Chapter 22

At the same time our resident Travelers were awakened and alerted by the primary ship by whatever means of communication they used, Grandfather was alerted by a series of tones delivered through the tracking device placed behind his ear back in the 1860’s.

We were gathered around the table enjoying another of Ellana’s excellent dinners, and Grandfather was expounding on the Eastern European Ennahai and how they fared during the nearly constant wars that raged in that part of the world over the past several hundred years. He was talking specifically about the invasion of the Tatars when he stopped in mid-sentence. His eyes were fixed on the chandelier for several seconds, then he refocused on us and instructed, “Gilleena, call Rosa and tell her to prepare to send the e-mail.”

Rising, he said, “Aelrindel, come with me and we’ll get an exact schedule for her. The rest of you, the ship is on the way. See to your duties.”

As Grandfather and I left the room, Ninnith stood and said, “And so, my children, our journey begins. Let us go and help Hithfaeron get his people prepared.”

When Grandfather and I arrived at the pod, the door was already open and all four Travelers stood waiting for us. We bowed a greeting and they returned it. Grandfather and I put on headsets and picked up translation sticks.

I couldn’t tell one Traveler from the next, but I guessed it was Chaakaaht, the one we normally communicated with who spoke into her stick, “Jakoby, Jessseee, are your people preparing?”

“They are. Have all the clans been notified?”

“Yes. Those in your proximity should begin arriving tomorrow. Our ship will be in position behind your moon in three days. We will depart this solar system in five days.” Turning to face me, she added, “Jessseee, are your people also being prepared?”

“I’ll see to it as soon as I have your instructions.”

“Your instructions are these: No one is to consume any food within two days of departure. It is important that their digestive systems are nearly empty when they are placed in stasis. Other than that, simply see to it that they are here when we are ready to move them to the primary. And Jessseee, it might be wise to remind them to bring only themselves, no personal belongings.”

Grandfather, for whatever reason, informed the Traveler, “Jesse has been given a new name, Chaakaaht. He is now called Aelrindel.”

She looked back and forth between us and bowed slightly to me, saying, “Congratulations on your adoption, Aelrindel. Now, go and see to your people.”

Turning back to Grandfather, she instructed, “Jakoby, you will remain to receive more detailed instructions. We have much to discuss.”

As soon as I was back in the house, I called Rosa and gave her our schedule. All three hundred selectees needed to arrive, without luggage, at the warehouse three days from now. They’d be shuttled by bus, fifty at a time, to the caves to make their final choice. She said she’d add that information to the e-mail and send it out immediately.

My next call was to Spencer. I gave him our schedule, and he said he would begin making contact with those Ennahai elders who would assume ownership of the house and cave. He would help them make whatever travel arrangements were needed to get them here safely.

An hour after the e-mail had been sent, Steve and Rosa showed up at the door, volunteering for whatever needed to be done. I directed them to Ellana in the kitchen. She was going to have to prepare food for those who’d be crowding in over the next four days, and she’d need all the help she could get. When I told Ellana that none of us who would be taking the trip could have anything but water on the last two days before departure, she looked relieved, saying “I was afraid we’d have to do some major shopping, but now I think we’ll have enough in the freezer and pantry to manage. Thanks for the heads-up.”

Since there would be no luggage, there was no need to pack. Most of the evening’s activities revolved around getting everyone mentally prepared for the next few days. I could hardly contain my excitement, but everyone else (other than Steve and Rosa) seemed so relaxed, you’d have thought they were sneaking tokes of some really good weed. But then, they’d been preparing for this event for generations.

Later that evening, Steve found me upstairs in the study writing my final blog posting. He took the chair next to my desk and asked, “You ready for this, buddy?”

I chuckled, “I’m having a hard time controlling all the butterflies in my stomach, but yeah, I’m ready. How’s Rosa doing?”

“Amazingly well, considering. Once it was clear we really had no choice, she settled right into it. She’s been helping me get sacks of seed ready. Tomorrow, we’ll bring that and whatever food is in the house to help feed the masses.”

“Um, did you say you were packing up sacks of seed?”

“Yeah, we’re going to need to get our first crops into the ground as quickly as possible after we get there. Is there a problem with that?”

