head back to the camp and go along with Marcy and Jacob to the gravesite.” A strong breeze blew her long, blond hair into the corner of her mouth. She extricated the hair, pulling it away from her face and asked, “What are you going to do?”

His rough features appeared softer in the waning daylight. “We’ll kill them all except Jacob.” He sensed her tense up so he eased back against the ground car. “I’ll not lie to you. I’m going to crush this heresy here and now.”

“I see. So you’re just going to slaughter a dozen innocent people.” Helen crossed her arms, frowning. “This doesn’t sit well with me.”

Father Guadagno pointed up at the stars in the sky. “There are billions of people out there needing the Church’s protection. Miracles and apparitions take place every day in the colonies and on Earth. We investigate, find the truth, and stamp out any heresy. God is not involved in this mess here. It’s just aliens trying to manipulate people into thinking that they’ve contacted God.”

“What if I don’t go along with the plan and just walk off in the opposite direction? The tracing device they put in me would cause you all to follow me and they would be safe.” She had to test him, but knew what his reply would be.

“The Church holds your and Jacob’s daughter. From the beginning, the bargain you made with the Holy See has been clear. If you cooperate, then you and your daughter live. Choosing not to follow the plan, would not be in your daughter’s best interest.” Father Guadagno turned away and stared out across the prairie. The tall grass swayed in the breeze and a smell of fresh wheat filled him with hope. “I know you’re not happy with the arrangement, but you made certain choices.”

Anger swelled in Helen. “I didn’t know I was pregnant when I entered the convent. If I would have known that, then I would have stayed with him.”

Father Guadagno faced her and pulled off his priest’s collar. “For a moment, I’ll talk to you as a man and not as a member of the clergy.” He came close to her and brushed back her hair from her face. “You have been through a lot and you’ve cooperated this far. You’ve brought Jacob here and all the pieces are falling into place. All you need do is this last part and then you and your daughter will be safe. There’s even a chance that Jacob will be reunited with you. I know it’s a difficult choice, but I’m not here to make it harder for you.”

Helen listened to him and fought back tears. The choice was difficult. She sniffled and prayed. She did not know what to do.

Father Guadagno put his collar back on and said, “God will show you the way. Just trust Him.”

He walked away and left her to be alone. Helen wiped the tears from her eyes and stared up at the vast sky. With no pollution or light for miles around, the sky resembled a jeweler’s purse filled with sparkling, colored gems. The beauty of the moment calmed her. She knew what she had to do. She had known it from the start.

***

Jacob walked out of the habitat and saw Marcy talking with a colleague. Helen had not returned yet and he was beginning to worry. “Marcy, any word on Helen?”

Marcy bade farewell to his friend and came up to Jacob. “She just called in. She’s scouted the gravesite and has given us the all clear for tonight’s passing. She’s met up with another group who have a ground car and just entered the camp.”

“That’s good.” Jacob paced back and forth with a worried look on his face. “Before I decide whether I’ll go with you, I need to talk with Helen alone. I need some questions answered.”

“I understand and don’t have a problem—” A ground car glided in from the open plains and came to a stop several meters from Marcy. Three people exited the vehicle and Jacob was first to notice Helen.

She walked over to him and gave him a big hug. “You still talking to me after what I did to you?” Her smile melted away any anger he had held toward her. “When we first met, you used to like my tying you up.”

He returned her smile and pulled her close. “Honestly, I am still feeling a little bitter about what you did to me.” He let go of her and said, “Before I decide on whether I’m going on this adventure or not, I need to talk just with you.”

Helen glanced over Jacob’s shoulder and caught Marcy’s nod of approval. “That’s fine with me.”

Marcy waved to them and said, “I have to go finish the final preparations for tonight’s trip.” He turned to go, but hesitated. “Jacob, I truly hope you decide to come with us tonight. My hope is that you can help us understand if your sister has truly come back. But if you decide not to come, I will honor my word and make certain you have safe passage back to Earth.”

Jacob did not know how to respond. Too many questions swirled around in his head. He nodded as Marcy walked away.

Helen grabbed Jacob by the arm and asked, “Have you eaten yet? I’m famished.”

“Yes, I have.”

“Would you mind if we talk while I grab some grub? I haven’t eaten since midday and I could eat a cow.” She led him to a long and narrow tent that acted as the group’s cafeteria. A generator, spurting out an occasional black puff of smoke and producing a loud, chugging noise, powered the refrigerator and heating units. Helen entered the tent, tugging Jacob along. She headed to the end of the tent closest to the generator and asked, “You sure you don’t want anything to eat? It’s a good walk to the gravesite tonight.”

Jacob was about to reply but Helen made a shushing motion with her hand. She sat down at the nearest table and pulled out a portable BlueBoard. Written in bold letters was the message: “JACOB, THE CHURCH IS LISTENING IN ON US. JUST SAY YOU DON’T WANT ANYTHING.”

He opened his eyes widely and was at a loss for words. Helen pointed again at the message and said, “I think I’m going to have some soup.”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

Helen gave him a thumbs up and brought a bowl of soup and a bottle of water from the nearest counter to the table. She pretended to eat for a few moments and then frantically typed away on the BlueBoard’s membrane keyboard. The generator’s noise blocked out the sound of her typing. She glanced up and asked, “How can I convince you to stay and come with us tonight?” Holding the BlueBoard back up, Jacob read, “The Church wants to kill everyone at the gravesite tonight. They’ve forced me to work with them by kidnapping you and bringing you here. They’ll kill OUR daughter, Angelina, if I don’t obey.”

Jacob read the words on the tablet’s screen and coughed into his hand.

“You okay, there big boy? Why don’t you have some water?” She handed him her glass.

He accepted and took a sip. He had to re-read the message several times before he could calm back down. He had so much to say but couldn’t do so. Now wasn’t the time. Instead, he held back his emotion and said, “Well, I don’t know if I can trust any of you. I don’t really know who Marcy is and if his claim that my sister has come back is true. I was forced to come out here and I’m not totally sure I want to dig up old memories.” Jacob ripped the BlueBoard out of Helen’s hands and typed quickly as he said, “I just don’t know what to do.”

“It’s okay, I can understand that. Just take a moment to relax and remember all the good times we’ve had together. I never lied to you in the past. And if I didn’t think you should be here, I never would have agreed to bring you.”

Jacob held up the BlueBoard to Helen and she read his message: “I still love you—why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? I wanted so much for us to stay together, but you left. Why, why, why did you leave and not tell me about the baby? I just don’t understand.”

She caressed his hand and took the computer tablet back and he replied, “You’re right. You claim never to have lied to me.” He watched her typing away, imaging he could break his coded phrases and speak his mind. He loved her and would risk anything to be with her again. “I just don’t trust Marcy and the others. Who the hell are they anyway? And what do they really want with me?”

