Chapter 20

I was mentally tired when Atlantic landed at Moffett. Mostly because I’d left Islamabad at nine in the morning, and landed at ten thirty in the morning – on the same day.

Dave and Mary were waiting in the aisle for the plane to stop.

“You two look way too chipper this morning,” I said.

“Thank you,” Dave said. “We appreciate the use of your bedroom on the flight home, since ... I think this is the first time you’ve ever flown anywhere you didn’t have one or more of your wives or children with you.”

“You’re welcome. Since it was just me, my office and lounge was all I really needed,. And I know what you mean. Stanford has already sent over tutors for Niranjana and Sukhjeet, to continue their studies. Everyone else had to start classes or return to work.”

“When are you going back?” Mary asked.

“Not until the second week of February. We’ll be going to Indianapolis Friday morning and coming home Sunday. Even though neither team is owned by any of my business partners – at least not that I’m aware of, anyway – the Cardinal as a team will be flying to New Orleans for an introduction during the Super Bowl halftime show. Then back to Stanford, so I can be ready for the Earth Defender encounter with Halley’s on the second of February.”

Mary frowned. “I thought that only the winning...” She stopped, and shook her head. “Never mind. What was I thinking? Of course, the Cardinal is going to win Saturday.”

Dave just smiled and gave his wife a kiss on the head.

“Sorry! I’m not much of a sports fan.”

“You’re forgiven,” I said. “What’s holding things up? We’re not having another huge welcome home ceremony, not this time of morning.” I looked out the window.

“No, nothing like that. It’s more like a small welcome home ceremony,” Dave said. “This is probably going to be the norm for you, whether you land here or Islamabad. You’re the King now – well, you were before, but it’s really official now – so there’s a certain amount of pomp and circumstances you need to learn to simply accept.”

The stairs were finally wheeled up to the plane, and the door opened. Troops were lined up at the bottom of the stairs, with a small band and several cannons off to one side. As soon as I started down the stairs, the band began playing ruffles and flourishes, followed by my national anthem, while the cannons began firing. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Colonel Suwal saluted me and said, “Welcome home, Your Majesty.”

I returned his salute and replied, “Thank you, Colonel. Is this greeting going to occur every time I land here?”

“No, Your Majesty,” he said as he escorted me to the waiting limousine. “As this was your first return from Islamabad, it was felt this would be appropriate.”

“I’m not going to argue too much.”

“That is wise,” he said, opening the door for me.

I got in, where I was grabbed by Margie in a strong hug with a kiss that lasted even after the door was closed and we started off. She finally came up for air.

“Okay, better,” she said.

“I guess the question as to whether you missed me or not is moot, then.”

“Yep,” she said as the limousine stopped, still on Moffett Field. “I’ll see you at home this evening, love,” she said, then opened the door. We were just outside her office. “Sorry to kiss and run, but you’ve got practice at two, and I need to get back to work.” She gave me a peck on the cheek and got out.

“Shut up, Sayel,” I said.

“I didn’t say anything. And how did you know I was in here?”

“One of us can see through things,” I said. I pulled up the rear facing seat of the limousine up, so he could climb out from underneath. “I didn’t know I owned a limousine.”

He chuckled as he arranged his weapons. “Yes, well, while a Suburban works nicely as an escort vehicle, since you now have to attend assorted diplomatic functions, protocol is set up for limousines. Or did you think that was only while in Punjab?”

I snorted and said, “I felt like I did enough travel in limousines over the last week. Um, is it just me or are we going a little faster than normal?”

“Motorcycle escort blocking traffic at intersections, of course.”

Sighing, I said, “I bet that makes the California Highway Patrol happy, providing escorts for me.”

“Since they aren’t doing it, I doubt it very much. Your escorts are not police officers, they are some of your soldiers. You made the local BMW dealership very happy with your purchase of twenty identical motorcycles, with an order for twenty more. They were slightly unhappy when General Douglas required delivery by the end of the year, forcing them to ship motorcycles from four other dealerships to fulfill the order. They are all equipped similarly to mine, with lights, siren, and locking weapons racks.”