I stood and headed for the door. “There might be, Steve. Come with me down to the pod and we’ll ask the Travelers. I don’t think we’re supposed to take anything with us at all.”

He followed me down the hallway arguing, “Damn, Jesse, that can’t be right! Getting crops into the ground has got to be a top priority when we get there, doesn’t it?”

“You’d think, but let’s go ask the horse’s mouth, OK?”

Grandfather was still there when we arrived. They heard us coming and were facing the entryway as we stepped through. Grandfather asked, “Is there a problem, Aelrindel?”

“Not really a problem, Grandfather, just a need for clarification.”

I put on a headset and picked up a translation stick. Addressing the four Travelers, I said, “This man is a farmer. He has sacks of seed ready to be transported with us so that he can begin raising crops as soon as possible after we arrive. Is that acceptable?”

There was a short discussion among the four, then, “No, it is not. We cannot allow the introduction of alien plant species without extensive study. We have no way of knowing if your seed will even germinate, and if it does, whether it will negatively impact plant species native to the planet. It is up to you, the new sentient species, to adapt to your new world. Your new home must not be forced to adapt to you. We thought this was understood.”

Grandfather stepped in, “It is understood. Perhaps I didn’t explain it clearly enough.” Addressing Steve, he went on, “As I have said before, we will arrive at our new home with nothing but the clothes on our backs. The Travelers have kindly consented to provide food and shelter for however much time is needed for us to adapt and learn to fend for ourselves. If you will gather the others and wait for me in the basement, I’ll come along in a few minutes and give you all the information you need.”

Steve and I took our cue and headed back up the tunnel.

Shortly after we gathered everybody together in the basement, Grandfather, still wearing his headset, entered through the tunnel with Chaakaaht at his side. Only Hithfaeron of his clan had laid eyes on a Traveler, so there were a few gasps and whispers as the two took their place in front of the group.

Grandfather began, “For those of you who have not had an opportunity to meet with our benefactors, this one (he nodded to the Traveler) is Chaakaaht. She is here to answer any questions you may have after I explain what will happen over the next few days. Please hold your questions until I have finished speaking.

“As you are aware, many Ennahai from the United States will arrive beginning tomorrow. To avoid problems with border politics, those clans in Canada and Mexico will be moving to other locations within their home countries. There are six other gathering places located in Europe, South America, Australia and northern Africa. Our people never migrated into the Far East to the best of my knowledge.

“As our brothers and sisters arrive, it is our responsibility to see to their needs by way of food and sleeping arrangements. Obviously, this house and the caves are going to get very crowded. Organization and strict adherence to my instructions are essential.

“As for food, the Travelers recommend nothing but low-residue foods tomorrow, then only water or a thin broth after that. By low-residue foods, I mean no fruits, vegetables, nuts or anything with seeds. Our guts should be empty when we are put into stasis.

“Regarding sleeping arrangements, most of the arrivals will bring either sleeping bags or blankets that they can arrange anywhere there’s an open space. If any of you have room in your own beds, it would be a kind gesture if you volunteered to share, but I leave that up to you.

“No doubt our sanitation facilities will be stressed, but our minimal diet will help in that regard. As for personal hygiene, sharing baths and showers would be helpful.

“We don’t know exactly how many Ennahai will be joining us, but it’s going to be a lot. To minimize the logjam, Chaakaaht informs me that as soon as the primary ship is in position, they’ll begin shuttling us off the planet. As you arrive on board the ship you will be stripped, then inoculated with, for lack of a better term, nanobots. These microscopic machines will be introduced into our bodies to stabilize and monitor our internal environment during the years we are in stasis. I understand they have many other functions, but I’ll leave that up to Chaakaaht to explain in a few moments.

“For obvious reasons the shuttles will arrive and depart during the night, carrying a hundred of us at a time. Even though their stealth technology renders them virtually invisible to any electronic detection devices, their rapid movement through the atmosphere can cause disturbances in the air that may be visible in cloudy or rainy conditions.”

He turned and fixed his eyes on me. “Aelrindel, as for your people, I would ask you to process them as quickly as possible. I understand that you are bringing them here fifty at a time to be presented with their final option, and that Chaakaaht and I will be standing with you to answer questions. We’ll do that in the main chamber of the cave. Those who choose to go will be taken deeper into the cave to await transport; those who choose not to go must be moved to a separate location and held there until all the rest of us have left the planet. Will you see to that?”