He read her message and reached out to touch her hand. “I didn’t know I was pregnant until after I entered the convent. I would never have left you if I had known. Now I can’t escape because the Church has a tracer on me. They can find me and hear every word I say. Please, you must follow my plan. I’ve explained it all in this BlueBoard. If you’ve ever trusted me, then just follow me. There’s no easy way out of this. Jacob, I love you. I should have never left you. I’m so sorry.”

She ate some of her soup and handed the BlueBoard to Jacob. With her mouth full, she replied to his questions, saying, “I trust Marcy because he has no love for the Church and has been hiding from them for the last few years. He wants to give you a fair chance to see if the apparition at Pio’s grave is truly your sister. After that, I don’t know. If Rome discovered that we were investigating the grave, they would arrest and kill anyone in their way. Marcy told me that there’s evidence that the Pope and Cardinals have instituted a zero tolerance policy toward alien miracles. They don’t want Pio to be seen as a martyr. The truth is that if the miracles are real then people might question why the Church has been allowed to have such power and why they have so much money. If God came knocking through aliens and not through the Church, people might rebel against the Church’s political control. There could be revolution or even civil war.”

Jacob finished writing on the BlueBoard and held up the device. “I don’t care about saving the world. I just want to help you and Angelina.” He thought for a moment and replied, “I’ll come with you. But I can’t promise that I’ll follow Marcy after I see Pio’s grave.”

“That’s fair to me.”

Marcy entered the far side of tent and said, “We’re moving out. If you plan on coming, we have to leave now.”

“I’m ready. I’m going with you.” Jacob watched Marcy smile and turn away to go outside. He slid the BlueBoard off the table and stuffed it in the pocket of his jacket. He only hoped he had time to read Helen’s plan.

She had finished eating her soup and downed a glass of water. Standing up, she squeezed Jacob on the arm and asked, “You ready?”

“Yes, let’s get this over with.”

Helen put her arm around him on the way out and Jacob reciprocated. Outside the sky had darkened and a cool breeze blew through the camp. Jacob glanced up at the stars and wondered. He had never been a believer but knew that now he could use all the help he could get.

***

Jacob powered down the BlueBoard and frowned. He didn’t like the plan. Helen was up at the front of the line with eight of Marcy’s followers behind her. They had marched single-file for the past two hours through the grassy plains of New Sardis. Jacob and Marcy were toward the back of the line with two others hanging a bit back, keeping a watch out for any unwanted visitors. He didn’t know if they guarded the rear to alert the group of any wild predators native to New Sardis or if they expected an ambush from something else.

In his current position, he did not have an easy way to talk with Helen. She had distanced herself from him, trusting that he would follow her instructions. He raised his eyes to the heavens and chuckled. Her plan was pure insanity. Maybe that’s why it just might work.

Marcy turned back to him and asked, “You okay?”

Jacob stifled his laugh and replied, “I’m just thinking this is so ironic because Jeanne would never have wanted to have so much attention focused on her. She was extremely shy.”

“I see. Well, we’ve tried to keep this quiet.” He pointed up ahead to a raised pile of stones surrounded by torches. The flat, grassy plains stretched for miles around the gravesite. Off in the distance, several low hanging clouds drifted, slowly across the night sky. The group made their way to the resting site and Jacob could see fresh fruits and flowers had been left on top of the grave.

Helen stayed away from Jacob searching the surrounding area for any sign trouble. Jacob touched the rocks and said to Marcy, “I expected to find the local population on vigil here.”

“The aliens leave the offerings at sunset but do not come at night. We haven’t been able to learn much of their spiritual and cultural beliefs, but we do know that there have been sightings within the nearest village.” He pointed north.

Jacob paced around the grave and clenched his fists. His couldn’t stop his palms from sweating. He wiped his hands on his pants and caught Helen out of the corner of his eye. She had started to come in closer to the grave.

Marcy plopped himself down on the ground, clearing a spot to rest. “Why don’t you rest a bit? She’s never appeared before mid—”

A bright, white light appeared out of the ground, reaching high into the night sky. The beam intensified and narrowed until only Pio’s grave was illuminated in the brightness. Jacob blinked in dismay. He had not expected to encounter such a strong manifestation of the unknown. Words failed him as he realized that he had expected to encounter a hoax and not something for which he had no explanation. The light changed in consistency and blinked out of existence.

“Brother.” A voice called out to him from the grave.

Jacob didn’t know what to think. His heart pounded and he balanced himself by reaching out to the low wall next to him. Standing beside the pile of rocks, a naked female awaited him. With her arms outstretched, she invited him to come forward.

He pressed himself against the wall in fear. Unable to look up, he stared at the dirt by his feet and concentrated on the grass. No one answered or moved. Only the sound of the wind whipping through the tall grass distracted the onlookers. The young women raised her arm higher. “Do not be afraid.”

Jacob listened to her voice and remembered carrying her on his shoulders so many years ago. He smiled despite his fear and asked, “Jeanne, is it truly you?”

She returned his smile and replied, “I am she, but new again. You could say that I am beyond but have come back to your present. And I’ve come to give you a gift. A sister’s parting gift for her older brother.”

Jacob inched away from the wall and glanced up at the grave. He couldn’t see Helen and wondered if it would still be necessary to implement her plan. Jeanne beckoned him to come forward and cautiously he did so. With trepidation, Jeanne reached out to take Jacob’s hand in her own. At her touch, Jacob smiled and a look of curiosity crossed her face. She smiled and leaned into him, falling into his arms. Not knowing what else to do, he caught her in a warm embrace. “I knew I would find you.” Her voice soothed him as she held him, clinging tightly.

Her smooth skin appeared cool to the touch. Jacob brushed away a strand of stray hair. “I’m glad that you found me.” He held her away at arm’s length and stared into her young face. “I don’t understand how you’re here or why. It’s all too much for me. I just can’t take it all in.”

Jeanne stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear, “Your daughter has been rescued by members of the Baha’i faith. I have seen to it. Before I pass by into the beyond, I wanted you to know this. She will be waiting for you and Helen. Go find her and live in peace.”

Jacob asked, “But how—”

She interrupted him and touched his forehead. A wave of warmth passed through him and images of Angelina’s rescuers appeared in his mind. He now knew where he could find her. “My time is short. I am being called back. But I leave you with a warning: You are under attack.”

She kissed him lightly on the cheek and winked out of existence. Jacob stood holding empty air and a mixture of grief and happiness coursed through him. He had wanted to ask so many questions but there had been no time.

Marcy ran over to him and asked, “What did she say to you?”