I closed my eyes, leaned back, and asked, “Are we doing the same for Punjab, for Niranjana?”

“Of course. I also made certain to meet with those I had trained. They are protecting them as – well, I was going to say as I protect you, but you understand.”

The limousine pulled in at home. The door was opened from outside, and I stepped out.

“This is new,” I said. ‘This’ was a covered walkway leading up to the entrance.

Chuck was waiting. “Yeah, we figured that with winter and rain, it just made sense. You’re paying us to get wet when we park the cars. There’s no reason for you or any of your wives or children to get soaked.”

“Welcome to an out-of-control lifestyle,” I said with a little bitterness.

Chuck laughed and shook his head. “Do you have someone other than your wives picking out the clothes you wear every day?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Actually, unless it’s something major, they just let me grab whatever I want.”

“And that’s why your lifestyle isn’t out of control,” he replied as I walked in and sat down for lunch. “You’re still allowed to make simple decisions regarding your daily life. You don’t have a valet laying out your clothes, and you still pack a couple of suitcases when you travel.”

I shook my head, confused. “Why would anyone want to do that?”

Mike and Karen were present, and had plates in front of them already. “That’s where royalty or the really wealthy can decide they deserve things due to their titles or other station in life,” she said.

Mike nodded, swallowed, and took a drink to wash things down. Then he said, “It can depend upon the job description. Elroy had a housekeeper to keep things clean and cook his dinner meals, because he had a full time job. As your household in Kansas grew, you saw how complicated it became to keep the house clean, buy groceries, cook, and still do whatever other work you needed to do, even if it was just schoolwork. When I made the decision to use royalty protocol for you, I never dreamed you’d actually be royalty.”

I chuckled, and said, “Me, either.”

He motioned at the table and food, then said, “This is just one thing. For a year, you had eighteen adults in this household. By having chefs that are also security, that meant none of you were exposed while out grocery shopping. Even if you’d gone to Price Club to get everything, it would have put you or your wives in an uncontrolled public location at least twice a week. Then there’s dishes, laundry, cleaning, lawn maintenance, and everything else. How many people do you think work at the White House?”

“Actually work, or are simply employed there?” I humorously asked.

“Staff. The people that do everything behind the scenes. Not the bureaucrats.”

I frowned and thought about it. “You know, I’ve remember reading about it in a book, but when I got to the point where it mentioned LBJ used to swim naked in the pool, and would go back to his quarters without a robe on, I pretty much quit reading it.”

“There are over eighty full-time staff, and two hundred part-time. Keep in mind, that’s not security or office people. That’s cooks, maids, butlers – even the White House florist. Hell, how many people do you think work at your Palace in Islamabad?”

“That actually came up in conversation after you’d left. There are over four hundred people working there, which I thought was crazy until I looked at all the different things they do. The landscaping staff that keeps the grass and flowers growing has thirty people working in it! There are a dozen people that all they do, every day, is go around on a circuit and polishing brass. When they get done, they start all over again! Oh, and you were already gone, but I pissed off some of the Muslim clerics, too.”

Mike shook his head, and sighed. “I’m afraid to ask. Are you going to have a religious war in Punjab within the first couple of months?”

“No. Well, I don’t think so, anyway.”

Karen looked at me, with a twinkle in her eye, and said, “Bacon.”

“Yeah, how’d you guess?” I asked.

“Had to be. I know you too well by now. Since your country is about a fourth Muslim, a fourth Hindu, and half Sikh – well, there’s a reason why both Pakistan and India were glad to pass them off to you,” she said.

“It’s closer to fifteen percent Muslim, ten percent Hindu, and seventy-five percent Sikh. The Muslims didn’t think things through, because they’re used to being in the majority in Pakistan. Suddenly, their religion is in the minority, and more importantly, neither of their rulers are Muslim. I suspect there’s going to be some migration and immigration to Punjab as people move around due to religious beliefs. It greatly annoyed the senior mullahs when I told them Punjab was a nation of secular laws with an assortment of religions the people can worship, with no one religion above any other.”

