Chapter 15

Spring of year number three (for me), less than two years to go before our great escape, and I’m beginning to feel the pressure of time. I need to start compiling my list of possibilities and I haven’t even come up with a solid plan to have them here and ready to go on the big day.

The clan members have all done their part to attract the followers, but it’s still my project and my responsibility to bring my plan to fruition. I need to start whittling down the list before I begin my e-mail campaign. How do I do that?

I’ve come up with a possibility, one that’s been teasing a little corner of my brain for some time, but it’s going to need Grandfather’s approval; well actually, I’ll need everybody’s approval.

At dinner one night, I laid out my plan. “Uh, could I have everyone’s attention for a moment please?”

The table quieted.

“As you probably already know, I’m at the point now where I have to start making my list of possible companions for the trip. Thanks to you, I have a huge number of people to choose from, but no good way to decide who’s best. On that note, I’ve come up with an idea that I think will be a big help, but I can’t do it without your OK.

“Steve Winters, as you know, is a police officer, and that means he has access to criminal background investigation tools like NCIC. Now, I have some access to some of that information as well through commercial online services because criminal histories and even a lot of personal histories are pretty much public record nowadays, but Steve can get more info than I can and he knows how to cross reference it and interpret it. I’d like to ask him to help me, but that means I have to tell him about the project. Right now, he and Rosa don’t have a clue about our plans to leave the planet, so I guess my question to you is, do you trust them enough to let them in on our secret? Personally, I do, but it’s hardly my decision to make.”

I heard a lot of silence as they considered my request. Jellico was the first to give an opinion. “Jesse, as Grandfather said some time ago, our greatest concern, after our own survival, is in protecting the Travelers from exposure. I’m sure you can appreciate that if Steve and Rosa are included in any of our plan, they have to be included in all of it.”

“You’re right, Jellico, and I’m fully aware of that, but as we get close to The Day, more and more people are going to have to be let in on the secret. We have to start somewhere and we have to decide who to trust. I not only trust Steve and Rosa, I’m hoping to talk them into going with us. I think they’re just what we’re looking for, especially with their knowledge of farming. We’ll need that.”

Ninnith backed me up. “I’m with Jesse on this issue. Steve and Rosa have never given us any reason to doubt their sincerity, and Jesse is going to need all the help he can get. I think they should be brought into our confidence, and the sooner the better,”

Nobody objected. I was surprised because I expect at least some resistance to my plan.

“Well then, uh, thanks! Grandfather, would you let me know when you can speak with them?”

He sipped his wine and said, “Why don’t you call them now and ask if they can come this evening? If this is what we want, there’s no sense in wasting time. And I believe it’s time we again consulted with our spacefaring friends, as well.”

Steve and Rosa arrived a little after eight. Grandfather was already in the far reaches of the cave waking up the Traveler.

Jellico, Arrena and I escorted them to the basement and pulled some chairs into a circle. I started, “Steve, I need to ask a big favor, but before I do, I should explain to you that there’s a lot more to the story of the Ennahai than you’ve been told. The clan and I trust you enough to let you in on everything, depending on your answer to a few questions.”

Steve and Rosa looked at each other, wondering what was up. Steve said, “You know we’ll do whatever we can for the clan, Jesse. What do you need from us?”

“Well, specifically, I need something from you, Steve. I have a very long list of people who’ve been following our blog and writing comments in return. I have a plan to include some of those people in something very special, but I need to know as much about them as possible before I can even approach them. I know this all sounds very mysterious, but there’s a good reason for that. What I’d like from you is some help conducting background checks on them. Could you do that?”

“Well, sure! But I wonder if you even need my help with that. There are programs online that can do a fairly credible job.”

“But you have access to NCIC and you know how to interpret the data. I guess I’m asking for your expertise as a police officer to help me find the data, and then wade through it to eliminate the unsuitable ones.”

He sat thinking about it for a while. “I’ll do what I can, Jesse, but if you want me to give you an opinion about people’s character, I think I’d need to know what kind of a ‘special’ thing you’re considering them for. Besides, even NCIC is limited in what it can tell you about the subject. If you want a thorough background, you’ll have to put an agent on it, and that will get damned expensive in a hurry.”

Arrena went right to the point, “We’re looking for people a lot like you two. The qualities we want to see are stability, reliability, honesty, a strong work ethic, loyalty. We want them to possess useful skills and we also require that the women be of child bearing age and that any couples be childless.”

Rosa looked totally perplexed, and said, “Whoa! Now I’m completely lost.”

Steve shook his head and said, “Look, you just can’t get a lot of that information with an online background check. I can get you criminal records, some financial info, any glaring things that might have put them in the public eye. I can probably separate out the really bad actors, but that’s about it.”

I could see I was expecting too much. “I know this seems weird, guys, but it’s necessary to find whatever we can find. Look, let me be a little more direct about what we need: In less than two years, the Ennahai and I are going to be leaving this place. You already know from reading their stories that they’re facing almost certain extinction within a hundred years or so. We, or rather they, have found a way to avoid that extinction. They have a plan. We’re asking you to help them carry out that plan, possibly even participate in it. That would be you and about a hundred other people that get selected.”

Rosa sat up straight and asked, “You’re leaving? Where would you go? How can you escape the contamination of the atmosphere without being locked away somewhere like this cave or a sealed building?”

I looked over at Jellico and shrugged. “I’m just making this more and more confusing. Let’s just take them down to see the Travelers and let Grandfather explain. We know we can trust them, don’t we?”

He agreed, “Perhaps you’re right, Jesse. Anyhow, you have your answer about Steve being willing to help with the culling process.”

He stood and asked, “Shall we go?”

We all followed him down the twisting passages toward the pod. Before we got there, I warned them, “OK, you’re going to see something that might scare the pee out of you; it did me, at first, but just keep your cool. I promise you’re in no danger.”

Steve let out a nervous chuckle, “Mysteriouser and mysteriouser! I can hardly wait. You must really love Steven King’s books.”

As we stepped into the pod, Grandfather and the Traveler stood facing the door. Rosa grabbed Steve’s arm and gasped, “Oh my god! Jesse, what is that!”

I handed headsets to Steve and Rosa, and put one on my own head. “Her name is Chaakaaht, and she’s here representing her species. We’ll need these headsets to understand what she’s saying.”

Grandfather looked pointedly at Rosa and said, “I believe the proper question would have been, ‘Who is that?’” He placed the stick against his lips, turned to the Traveler and introduced them. “May I present two of the humans who may be accompanying us on our voyage, Rosa and Steve.”

Chaakaaht nodded toward them and spoke into her stick. “Steeefe, Rosssa.”

They looked at each other, then nodded to the strange creature. Then Steve looked at Grandfather and pleaded, “Jakoby, a little help here? What kind of being is she, and what voyage are you talking about?”

Grandfather gestured to a bench in front of the console and said, “Please be seated while I bring you up to date on our plans. It will take some time, and Chaakaaht will answer any questions you have pertaining to her people and their mission.”