Jacob did not know how to begin. He was at a loss for words. He listened to the sounds of the open grasslands and saw the low, puffy clouds off in the distance. Jeanne had truly gone. And then her last words came back to him and fear spread through him.

“Well, did she tell you what God’s message was?” Marcy reacted to Jacob’s look of anxiety and came closer. “Are you okay?”

Jacob turned to answer Marcy and then he saw the lights. White piercing lasers laced the air, emanating from all directions. A beam tore through Marcy’s chest and his question hung frozen in the air between them as the life went out of his eyes. Jacob scanned the area looking for Helen. He saw her coming toward him only meters away. Screams from Marcy’s team echoed through the gravesite and for a few seconds only the whimpering of the wounded could be heard. Jacob reached for the BlueBoard and knew that Helen was counting on him to implement his portion of her plan. He initiated the board’s authorization security code and waited. The lasers had stopped.

A booming voice, not too far from Jacob, shouted, “This is Father Guadagno under authorization from the Holy Father to battle all rebel activity in this sector of New Sardis. If you wish to live, surrender immediately.”

Helen stopped running and stood still by the gravesite. She dropped her pulse lancer and raised her arms, surrendering. “We give up, please, don’t hurt us.”

Father Guadagno revealed himself and gave a silent command. Twenty soldiers approximately ten meters away rose up from the prairie grass, surrounding Helen and Jacob in a tight circle. An imposing figure, the priest hefted an antiquated shotgun and aimed it at Jacob. “Do not resist or I’ll be forced to have your daughter harmed.”

Jacob stood and walked forward, hiding the BlueBoard in his jacket. “You don’t scare me.”

Father Guadagno steadied his arm and remained in a firing position. “I’m not here to frighten you. Put your arms up and kneel on the ground.”

“I won’t let you kill me like you did my sister. You shot her through the stomach, murdering her and her unborn child.” He inched forward, watching the priest’s hands on the weapon.

“Don’t come any closer.” Father Guadagno aimed at Jacob’s upper thigh. “So you believe that the apparition is truly your sister?”

“Yes, I do.” He went to take a step forward but decided not to. “She’s come to me in my dreams ever since the Jovian gate opened.”

Father Guadagno lowered his weapon and chuckled. “You expect me to believe that Jeanne has come back from the dead with insight into the ways of God and that she’s given you a special message? Do you really want to know the truth?” He pointed up at the sky with his shotgun. “God’s not talking to that thing you just saw by Pio’s grave. It’s just an alien who has taken on the shape of your sister and duped you into thinking it can speak to God.”

Jacob shook his head in disbelief. “No, that’s not possible. She knew too much.”

Helen saw his tormented expression and moved closer to Jacob. They didn’t have much time. She feared it might already be too late.

“I’ve been investigating this case for over two years now. Aliens contacted your sister when the gate opened and tried to impregnate her. I killed your sister to stop a heresy from spreading through the colonies. There’s no miracle taking place here.” Father Guadagno lowered his rifle, pointing it at Helen. “Don’t take another step forward or I’ll shoot.”

Jacob needed to decide. Time had run out. Marcy and his friends littered the ground in a grotesque show of the Church’s power. If they had wanted him and Helen dead, he would not be standing here talking. He looked Father Guadagno full in the face and asked, “Then what do you want from me?”

“My superiors want to study you to find out if you have an innate ability to open gates like your sister did.”

“I see. You want to use me as a guinea pig,” Jacob gave a sidelong glance to Helen, “and she and her daughter are security to ensure that I don’t run away.”

“Exactly.” Father Guadagno smiled and said, “Okay, talking time is up. Men, let’s bring them in.”

With a smile full on his face, Jacob initiated the final sequence for the command codes. “Regretfully, we’ll be unable to attend.” A high pitch squeal originated five meters from the gravesite and a circular explosion incinerated anything in its path. Jacob and Helen both dived down flat onto their stomachs, covering their ears.

A chain reaction rippled through the ground, washing through a surprised Father Guadagno and his men with blue flames of destruction that scorched the ground for sixty meters in all directions. The wave of bluish fire incinerated all living material in its path and fried the circuits of any electrical components. Fast and effective, the explosives razed the surrounding area. Only the immediate ground around the gravesite remained untouched. With the sounds of explosions still echoing across the prairie, Jacob glanced up from his hiding spot. No one moved.

He tried to ignore the ringing in his ears, pulled himself up, and headed through the smoke to find Helen. No lasers were fired at him as he searched for her and he could hear no signs of life from Father Guadagno and his men. Only the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Small fires smoldered in various locations in the blast zone and plumes of smoke rose high into the night sky. Near the pile of stones at the gravesite, Jacob found Helen covered in dirt and ash.

“Are you hurt?” He brushed the ash from her eyes.

She coughed and said, “I’m okay. Shaken up, but okay.” She sat up and stared out at the devastation. “We better get moving before someone comes to investigate. If we can make it to the river, we can drift downstream into unmarked territory and make contact with another resistance group.”

“Won’t they just be able to track us through you?”

“Earlier today I added an electromagnetic pulse explosive to the ones that Marcy had set up here. All electrical equipment should be down for several kilometers. The chip that was implanted within me is now useless.” She flexed her arm, testing to see where it was injured. Pausing for a moment, she lowered her voice and asked, “Did you believe any of what Father Guadagno was saying?”

Jacob stared out into the wasteland that the bomb had created and shook his head. “Some people see whatever they want to see. Honestly, I truly don’t know what visited us tonight, but I do know that someone or something allowed me to see my sister.” He pushed himself up and reached for Helen’s hand. “And that’s all that matters to me.”

Helen pulled away from him and asked, “Do you think they’ll kill Angelina when Rome discovers that Father Guadagno has failed and I’ve escaped?”

Tears came to his eyes as he replied, “My sister truly did come to help me. Our daughter is safe and I know where she is.”

“How is that possible?” Helen’s incredulous look stopped Jacob short.

“Jeanne told me where Angelina is and how to find her.” Jacob hugged Helen tightly and said, “I don’t care what that priest said, but it’s a miracle. A true miracle.”

Together they jogged toward the river in search of a means off planet so they could be reunited with their daughter. Behind them, Jeanne stood on Pio’s grave, watching the couple escape. She raised her arms up to the starry sky and opened her heart to the power that was the universe. Her time here had passed. Pio’s kind had initiated a great change that would sweep humans into an awareness that they might not be ready to face. Where some would see angels, others would see demons. No matter how much evidence there would be, certain people would never see the truth. Yet as she transitioned from this world into the next she smiled, knowing that her brother and Helen were well-prepared to meet the challenges of the future.