Mike leaned back. “Yeah, that’ll do it. When did that happen?”

“Saturday. I know they didn’t take it well. But this was at a conference I had with a few others, and there may have been some influence from them upon the mullahs.”

Mike blinked, then said, “What the fuck did you pull that I don’t know about?”

“Oh, nothing major. You know how there were so many world leaders and other assorted dignitaries that showed up for my coronation and all the parades and stuff that went with it. Some of them stuck around for a few more days, just to talk and discuss business, was all.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “Who?”

“Fahd and Nayef from Saudi Arabia, Hussein from Jordan, Khosravi from Persia, Zayed from the UAE, Haddad from Mesopotamia, Mubarak from Egypt, Qaboos of Oman, and last but not least, Peres from Israel.”

“Why does the thought of all of you in the same room frighten me?” Mike asked.

“That thought doesn’t scare me,” Karen said. “It terrifies me. What about Kamal from Afghanistan?”

“Ah, yes, the poor People’s Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. It seems that they did not learn their lesson from the Messenger from Above. The CIA was growing poppies there to help fund resistance to the Soviet Union. Well, since the Soviets pulled out and the CIA doesn’t exist any longer, they’ve decided to try starting up the drug trade on their own, since otherwise nobody wants anything else they have.”

Mike shook his head. “Fuck! Did you get Hugo involved in this?”

“I didn’t have to. I fixed President Khan’s eyes – and I so wanted to pull a James T. Kirk, it’s not funny – and he voluntarily mentioned that assorted members of the Afghan government had approached him about shipping things via land to the Arabian Sea. Of course, that may have been after Mister Dhawan mentioned that I was slightly more powerful than the MFA. Oh, and I may have let slip that Hugo was consolidating Africa because any nation that dealt in drugs was going to have a serious and fatal change of government. Presuming that nation continued to exist at all.”

“When do we invade Afghanistan?” Mike quietly asked.

“We don’t. Persia and Mesopotamia are cooperating – and operating under the auspices of the Federation – and are going to take care of that annoyance for us. With maybe just a bit of assistance from Punjab,” I said, holding my thumb and forefinger fairly close.

Chuck had been sitting quietly, and just shook his head. “How in the hell did you get all of those leaders to agree to work together against Afghanistan?”

“There may have been a quiet demonstration or two in advance of the meeting with the religious leaders. Oh, and one not so quiet, with the religious leaders. They’d heard rumors, of course, about Jesus of Nazareth, and it’s common knowledge about Shiva. You know what the Kaaba is, right?”

Karen said, “Of course. The building that contains the Black Stone, the most sacred site of Islam. I remember you wondered if it was something like Peace, Peru or Junior. Irhaal never visited there.” She paused, then softly said, “Oh, shit!”

Chuck was puzzled. “I don’t get it.”

“Cal just destroyed the cornerstone of the Muslim faith,” Karen said.

“Destroyed the cornerstone?” I replied, thinking back to Saturday.

I was wearing what I thought of as my new Academy Awards outfit, since it was made of gold and silver thread, and incredibly flashy. I greeted all of the leaders as they and their leading clerics entered the conference room.

“Gentlemen, thank you for attending,” I said. “As we all know each other – if nothing else, courtesy of the recent celebrations, and I am the host – I would prefer to get down to business and the reason I invited you all here today instead of spending an hour on the banalities of formality.”

King Fahd chuckled, replying, “We are all your guests, King Lewis.” He looked around the room at the others present. “Some of us know each other better than we know the rest of those present, but I believe we would all agree there is no one present that any of us would find objectionable.”

Two of the clerics had looks on their faces that they might disagree, with glances at Shimon Peres.

“No doubt you’re all wondering why I asked all of you to attend. It is no secret that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is building a maglev train based upon my designs. Many of your nations have already been approached to secure right of way passage for these trains, so that, as a group of nations, you can become even closer than you are now. However, that will come at a cost, one that I do not think you will find too high. Just as the Messenger from Above determined the United Nations to no longer be valid or needed, due to the changing situation in Africa, neither is the League of Arab Nations.”