“I’ll see to it, Grandfather.”

Addressing the crowd again, he finished up, “Those are the basic rules. I’m sure many of you have questions for Chaakaaht. She will answer them now. Raise your hand and you will be handed this translation stick. I’ll hear her response through this headset and pass it on to you.”

My hand shot up.

He handed me the stick. “Aelrindel?”

“You said the, um, nanobots could do much more than just stabilize our internal environment. Will you explain what else they are capable of?”

Chaakaaht raised her stick to her mouth and answered, “The basic function is to stabilize and decontaminate. All pathogens residing in your bodies will be eliminated so that the native animal species on the new world will not be infected with an agent to which they have no resistance. Beyond those basic functions, they are capable of doing many things, depending on how they are programmed. For instance, they can repair genetic damage by eliminating mutated genes. They can also alter genetic code to affect greater resistance to diseases. By restoring the ends of DNA chains, they can slow the aging process and increase life expectancy considerably. Of course, programing them for that purpose would require analysis of your genetic material.”

My heart leapt! “By how much could our life expectancy be increased, if I may ask?”

“How many years are you expected to live now, Aelrindel?”

“Uh, probably eighty or ninety.”

“We should be able to more than double that, with the proper programing. Is that your wish?”

“Well, sure! Who wouldn’t want that?”

“Many would want it, but to most it would be denied. For example, given this planet’s exploding human population, doubling life expectancy would have disastrous consequences. On your new home world, that would not be an issue, so if that is your wish, we will see that you receive the proper - what did you call them? - oh yes, nanobots.”

“Uh, Chaakaaht, I think I can safely say that all of my species will want those added years.”

“Very well, we will make it so. Are there other questions?”

Chaakaaht was kept busy answering questions for another hour, but I don’t remember a single one of them. I found my way across the room to Gilleena and slipped my arm around her waist, whispering in her ear, “So we might have another few decades together! My god, what an incredible gift!”

Sleep didn’t come easily that night. Gilleena did her best to wear me out by screwing me silly, but afterwards, lying there beside her, holding her hand, my brain kept drifting back to what Chaakaaht said about more than doubling my lifespan. It was probably after midnight before I finally drifted off.

Like the whole household, I was up at the crack of dawn to get a running start at what promised to be a very busy day. I started by helping Steve and Rosa unload a lot of food from the back of their Tacoma.

When I saw all the veggies, I was about to remind Rosa about the dietary restrictions when she cut me off, saying, “We’ll use them and some of the meat to make big pots of broth. We’ll strain out the rough stuff before we serve it.”

“Of course. You’re one step ahead of me, as usual, Rosa.”

“By the way,” she tossed in casually, “Anna Belle should be here in a few minutes. Can we buzz her in?”

I didn’t much like that idea. “Why is she coming here instead of the warehouse out by the airport? Does she already know about the Travelers?”

“No, but I’ve already told her that if she comes now, she can’t leave without your permission.”

“Since when has Annie asked anybody’s permission to do whatever she wants?”

“That’s a good point, Jesse, but I’ll personally tie her to the bedposts if she tries to leave.”

I grinned at that image. “Uh, just make sure she’s naked before you tie her up. Some of us might want to keep her entertained while she’s confined to quarters.”

Rosa gasped, “Jesse! You wouldn’t!”

“I hope you know me better than that. Lothos, on the other hand, might not be able to restrain himself. They do have a history, you know.”

Laughing, she said, “Judging by what I’ve heard about his skills in the sack, I doubt she’d object. Anyhow, maybe when she gets here, you can give her an introduction to one of the Travelers, get a quick yes or no.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to, now, won’t I?”

As we were carrying in the last load, the first busload of Ennahai was coming up the drive. Steve and I rushed to meet it as it pulled up in front of the porch. There were thirty-six masked souls on board, all dressed in the standard black jumpsuit. We quickly ushered them into the house where other clan members were waiting to get them situated. Steve and I unloaded sleeping bags and blankets from the luggage compartment and stacked them in the front hall.

Eleven more busses arrived that first day. The cave is huge, of course, so we were hardly anywhere near capacity, but getting everybody fed, organized and educated to the rules was keeping us all hopping.