Lunacy and the Dark Energy of Doubt

There

Pain flared in Thom’s shoulder and he bit his tongue to hold back his screams. Bracing his legs against the cliff wall to stop swaying, he tried to glance down then thought better of it. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest and drew upon all his training to calm down. Sweat dripped from his temples into his eyes and he grunted with the effort to hang on. The drop was a long way down. Unable to adjust his thermasuit’s controls, he took a deep breath and held it for a moment, trying to remain calm. He had slipped and tumbled down the rocky hill and fallen off the cliff. The lighter gravity of Travjis had probably saved him from a sudden dive into the mysterious pool of liquid below. He really didn’t want to fall in there.

“Zhang, can you hear me?” His strained voice sounded weak even to him. The BlueBoard in his facemask indicated that his audio signal still worked properly.

No answer.

Thom tilted his head up and studied the grip he had on the outcrop of rock. He did not know how long he could hang on, and his shoulder flared in pain as he glanced up. There was no doubt about it. He had dislocated his shoulder. The pain burned up and down his arm, scorching him with its intensity. He needed to act soon or he would fall. He couldn’t hang here forever. He clenched his teeth to brace himself against the pain as he glanced down and stared into the pool beneath him. In his right hand, he held a vial that contained a sample from the mysterious liquid below. Two moons and a brilliantly lit sky filled with thousands of stars watched his dilemma.

“Anyone up there able to hear me?” Silence still greeted him on the channel.

Thom tried to get a footing on a nearby ledge on his left but his shoulder ached in protest. He cried out in pain and fought to remain conscious. Licking the sweat from his upper lip, he cursed himself for his curiosity. If only he hadn’t decided to investigate the strange light he saw from the top of the cliff, he wouldn’t be in this predicament. Thom looked up at the stars, searched for the quadrant where Earth would be, and said, “BlueBoard, message record ON.” He struggled to find the right words to say and fought back a mixture of emotional and physical pain. “I’m sorry, Kayla. I wasn’t there for your birthday and when you needed me most I abandoned you. I screwed up majorly and I’m sorry for what I said to you, and for not believing you. Please, forgive me.”

He opened up the canister he had attached to his thermal suit’s pant leg and stared at the liquid contents within. He shouldn’t have taken a sample from the pool below in the first place, but he had sensed something… . A presence by the pool that he couldn’t explain. The scientist in him had wanted to bring a sample back to the ship and examine it further. At least that had been the initial plan. Now he hung off a cliff, on an alien world, light years from home.

He tipped the container and a drizzle of liquid fell back to the source. It seemed the right thing to do. To let it all go. He waited and, on contact, a purple, swirling phosphorescent glow lit up the liquid pool. A murky cloud of purplish-pink light swirled below him. As he stared into the glow, Thom relaxed. The pain in his shoulder dwindled to almost nothing as the light reached up and embraced him and he sensed a tangible presence that he couldn’t quite explain. He had the strange premonition that if he fell, he would be okay.

He knew his time had come. Without fear, he saw his hand slip off the rock he had clutched so desperately to and he fell straight down. The cloudy, glowing liquid awaited him and he wondered if the presence below would allow him to pass through. No thoughts of how he should communicate the alien presence to the ship came to him. He was past all that now. Instead he watched himself falling in slow motion as though the event were happening to someone else. He braced himself for submersion in the murky liquid and….

Then

Thom crossed his hands over his knee and waited, leaning back against the bench. An assistant widget whispered the current time into his ear and he tried to relax. He had five more minutes. Other family members had entered the common area, carrying packages of food or bottles of their loved one’s favorite soft drink. He hated coming here. There were times when he wished that his sister Kayla weren’t in the crisis center. If he was honest with himself, he wished that he could run away and pretend that he never even knew her. But wasn’t that was he was doing? A pang of guilt bubbled within, making him uncomfortable. The scientific expedition through Toynbee’s Gate had been planned nearly six months ago. The last thing he wanted to do was cancel because of his sister’s mental health.

Anger flared in him as he looked up at the window panels that filtered out the harmful rays of the sun. Off on the horizon, he could see Earth hovering above the lunar surface like a large blue marble. He resented being here. But at the same time, he loved his sister. As a compromise between what he should and what he wanted to do, he had decided to see her one last time before he left. He owed her that at least.

Two young boys ran toward their father, playing ball. Tethered to the ground with high tension stretch cords, their game in the low lunar gravity appeared almost like a ballet. For a while, Thom forgot his troubles and imagined what it might be like not to have his problems. More families walked into the crisis center and he knew it was time to go even without the assistant widget’s gentle reminder. He stood up, grabbed the plastic bag filled with refresher drinks and a few antique paper magazines and went into the center.

The packed lobby, crammed with people who hoped to be admitted, continually amazed him each time he visited his sister. To his left, an emaciated young girl with bags under her eyes sat on a windowsill filling out an admission form. From her appearance, Thom guessed that she was anorexic. He recognized a man to his right who had been to the center two months ago. He was telling the guard on duty the same story Thom had heard before, about how he had bought his tattered pair of shoes at the lunar flea market. Thom lowered his head to hide as he waited in line to sign in and grab a temporary pass, hoping that no one tried to talk to him.

A guard waved him through the first checkpoint and he followed the corridor to the elevator. An institutional smell of feigned cleanliness wafted through the air as he glanced into various offices. When the elevator opened, a dark-skinned woman who held her daughter in her arms walked on with him. Thom stared at the floor, hoping she wouldn’t try to make conversation with him. He’d admit it to himself but not publicly that he was embarrassed to be here. She hit the same floor number he needed but he hung back and kept to himself. With a hum and a sudden sensation of dropping, the elevator descended levels below. When the doors opened, the dark-skinned woman went to the right toward the men’s ward and he followed a sign on his left to the women’s. At the locked door, he pressed his palm onto the ID console and waited. The BlueBoard in front of him lit up and a middle-aged nurse asked, “May I help you?”

Thom cleared his throat and replied, “I’m here to see Kayla Johnson.”

“Just a moment.” He saw the nurse lean over and hit the all-secure access panel and the door in front of him buzzed open. He pushed against the unlocked door and waited at a second locked doorway. While waiting for the door behind him to lock shut, he realized that he might never have to return to this forsaken place again. A sense of euphoria tinged with guilt surged through him as the doors before him buzzed. He bottled up his emotions and walked through the doorway, toward the patient’s common room at the end of the corridor.

A BlueBoard in the common room broadcast a re-run of an old comedy show. Five women sat in the room spaced far apart from each other, trying desperately to ignore each other while staring at the BlueBoard. A shy teenager in a kid’s nightgown turned away from him and folded her arms across her chest. Thom ignored everyone, having only eyes for his sister. Kayla had seen him come in but she knew the center’s rules and waited. He walked up to the nurses’ station to sign in and handed his plastic bag to them. He had been here many times but had never seen the same nurse twice. A young, plump nurse took the bag and examined its contents.