I had actually expected there to be some outrage or at least sharp commentary. Instead, there were simple nods.

King Hussein said, “With the resolution of the Palestinian issue once and for all, as well as an actual world government and a military that is effective and not subject to coercion or bribery, this is not something completely unexpected.”

President Khosravi asked, “With Persia no longer a kingdom or an Islamic Republic, are we going to be allowed to participate in this sharing of technology?”

The Persian cleric frowned at that question, and I noticed it.

“You object to that?” I asked.

“The faith and foundations of Islam are strong. However, the scholars have not fully determined whether these changes follow the will of Allah, as said by the words of his most Holiest of Prophets, Mohammad.”

The cleric from Saudi Arabia was the only mullah who didn’t nod at that statement. The Persian cleric noticed that as well. “Mus’ab al-Hussain, why do you disagree?”

“It is simple, Ahmad Farahani. I know my King. I have spoken at length with Prince Nayef and Ali Al-Naimi from Aramco. And I know that King Lewis is also a member of, and protector of, the House of Al Saud. I suspect that we are all going to learn something today.”

“Well, I’m probably not,” I said. “However, that’s because I’m the one that discovered the information that I’m about to share with all of you. But first, a word of explanation about why I have not offered you tea or other refreshments upon entering, as is the normal custom, just so you don’t think of me as being rude. It is quite simple. I did not want any of you to think that perhaps what you are going to see – and experience – was brought about by something you ate or drank.”

“That sounds ... disturbing,” President Mubarak said.

Nayef asked, “Does this pertain to the shivalingam that Ali Al-Naimi gave to you during your last visit to Riyadh?” When I nodded, he then said, “In that case, President Mubarak, you are quite correct. This will be disturbing.”

Sheikh Zayed asked, “What did you mean, experience?”

“Well, first and foremost, you are all aware that I am the Guardian of the Earth. At the formation of the Federation of Terran Nations in Geneva, President Mubarak was the only one here today that was present then as a witness. What he saw that day is also one reason Bhutto of Pakistan and Gandhi of India had little, if any, regrets in agreeing to the formation of the Federation, or in righting one of the wrongs done upon the people of this region by the British.”

“Is that why President Khan was wandering around your palace, without his glasses on, and looking at everything like he’d never seen it before?”

I grinned and said, “Partially, Sheikh Zayed, partially. Now, you’re all aware that Hindu ‘holy men’ say that they can raise themselves up and sit for hours, only using a cane to help support them.”

“They are fakes, of course,” President Haddad from Mesopotamia stated, with everyone around the room nodding in agreement.

“Of course, they are,” I said. “A simple rig using a steel pole that connects to a steel plate hidden under a blanket, going to a rod that runs inside their sleeve. That rod then connects to a seat inside their robes, so effectively, all they are doing is sitting very still on a one-legged chair. However, control of the shivalingam means that I can sit in a zero-legged chair.” I stood, then stepped into the middle of the room, and squatted on thin air.

“While you might consider this to be trickery, I do not have to remain in the same spot,” I said, then began moving around the room. “Aladdin’s magic carpet, albeit without the carpet. But it’s lonely flying around in here by myself. I think you should all join me.”

It was simple to pick them up in their chairs and bring them along behind me.

“Not quite the experience of riding in a maglev train, but still rather thrilling, don’t you think? All of you together are considerably lighter than the two 747s I used to demonstrate this ability to Presidents Reagan and Mondale, in case your intelligence services had said I had done something along those lines and you discounted it as being unbelievable. Oh, and I chose this room to demonstrate this ability of mine to you because it has a very large and easy to open skylight.” I rose up and opened it as I approached it, then brought the rest of them outside with me. Then I sat all of their chairs down on the Palace roof.

“You are not confined to your chairs, gentlemen. If you feel nauseated, we are outside and rains will come to clean it away.”

It was close for a couple of them, but none vomited. They all did get up and walk around, just to confirm that they were now outside, before retaking their seats.

Shimon Peres shook his head and said, “This ... this is something beyond what we ever saw demonstrated by the Messenger from Above. I know you are incredibly intelligent and have earned many doctorates at Stanford. Is this some invention of yours?”

