Chapter 1

Years had passed since our visitors had departed, accompanying the babies they had been instrumental in having created. My retinue of wives were no longer teenagers, yet remained as physically perfect and emotionally attractive as they were on the day that we met.

Like many other aspects of my dealings with the “visitors”, there were some things that remained a mystery, that would tickle my subconscious from time to time, but which seemed to evaporate whenever I tried to pursue the thought. This time, however, I grabbed the elusive thought by the tail and determined to follow through on it, regardless of any possible attempts at clouding my mind.

“Very well”, I heard distinctly, while realizing that no sound waves had been involved in my hearing. “What is it you wish to know?”.

Aha! As I had suspected on a very deep level. We had not been completely abandoned.

“Many things, but first it would be nice to have a name for you other than ‘aliens’ or ‘visitors’. Please give me a label to use.”

“Very well. Perhaps you can refer to us as ‘Ormulans’. Will that be acceptable?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“What would you like to know?”

“My first concern is the welfare of our children. How are they doing? Are they happy and are they fulfilling your dream of advanced beings, comprising the best of the human race and your own?”

“We are very pleased. Our mutual offspring are very well and are meeting our highest hopes. Would you like to see them?”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course. Why don’t you gather the mothers and we will be happy to answer all of your questions.”

This was way outside anything I had been able to consider or hope for. On the other hand, their provision of the avatar in our earlier dealings should have alerted me to the possibility of nearly anything.

After gathering my beautiful wives, I signaled the Ormulans, who provided a virtual display of our children, who seemed to be wonderfully well behaved and intelligent. They appeared to be in some sort of classroom, with both group and individual explorations going on simultaneously.

One young boy was creating a world between his outstretched palms, rotating it with his mind and mentally modifying characteristics. As we watched, continents formed and morphed. Oceans and lakes grew and slid. Plants and animals formed and reformed as his will directed.

“Is that real?”, I blurted.

“Hello Father”, he turned and looked squarely at me as if he were actually in front of me instead of some unknown number of light years away.

“Can you see me, as well?”

“Yes, dear Father. We frequently watch you as you live and work. Our other fathers feel that it is very desirable for us to remain continuously aware of who we are and where we came from.”

“Do you know who your mother is?”

“Certainly. My mother is Ebony. Hello, dear Mother.”

Ebony gave a squeal of delight and rushed to my side. As we hugged, she asked our child to tell his name.

“I am known as Jor-El”, he replied.

“What are you doing, Jor-El?”

“I am creating a new world, Mother. You may simply call me Jor, if you like.”

“When you say you are creating a new world, Jor, is it a model for a new world or is it an avatar of a planet which is actually being created somewhere?”

“Ah, Mother. They told me you were intelligent, but I did not expect that you would immediately grasp the nature of my work. The truth of the matter is that this is indeed only a representation of a world that will only be created when it is approved by the council. In fact, it is the world which is being created for us--and you, if you wish to join us. Others will be invited, as well. Our other fathers are very pleased with the results of this experiment and wish to expand it. We will have our own world to colonize. That is why it is so important to select the features to support our plans for colonization.”

“That is so wonderful, Jor. Are the others as highly gifted as you appear to be?”

“There is no basis for comparison, Mother. Each of us has unique skills as well as common skills. No one of us could be spared without diminishing the whole, but none has more value than any other. I believe that this is the same manner in which you view our mothers, isn’t it, Father?”

“Absolutely, my son. Please introduce us to the remaining members of our family and announce the names of their mothers.”

As we watched, each of the children stood and announced themselves, causing their mothers to weep openly at the loss of contact they might have enjoyed with their children. When the children had been taken, years ago, there had been pain of a sort, and throughout the intervening years there had been pain of a slightly different sort. However, all had become pregnant again as quickly as possible, somewhat diminishing the feelings of loss.

I felt as I expect a father would, who had returned from war to meet offspring born during his absence. Fathers are not defective mothers. We may never experience the same type of love for our children that mothers enjoy, but that does not mean that we don’t enjoy our own sense of pride and satisfaction in their health and well-being.

“Are you happy?”, I asked the group.

All smiled contentedly. “We are very happy and fulfilled, in ways that would not be possible for us on Earth. We would not fit in with others who are only human. I do not mean that in a disparaging way”, he added. “What I meant”, he continued, “is that our human side contributes a great deal to who and what we are, but our Ormulan fathers have contributed another level of awareness and capability to us as the first of a new race of beings. This was in accordance with the original expectation and goals of the program. We are all extremely pleased in the full and complete success of the experiment.”