“Remember to bring back the plastic bag before you leave.” She was about to put the items back into the bag, but Thom stopped her.

“That’s okay. You can have the bag now. I don’t want to forget and cause any trouble.” He picked up the drinks and magazines and left the bag on the counter. Nothing was ever said, but he understood. Kayla could use the plastic bag to smother herself. Such dangerous items were not allowed into a patient’s room.

He passed through the last door with the magazines in one hand and the drinks in the other. Kayla greeted him with a big warm hug and he nearly dropped the magazines.

“Here, let me help you.” She reached for the magazines as she led him to her room at the end of the hall.

A spring of pressure unwound within him. She didn’t sound off today. “Good to see you, Sis.” He handed her the magazines and kissed her on the cheek.

They entered Kayla’s room and he saw the picture she had drawn of herself sailing on the ocean and smiled. He remembered how their parents had taken them boating when they were young. They had both loved the water and the warm sun. Next to her drawing, Thom saw a bracelet woven out of yarn on a bureau. The twin bed, bureau, and a chair completed the room. A faux window beside the bureau glowed with light that mimicked sunshine, yet if the frosted window could be broken, only the cool metal of the room’s walls would be found behind it.

Kayla plopped herself down on the bed and grabbed Thom’s hand. “Sit down, sit down. So what’s the reason for your surprise visit? Did you come early to help me plan my birthday party?”

A twang of guilt shot through him. “That’s not why I came today. I came to tell you that I won’t be able to come for your birthday.” He glanced away toward the false window, wishing he could see to the outside. The cold, cold surface of the moon seemed preferable to him at the moment.

“Oh.” She brushed a lock of blond hair away from her eyes and then twirled it tightly around her finger. “Why can’t you make it to my twenty-first birthday party?”

“I’m leaving for a scientific mission through Toynbee’s Gate in a couple of days. The approval just came through yesterday.” He sat down on the bed and reached out to her. “Look, it’ll be okay.”

Kayla backed away from him, avoiding his touch. “You’re going off into the unknown, possibly never to come back again, and you’re telling me everything will be fine?” She shot him a look of anger. “If Mom and Day were still around, I could understand, but you’re all the family I have.”

“I know that, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t pass this up. I’d miss out on everything I’ve worked so hard for.” He tried to make her see the logic in his decision but doubted she’d understand.

“How the hell do you think I feel being left all alone? You know, I didn’t ask to have this thing put inside me!”

“Now, don’t go on about that again.” Thom folded his arms and turned away. “I didn’t—”

She interrupted him. “Didn’t what? Come all this way to hear the truth?” She pounded the bed with her fists. “I’m not crazy!”

“I never said that. Don’t go putting words in my mouth.” Thom faced her and said, “It’s just that I don’t understand.”

Kayla raised her arms up in front of her. “Look, at me! Can’t you see the markings?” She pulled her socks off and showed him her feet. “Look at these tattoos! They inched up a few centimeters since yesterday. Tell me, how did I get these?”

As with every time she asked this of him, Thom didn’t know what to say. He wanted so much to see the mysterious tattoos. If only he could see them, then he would believe her. He’d forget about his trip to beyond the Gate and would take her in his arms and save her.

“Kayla, please.” He went over to her and put his hands over hers.

“You still don’t see anything, do you?” She yanked her hands from him and pulled up her shirt. “What about this new one I got last night?”

Thom covered his eyes with his hand, refusing to look. He knew from past experience what she wanted from him.

Kayla saw an intricate tattoo of a fish curled around her belly. Its mouth open, spouting detailed symbols that tumbled toward her navel in some unknown language. “Open your eyes and tell me what you see.”

He had lost count how many times they had played this game. Around and round they went. Each time the same answer. Thom clenched his eyes tight and prayed. He prayed for true vision. To see the truth and to come to an understanding of what his sister suffered through. Just once, he wanted to see the tattoos. He slowly opened his eyes and only saw his sister’s milky white skin. No markings or tattoos inching up her body. Nothing. He continued to fail her.

She recognized his disappointed expression and asked, “You can’t see the new one either, can you?”

Thom averted his eyes, embarrassed and upset. “No, I can’t see it. I haven’t been able to see or understand any of it. Not the tattoos, your speaking in tongues, or anything else you’ve dreamed up over the years. I’m tired of it all! Why don’t you just stop making it all up?” He took a deep breath and knew his neck had flushed red in his anger.

Kayla closed her shirt and spoke without any noticeable emotion, “Go on your journey to the stars. Leave. I’m tired of all this, too.”

“You’re tired?” Thom pulled the data chips from his pocket. “Do you know what all this is? I’ve been handling all your bills since you’ve been in here. I have been trying to get you coverage so the bill you’re racking up in here won’t financially break you when you get out and I’ve been coming at your beck and call. Have you ever thought about my life? You have it easy.” He mimicked making a BlueBoard call. “Just call me any time and I drop everything to come to you. What about my life and what I want? Well, I’m through with it all. If you’ve been touched by some unexplained power, then why don’t you ask it to save you because I’m tired of trying.”

Kayla reached over and hit the nurse’s call button. “Goodbye, Thom. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” She pulled her legs up to her chin and hid behind them. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’ll be perfectly fine without you.”

Thom saw the nurse come in and bit his tongue. Kayla addressed the nurse and said, “I’m not feeling well. I need to be alone and have some time to relax.”

Thom wanted to yell at his sister but changed his mind. Instead, he waved at her and said, “I hope you feel better. I’ll see you when I get back.” He put the data chips on the bureau and then left.

The nurse closed the door behind him and he thought he heard Kayla crying. He wanted to cry himself. Instead he let his anger rage and allowed himself to focus on how he was justified in how he had talked to Kayla. How he couldn’t go on any longer like this and that although he was upset that he had hurt his sister, it was all for the best in the long run. He knew he was rationalizing what he had done, but he had to do it. For his own sanity, he needed to go on the trip. Before he could help Kayla, he needed to save himself. By the time he had left the crisis center, the Earth had fully risen in the lunar sky. He couldn’t stop time or change what had happened. The ship would leave without him if he chose to stay, but what would he gain by staying? No, he had to go. He wanted to go. When he came back, he’d solve his problems with Kayla. Maybe they just needed some time apart. Thom headed to the port station so he could return home and prepare for the trip.

Long Ago

Kayla couldn’t wait to go home. Today was her ninth birthday and instead of being home eating cake with her friends and family, all the students were stuck in school past their normal dismissal time. With many parents working late, school officials opted to keep the children in school during the opening of Toynbee’s Gate. Ms. Walker had prepared a video presentation on the ancient Romans to help pass the time. Kayla repeatedly pushed her finger on the on/off button of her desk’s BlueBoard while tapping her foot on the floor. Some things just weren’t fair. Why did today have to be the day that the stupid gate was being opened?