“It’s an invention, but not of mine,” I said. Then I used telekinesis to open a pocket on my robes and levitate out sixteen shivalingam, and then sent one to each of them. “These are not gifts, because I will take them back when we are done. But they will help you, I think. You each now hold in your hand a shivalingam. These are not rocks, stones, or jewels, although they do resemble all of the above. They are incredibly small, yet immensely powerful, computers. They were created before Earth was first colonized more than a quarter of a million years ago. Due to their abilities, they are able to ‘remember’ everything that happens to them, or to their controller. The shivalingam that Aramco found caused Ali Al-Naimi to have nightmares, because he didn’t understand what he was seeing. He saw this!”

With that, I allowed them to see the memories from Star Home and the initial battle, only this time, I narrated them.

“This is the original planet, where the shivalingam came from. As you can see, the people are just as human as we are. The colors are different because the star in the sky puts out different wavelengths of light. They have spaceships, colonies in orbit around other planets in their solar system to mine resources, and use the gasses collected from those mines to power their society. Those people were, however, dying too young. They themselves came from another planet, with a normal lifespan of five thousand years or more. So, they decided to try something. They created a faster-than-light drive for a spaceship and sent it here, to Earth. At nearly the same time, they also figured out a genetic cure for their problem, and so their colony here on Earth wasn’t abandoned, but it was no longer the lifeboat for their entire race.

“Now, you see other ships arriving on Earth. Those ships brought more colonists here, to help expand. However, those colonists were also prepared, should their new world be invaded. They had beam weapons strategically placed around the Earth to keep it safe, with larger computers controlling them. You can see on this globe where they were. I’m going to specify one, because it was in Egypt, specifically near where the Great Pyramid of Cheops is now. As you can see, it was also in the shape of a pyramid. This was due to the power supply, as it was one not powered by natural volcanic power. Over the millennia, the Earth was visited by other friendly, and some hostile, alien races, but the colony that originally came here had thrived and spread across the entire planet.”

“Pardon me for interrupting, because I find this fascinating. This is ... I am seeing this all in my mind, and not with my eyes, so it is much clearer and stronger than any movie I have ever seen. I could even smell things. But my question is, where are the remnants of the colonists? Did Shiva kill them all?”

I sighed. “Prince Nayef ... look around you. The remnants of the colonists are still here. Some families could, if they knew how or still remembered, trace themselves back a quarter million years, to the original colonists. Others could trace back to the other ships that came here. The reason the people you saw look human is because we are all descended from them. The MFA spoke the truth regarding that.”

While I’d been showing things to them, I’d also mentally spoken with Sukhjeet. She’d had pitchers of water and cups brought into the room where I had greeted everyone. I used my telekinesis to bring those up.

“Gentlemen, water to refresh your thirst?” After a quick break and some time to steady their nerves, they sat back down.

“Now, as you can see, there were people around the world now. Due to the difference in light, as well as the axial tilt of Earth, some changes to our skin tones happened that helped us adapt to where we lived. This was the world when Shiva arrived, ten thousand years ago. By that point, the people that lived here had forgotten where they came from, and had come up with the Adam and Eve myth. Shiva brought three women as slaves with him, to breed him many children. He also enslaved and killed millions here. This was his home under Machapuchare. As you can see, there are millions of skeletons here, from the people he tortured and killed. This scene, of large rocks hitting Earth from orbit, is one that was repeated time and again during the fight to kill Shiva. That garden spot you see is what Australia used to look like. Now, watch as the rocks hit, and scour the dirt. This was Egypt ten thousand years ago. Yes, that is grass growing where nothing but sand is now. More rocks, more fighting, tearing the very soil up and turning another fertile spot into nothing but desert.