Bored and not into whatever Ms. Walker was saying, she stared outside the classroom’s window. She could make out the grass beside the building and a few flowers. It was an excellent afternoon in late spring to be outside celebrating.

Ms. Walker interrupted Kayla’s daydream and called out, “Bobby and Kevin, can you pull down the shades for me, please?” The boys raced to the back of the room to see who could get done first.

“Take your time. No rushing!” Their teacher sat on her desk and pointed outside. “To take precaution against this afternoon’s opening of Toynbee’s Gate out at Jupiter, we’ll put the shades down and watch a video on the life of the Romans. Afterwards we’ll discuss their architecture and the influence they had on later civilizations. So for the next hour, please don’t look outside and stare up into the sky.”

“What would happen if we did?” Kayla couldn’t resist the question.

Ms. Walker spotted her in the back of the room and replied, “Be sure to raise your hand next time before blurting out a question.” Her teacher stalled for a moment, looking for the right words. “There’s a small possibility that an accident at the gate could spark a flare that could permanently damage your eyes.”

Her words touched off a buzz of nervous chatter from the students, but Ms. Walker only put up her hand and said, “Everything will be alright. Just calm down. We’re all safe in here and it’s only going to be another hour and then you can go home.”

Bobby finished walking to the back of the room and pulled the shade down, blocking Kayla’s view of outside. She frowned into her hands and sighed. Her birthday just wasn’t going the way she had expected. She had begged her mom to let her skip school today, but that hadn’t happened. Maybe if she were lucky her older brother Thom might treat her to an ice cream on the way home. She’d be extra nice to him today and wouldn’t bug him too much around his friends.

Ms. Walker droned on about turning around and facing the front of room when a thought suddenly popped into Kayla’s head. She watched Bobby move on to the last shade and looked up. The shade directly across from her was pulled down all the way. The idea seemed too strange and odd for her to wrap an explanation around. Maybe she had read too many old ‘50s magazines from her History class. It seemed the most natural thought in the world for Kayla to wonder, “What if I could make a bargain with an alien who’s on the other side of Toynbee’s Gate?” She ignored everyone around her and thought about whether she could do it. And without wasting any more time, she thought, “If any of you aliens truly exist, then make the shade in front of me go up.”

Before Kayla could even blink, the shade shot up and crashed at the top, hitting the top of the window. Kayla’s mouth dropped open. The other students turned around to look at the shade and Ms. Walker asked, “Kayla, hurry up and get that.”

Startled, she jumped out of her seat and grabbed the shade’s string to pull it back down. Out of curiosity, she took a peek outside and stared up into the heavens. Somewhere up above, over her town’s quadrant of the sky, the gateway out by Jupiter had been opened over 40 minutes ago. A flash above caught her attention and a tingle shot through her and she shivered. Her vision blurred and she saw a purplish pool of liquid open a doorway in front of her. She blinked and saw a figure reach out to touch her. It spoke something to her and as quickly as it appeared, the doorway shut and her vision cleared. Kayla clenched her left hand into a tight fist and grimaced as the tingling passed up her arm to her shoulder. The sensation put her on edge and reminded her of the sound she saw in the old films when a subway train would turn a corner.

“Ms. Johnson, hurry up with that shade!” Ms. Walker’s temper could be heard in her voice.

Shaking the disoriented feeling, Kayla finished with the shade and sat back down. She needed time to think. She couldn’t believe what had happened and how quickly. It was as though the alien had been waiting for her to ask the question, hoping that it could entice her into a trap of some kind. A bit superstitious and afraid of what she didn’t understand, Kayla forced the thought from her and swore to herself that she wouldn’t ever ask for an alien’s help again. She didn’t know what it might ask in return.

That night in bed, she tried to fall asleep but saw purplish spots swirling by as she closed her eyes tight. She almost remembered something extremely important that she was supposed to do. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it had something to do with the future. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t remember. Sleep came to her quickly and in the few moments of consciousness she had left, she dreamed of her brother in space, floating in a sea of purple liquid, calling out to her. She couldn’t see his face clearly through his spacesuit’s visor, but she recognized him in a way. Older and wiser, he reached his gloved hand out to her and whispered, “Please, forgive me.”

“What a funny dream,” she thought. The colors swirled, pulling her down, and that feeling of déjà vu passed through her again but this time the cake and milk in her tummy, heavy with birthday sweets, had tired her and she drifted off to dream of tomorrow.

Beyond

Thom sunk into the pool filled with the strange liquid and kept his arm outstretched. He tried to escape, praying that he’d see his sister one last time, but he was trapped. The glowing liquid held him while another portion separated off and moved to open another doorway below. There would be no going back. The rest of the liquid enveloped him and seeped through his thermasuit. The cold contact shocked him into a vivid wakefulness and he sunk further down, passing through the murky viscosity. The other doorway, hidden in the sticky pool opened to a distant part of the galaxy. A cool tickling sensation crept up his legs and he wrapped his arms around the thoughts and absorbed the knowledge being given to him.

Through the gateway, he saw Kayla, older, wiser, and in the future. She had aged possibly as much as fifteen years. The transition was complete. She looked through the mirror-like gateway and laughed at him.

“Hello, Thom.” She no longer twirled her long blond hair with her finger. Instead she stood confident with a short bob cut, staring at him with reserved anger.

“Kayla, what’s going on?” A mixture of incredulity and concern spread through him.

“It seems that you found what you had been looking for.” A sly smile upturned the corner of her mouth. “But you didn’t need to travel that far. You might not have believed me, but the aliens had already come to me.” She showed him her limbs and what he had mistaken as a dark bodysuit came alive in disjointed sections. Jagged and rough in texture, the dark masses pulsed around her body, covering every inch of her skin except for her face and hands.

Thom flinched and pulled back from the mirror. “What are they?”

“An alien race made of dark energy that came to me all those years ago. They became my family after you abandoned me. You see, I stopped fighting them after you left and have joined with them.” Kayla remained calm and emotionless as she caressed the seething mass living on her skin. “Through the mirror, you are seeing into the future and the fruition of their plan. They came to me from through the gateway carrying the voice of God and I have helped them swarm the Earth in a holy Crusade, claiming dominion over everything.”

Thom pushed forward, but could not break through the mirror’s barrier. “You have to stop them. If what you’re telling me is the truth, then you have to make it stop.”

She shook her head and sighed. “It’s too late for that.”

Kayla touched the mirror’s surface and he could feel her touching his hand. The touch solidified within him, passing knowledge on to him, but he knew her contact to be final. She pulled her hand back quickly. “Goodbye, Thom. I have chosen my path. Now you must choose yours.” She turned and walked away, forever.

The mirror vanished and fear overcame him. He believed that she spoke the truth. If not stopped, the aliens would spread and claim the Earth, showing humanity its great sin in having nailed God made flesh to a tree. A Crusade would begin that would spread in time past Earth and to the colonies. But he couldn’t fight them. He had failed.

Thom faded out of existence, thinking of Kayla, wondering if she would ever change her mind or if she would suffer in her holy war, alone, in a world where people would persecute her when they learned that she would become the first of the crusaders transformed into flesh. He dwelt on his sister, thinking how he missed her when the purple-colored liquid around him vanished, stopping his breathing with it. Yet still, for a brief moment, he sent his love to Kayla in resistance, believing in a glimmer of hope, until he saw the infinite doorways that connected all times and places in our universe and was forced to surrender and fade into the dark energy of nothingness.

The End of the Jovian Gate Chronicles

To learn more about Ron Vitale and of the other books he has written, visit his website at www.RonVitale.com.

Learn more about Ron Vitale’s first novel Dorothea’s Song:

Peter is your typical high school student, but when his mother’s marriage falls apart he copes by dreaming up the story of Dorothea, an elf who lives in the magical Bois d’or forest. Inspired by classic high-fantasy themes, his tale has all the makings of a great adventure—a brave elvish warrior, a ruthless coven of witches, a renegade elf lord and a kingdom on the verge of collapse. But as the chaos intensifies in both the real world and his imagined one, Peter is forced to take a daring stand in each.

Read the first chapter of Ron Vitale’s Dorothea’s Song:

One

“Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ignore.” – Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Today I was at school and my French teacher gave us an assignment that will last for several months. She asked us to write a journal page each night in a copybook in French. I’m not that good in French but I thought it was a great idea. The rest of the class laughed because they thought what she was asking was extremely difficult. So our teacher told us to use words we know. Simple words.

It’s something that I can’t wait to start. My teacher gave us an example and suggested we write something up on a famous French person we might have been named after. My name is Peter and I don’t feel like doing that. I’m not in the mood for writing about some scientist or politician. You see, I’ve a better idea.

A few weeks ago I had a dream of an elderly man dressed in white robes. In his hand he held a gem of power. It was a clear white crystal shaped in the form of a tear. As he held it, I saw him standing in a large forest, and the closer I looked the more I saw that the gem began shining brightly. White as snow. I woke up and felt really odd. Almost as though I had been there.

Then I went to school and listened to my French teacher talk about our writing assignment. I came up with the idea that I could use my Dungeons & Dragons characters in a continuing story. Each night I’d write up a section and tell the story of Dorothea. That way I’ll be able to do my class assignment and translate it into French, for Mrs. Berks to read.

I want to write all this down because I want you to remember all of this. Years from now I want you to think back and reflect on Mrs. Berks. I want so much to capture each little moment and roll it up in a ball. But I didn’t know how I could go about it. So I thought the best way for me to do this is to write it to you and then you’ll read it when I’m older. It will be a time capsule to you.

***

Dorothea stopped to check the forest floor. In the soft mud, a deer had left its tracks. It was early afternoon and soon it would be dark. She wrapped her cloak tighter around her and decided to move on. The trees around her were filled with brown dried leaves which were so unlike the trees of her homeland. The tall, thin white trunks of the Bois d’or blossomed into a full circle of golden leaves. At night, the Bois d’or came alive with a magical light. Twinkling blue, yellow, and green, each leaf became a beacon in the night until a deep sleep would drift over the entire golden wood. Then, like candles being blown out, each leaf would twinkle out and sleep until morning. She missed her home.

Dorothea felt the cold breeze blow around her and knew she needed to find a clearing for the evening so she could set up a fire and prepare for the long night ahead. Centering her pack with a twitch of her shoulder, Dorothea followed the deer tracks but allowed herself to continue to daydream. When she closed her eyes, she could still see her friends waving to her as she left for her trial. Her friend Celas had hugged her and warned her to be careful. He had told her to watch out for scavenger humans who hid in the Outerlands in between the raids they made on elven caravans. She felt a heaviness weigh on her and she wished she had not left her village. If she could survive in the Outerlands for one week, she would become a protectorate of the Bois d’or. The High Council bestowed the honor on only a few elves. Once she completed the test, she could rejoin her friends and help ensure the safety of her homeland.

Around her the autumn wind blew, sending dried leaves to the forest floor. Soon winter would spread its chill across the Realms, but for now autumn still held some of summer’s beauty. For her, this time of the year signaled a time to remember. Her childhood was blurred between the phantom shadows of her mother who died when she was young and her growing up as an orphan in more homes than she could remember. All her life, she had questioned the whereabouts of her father. She knew he had died in the war but that was all she was told. The secrets surrounding his death were closely guarded or unknown. So many questions she needed answered.

Before she had left the Bois d’or, the High Council had promised that her test to become a protectorate would open a lifeline of answers to her. But Dorothea feared more questions would be given to her than answers. All her life, Dorothea had promised herself that she would protect the Bois d’or against another war so that others would not have to lose their parents. Now she had to prove her worthiness and she was afraid.

An animal’s cry from off to her left startled her from her reverie. She unsheathed her sword, the Argent de fille, and ran toward the noise. Through a thick set of bushes, Dorothea saw a wounded deer tied to a tree. She crept toward the deer and tried to loosen the rope around the animal’s neck but the deer was frightened and tried to kick her. Someone had deliberately set this deer to the tree and she wondered why. She put her sword away and used a small knife to cut at the rope that held the deer. As she tried to free the animal, Dorothea could hear the rumblings of a river that was not too far off. She was deeper into Outerland territory than she had thought. Once she released the deer, her first priority would be to find shelter for the night.

Cutting the rope off took her longer than she had expected, but as she felt the last strand break she sensed the deer’s sudden fear. With surprising speed, Dorothea watched as the deer bounded off, leaving a fresh trail of blood. From behind her, thick rough hands grabbed her by the throat. She gasped for air and turned her head back to see the black toothed smile of a human. He chuckled at her as she struggled to escape.

“Going somewhere?” His stench hung stagnant around him and sickened her. He loosened his grip and tripped her to the ground. “Well, where do you think you were going? Walking through human lands isn’t a good idea for a pretty little elf like you.”

“Let me go!” Dorothea struggled and squirmed but she could not push him off of her.

He panted as he fought with her. He held her down and grinned, showing his rotten teeth. “You know what I’m going to do to you?” He snorted and breathed on her neck. “I’ll show you why the humans are better than puny elves.”