“Now, this was the fate of the shivalingam Prince Nayef gave me. Watch, see it flying through the sky, from where it was at the planetary base in Egypt. It reached so high in the sky that when it landed, it was buried beneath muck, deep beneath the Red Sea. Watch this, now. This is the computer in Egypt that controlled that area’s beam weapons, attempting to fight against Shiva as well. That rock he just threw and hit the pyramid with weighed over four tons. The computer is now flying free, unable to control its weapons, and badly damaged. It skips across the Red Sea twice, and comes to rest near an encampment that would later become a city. Yes, the color of that computer was changed, from the energy released. That computer finally ran out of reserve power a little over a thousand years ago. However, I am able to retrieve all of the images from it.

“You’re aware that Christianity has been shaken to its very roots by the knowledge that Jesus was not the Son of God, but was instead a man that was able to use the shivalingam. This is him, on his way to his crucifixion. Can you smell the blood coming from his back, from the lashing he took? Now, he is on the cross. You can see the pain on his face, hear the cries, as the nails are driven into his wrists and ankles. Look closely at the crown of thorns he wears. There are two shivalingam concealed in there. They are providing him healing and strength; that is why he survived so long. Watch, he is being placed in his crypt. That is Mary Magdalene, making sure he has enough activated shivalingam – not to return him to life, as he didn’t actually die – but to simply heal what would otherwise have been mortal wounds. Now, this is them, more than fifty years later, living a simple life in the mountains, with their children and grandchildren.

“I showed you Jesus from images recorded by the shivalingam he and Mary Magdalene had. Now, I am showing you images from the computer that once defended Egypt, and still to this day, sits in Mecca. The al-Hajar al-Aswad in the Kaaba in Mecca. Just as Jesus was able to access the shivalingam, so, too, was Mohammad able to access the computer. Listen as it tells him its instructions, to defend the people and to destroy the enemies that threaten the planet. It gives him advice on keeping people alive during famine. It warns him to properly cook all meat, because some animals, such as pigs, are genetically close to people and can transmit diseases if the meat isn’t cooked well done. Yes, this is Mohammad al-Islam that you are seeing and hearing now. These truly are the words he spoke, and wrote. The soul of the woman that was Mary Magdalene is still alive today, and is going to write a book of what life really was like back then, and what Jesus really said. Other than myself, you are the first ones to hear, see, and know what Mohammad really said, really did, really wrote – and how those words, just as the words of Jesus, have been changed over time to fit the needs of venal and greedy men.”

When we were done, they all sat motionless, for several minutes.

Finally, in a shaky voice, Ahmad Farahani said, “There will be unrest in all regions. Some will not want to believe. Some will refuse to believe. I do not want to believe, either. The words of a machine, not Allah. But...” He shook his head, then looked at me with haunted eyes.

He held the shivalingam out in front of him. “If I were not aware of science and some of the modern miracles available, I would smash this to the ground and stomp it with my foot, destroying it, so it could not be used to spread what you have shown us.”

Nayef chuckled then. “Go ahead. Throw it down as hard as you wish. Hit it with a hammer. Nothing we have can hurt it. The one found by Aramco deflected a sub-surface oil drill!”

I used telekinesis and lifted all the shivalingam up, then brought them back to my pouch. “More than modern miracles, Imam Farahani,” I said, then raised all of them up, again in their chairs, and brought us all down to the ground, only this time outside the palace, in full view of everyone outside.

I shook my head. “No, Karen. I didn’t destroy the cornerstone of the Muslim faith. I destroyed the whole damned thing.”

After several seconds of silence, Mike asked, “How?”

I took a deep breath, then let it out. “Rather than saying ‘fried,’ which was my first and totally irrelevant thought, I showed the Kings and Sultans that Islam wasn’t based upon the Prophet Mohammad passing on the word of God. He was simply receptive to the signals being sent out by a device from an alien planet, more than a quarter million years old. I showed them what was there, and how he’d misinterpreted what he was shown, in terms he could understand. It’s like how the original Bible text, ‘don’t allow a poisoner to live’ got changed in translation to ‘thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.’ The first revelation that Mohammad passed on, that he didn’t understand, was that the original settlers came here because it was an alternative to genetic modification. And things only went downhill from there. The conquests he led were because he was learning from a planetary guardian, whose sole mission was to protect the planet. Anyway, I’ve got to get changed, because I’ve got practice. But that’s the short version.”