He fumbled with his pants while trying to hold Dorothea down. When her one hand became free, she clawed at his face and poked him in the eye. Screaming in pain, he tried to punch her in the face but she rolled out from under him. She scrambled to her feet and ran. Behind her she heard him cursing. She was glad that she had hurt him.

Dorothea ran at her fastest and only one thought echoed through her head. Escape. She headed toward the sound of the river and hoped she could outrun the human. Up ahead she could see the river’s embankment. Breathing hard, she pushed through a thick bunch of bushes, scratched her face against the brambles, and slid down the muddy bank. Not stopping to think, she jumped into the river and tried to find her footing on a path of half-submerged stones.

About halfway across she turned around and saw the human chasing her. Blood covered the right side of his face. She could see him panting heavily. He looked tired. He paused for a moment to judge the best course to cross the river and ran toward her. Turning back around, Dorothea continued onward, slipping a few times on rocks covered in moss. The water was cold but it heightened her senses. She only had a few more yards to go and she would be across the river.

“When I catch up to you, I’ll let you lick this blood off my face and then I’ll cut you good.” Dorothea ignored him and concentrated on not slipping.

In front of her she saw a swirling dark pool of water. There were no more rocks she could use for footing and she could not tell the water’s depth. Behind her she heard the human catching up to her. Without thinking, she stepped off the last stone and fell in the water up to her waist. The current’s slow crawl hampered her movement and the cold numbed her legs. At last she felt rockier ground and the upward slant of the river’s embankment. From the loudness of his taunts, she heard the human closing in on her. His strength and anger pushed him across the river like a wave. Without turning back, Dorothea scrambled up the muddy bank, feeling the soft earth underneath her fingernails. Her feet kept slipping in the mud. She was barely able to pull herself to the top. Below her the human was already running toward the embankment. He had nearly caught up with her.

“You, elven bitch!” Bloodied spittle dripped out of the corner of his mouth. “Wait until I catch you.”

Dorothea took a few deep breaths and then ran faster. In her head she could hear her heart pounding. Her muscles ached and the cold sting of the wind hurt her pointed ears. She tried to look back but tripped on a tree’s roots. She fell hard, scraping the palms of her hands on the forest floor. Her breath was knocked out of her and she felt a sharp throbbing in her ankle. She pulled herself up and leaned heavily on her uninjured leg. She saw the human running toward her. He had seen her fall and knew she was wounded. Balancing herself with her left leg, Dorothea unsheathed her sword, the Argent de fille, and waited. Her breath came in short, quick pants as she stood waiting for the human. Her long brown hair was tangled and encrusted with mud. Her entire body stung in pain. Tired and injured, she could not run any longer. With nowhere left to go, she decided to face her attacker.

Dorothea pointed her sword at the human and said, “Leave me alone.”

The human wiped the blood from his cheek and grunted. “Leave? I don’t think so.”

He pulled out his longsword and lunged forward. He swung wildly at Dorothea and she easily blocked his attack. She hobbled away from him, knowing that his strength could easily beat her. She parried his attacks and searched for his weakness. He gripped his sword with one hand and tried to frighten her with his wild swings. Edging closer toward him, Dorothea feigned an attack, twirled around, and swung her sword heavily down on his blade. With a clang of steel against steel, Dorothea’s sword broke his weapon. Surprised by her move, the human stared at his broken blade. When he looked up, he saw the Argent de fille pointed at his throat.

“Leave, and I will let you go.” She moved closer and touched her blade to his neck.

The anger on the human’s face did not fade. “I’ll go.” He dropped his sword to the ground and raised his hands above his head.

Dorothea paused and waited to see what he would do. Slowly he turned and walked away with his hands still up. She lowered her sword and watched him leave. The pain in her ankle clouded her thinking and she knew she could not stand much longer. She started to sheath her sword when she saw the human flick his right arm down. As though she were in a dream, she saw him turn and throw a weapon at her. Seconds later she felt a throwing dagger impale itself into her elven chainmail. The weapon had lodged itself between the links of her armor and her left shoulder. Surprised and unbalanced, she fell to the ground. When she looked up, she saw the human diving onto her. Instinctively, Dorothea tilted her sword up at him in defense. As he fell on her, the Argent de fille pierced through his chest. He screamed as the magical blade’s hot metal burned through him. Blood oozed from his mouth along with a few air bubbles. His fall had knocked Dorothea flat to the ground and had helped push the sword through his body. Dorothea stared up into his neck and felt his last few quivers of life pass through his body. She rocked his and her body from side to side until she gathered enough momentum to roll him off of her. Tears streamed down her face and she gasped for breath. She knelt away from his body and began to vomit onto the muddied ground.

She had never killed before. With a handful of dried leaves, she wiped the blood off the Argent de fille and then sheathed her sword. She did not know what to do. The sun had begun to set. The wind had picked up and it looked like it might snow. Her body ached for warmth. She needed to find shelter or she would not survive the night. Limping to a nearby tree, Dorothea peered inside and saw that the tree was hollow. With a bit of luck, she could spend the night in the tree. It would be a tight fit, but she would not find a better place to rest.

She started to climb inside the tree but stopped. The lifeless body of the human still lay face down in the mud. She had never wanted to kill him. Inside she felt a wrench of sorrow and fear overcome her. She began to cry and wished she could take it all back. But he had offered her no choice. Dorothea turned away and peered inside the tree. Someone had used the tree as a crude stove. Long ago the tree had died, leaving only an empty shell. Nothing lived inside it and only a thick layer of ash covered the ground inside. Kneeling to climb inside, Dorothea crawled into the tree. She barely fit but she would make do for the night. Taking out her water skin, she drank some water and began to relax. In the morning she would deal with what had happened. Now she needed rest. She closed her eyes and felt fatigue overcome her.

Learn more about Dorothea’s Song at:

RonVitale.com/my-books

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ron Vitale was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Influenced by the likes of Tolkien, Margaret Atwood, C. S. Lewis, and Philip Pullman, he began writing at an early age, creating short fiction from his early Dungeons & Dragons role-playing sessions.

In the fall of 2008, he published his fantasy novel Dorothea’s Song as an audiobook on Podiobooks and for sale online, and in 2011 he published Lost, the first book in the Cinderella’s Secret Diaries series and then in 2012 Stolen the next book in the Cinderella’s Secret Diaries series.

Currently, he is keeping himself busy by writing his blog, and on learning how to be a good father to his kids all while working on the next Cinderella’s Secret Diaries novel.

Learn more about all of the books written by Ron Vitale at RonVitale.com

Table of Contents

Toynbee’s Gate

Five Wounds

Jacob’s Calling

Lunacy and the Dark Energy of Doubt

One