Chapter Fifty-Three
THE DARK ONES
1
Timmy Travers put away the Blanik. He had spent the whole day at the airfield taking novices up for gliding lessons, or tourists on their one-hour, joy flights. It had been a ‘stinker’ of a day with the mercury touching on 40 degrees. It might have been hot, but that wasn’t the thing that put the total damper on his day. Oh no. That honour went to young ‘Rodney rotund’ whose mother insisted that he take a ride in a glider after lunch. Rodney complained and protested, but his parents insisted, promising him a giant pepperoni pizza for dinner if he went.
He was a tight fit, but Travers managed to shoehorn the ‘tub of perspiring blubber’ into the passenger seat of the sleek Blanik. Travers wasn’t what you would call psychic, but the feeling of foreboding that consumed him as they were about to launch almost made him nauseous, albeit not as nauseous as actual flying made Rodney who spilled his guts all over the inside of the cockpit as soon as they left terra firma. A minestrone soup, a double portion of linguini marinara, two slices of apple pie with cream, a triple scoop of rainbow-fudge ice cream and a large packet of M&Ms was projectile vomited all over the interior of the windshield making it almost impossible for Travers to see where they were going. It was pure luck and blind instinct that helped him find the runway to land on. It took him two hours, in the stinking heat, to clean up the mess.
After work, Travers enjoyed a few beers with some of his mates over at the Narromine Golf Club. After the drinks, he wandered home and sat down in front of his computer. He logged onto the SOHO site and began his second-favourite pastime; that of searching for as yet undiscovered comets. His dream was to find one and have it named after him.
2
The first time any news appeared regarding the discovery of the new comet was on phys.org in mid-December, 2022. It was a small item naming the discoverer, a Mr. Tim Travers from Narromine N.S.W. Australia. The article mentioned that Mr. Travers was a professional gliding instructor and an amateur comet hunter. It stated that the newly named Travers’ Comet was about 350 million kilometres from the sun and gave rough co-ordinates. It said that astronomers were currently busy calculating the comet’s size and flight path. The article concluded by stating that the comet posed no danger to Earth and that it may put on a spectacular show for everyone in the second half of the following year. All mainstream media missed the article, as did most of the population of Earth.
3
Lucy ran out of the granny flat into the kitchen and excitedly said,
‘Come see what’s on TV. I think it’s happening.’
Thebe and Slater followed Lucy back to her part of the house and stood transfixed as the television news reported on a new celestial discovery.
‘It is called Travers’ Comet after its discoverer, an Australian from Narromine named Tim Travers. The comet cannot be seen from Earth, as of yet, as it is approaching the sun from the far side. It will come into view late in February and will be visible just after sunset, just above and slightly to the north of the sun. We have our resident space expert, Dr. Carl, on the line. Now, doctor, what can you tell us about this new comet everyone is talking about?’
‘Well, Glenn, it looks like the gods are going to smile on us with a celestial display of epic proportions.’
‘Pray tell, doctor, what exactly is a comet?’
‘Imagine a giant snowball full of rocks and dust, Glenn, and you pretty much have your run of the mill comet. They like to call them dirty snowballs. When the comet gets close enough to the sun, the ice begins to vaporize forming a coma, which is like a thin, fuzzy, temporary atmosphere that usually trails off as a long tail.’
‘Does this comet pose any danger to Earth?’
‘It doesn’t appear so, Glenn. The experts at NASA have put out a statement saying that the comet will miss us by miles. They did mention, however, that it will pass very close to Venus. They said that there was a one percent chance that it might collide with it, in which case we would be treated to the most spectacular, celestial fireworks extravaganza ever witnessed from Earth.’
‘Oooooh, let’s all pray for that.’
‘Amen to that, Glenn.’
‘Is there anything else we should know about the comet, Dr. Carl?’
‘Well, it’s still early days, Glenn, but initial reports measure Travers’ Comet to be one of the biggest ever observed. It is said to be somewhere between twenty and fifty miles end to end. If the reports are correct, a planetary collision with this comet would certainly cause an E.L.E.’ ‘An E.L.E, Dr. Carl?’
‘An E.L.E is an extinction-level event, Glenn, and nobody wants one of them.’
‘Lucky that Venus is uninhabited.’
‘That’s for sure, although a collision with Venus is extremely unlikely and the comet is expected to pass by it and fly harmlessly off into deep space.’
‘That’s a relief. Well, thank you, Dr. Carl, for another expert report of goings on in outer space.’
‘You are most welcome, Glenn.’
Lucy looked at Slater and Thebe, and said,
‘You know, I’ve got to be honest with you guys, that report just sent chills up my spine. I’m still feeling shaky.’
4
Kane was nine years and four months old. Rama kids traditionally received a teacher on their day of birth. The teacher was called a guru and his student was called a chela. The teacher taught his student the disciplines of higher concentration, breath and the telepathic arts, which included the mind control of chosen creatures, as well as Rama technology such as their space ships. It was not necessary for the teacher to be physically present when instructing his student. They could be on opposite sides of the universe; it did not matter because they came together in the mind plane where the lessons and their associated exercises were always given telepathically. This changed, however, when the student became ten years old. At ten, the student left his mother and spent one year in the presence of his teacher.
When Kane was born, he was deemed blessed because Iapetus agreed to become his teacher. This was doubly so because Kane was not a pure Rama-born but a hybrid Earth-born. Kane’s birthplace was significant, as well, because it was considered sacred. Throughout history, sacred places bore holy men and mystics who became revered by their people.
News arrived with one of Noah’s sojourns that Iapetus wished to visit Noosa to meet Kane and his family in person. Noah also mentioned that Zeke was going to hitch a ride with Iapetus. The news caused much excitement around the household, especially with Lucy.
5
Iapetus and Zeke arrived in Noosa Waters late at night, under the cover of darkness, on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Thebe and Lucy both cried as Iapetus stepped out of his ship, which was comfortably snuggled within the L shape of the jetty. Both of the girls instinctively bowed before the great man.
‘You honour me, Thebe,’ he said slightly embarrassed.
‘You honour us, Iapetus, with your visit …’ Thebe couldn’t continue because she began to cry again.
‘And this I presume is Lucy.’ He looked at Lucy. ‘Zeke has not stopped talking about you, Lucy. I feel like we are old friends already.’
‘It’s a privilege to finally meet you, Iapetus,’ said Lucy looking the tall, broadshouldered man straight in the eyes. ‘I thank you for bringing my Ezekiel to me … er … where is he?’
Iapetus looked over his shoulder, back into the ship, and called out,
‘Come on, Zeke, stop hiding. You can come out now.’
Zeke emerged from within the matt-black craft.
‘I’m comin. I just didn’t wanna steal your thunder, Iapetus.’
Before he even finished his sentence, Lucy ran forward and threw herself into his arms. They kissed.
‘I missed you so,’ she said through her sobs.
They hugged while Thebe came up to Iapetus and hugged him, still crying. Slater and Kane stood back trying as hard as they could to hold back their emotions. Thebe took Iapetus’ hand and walked him towards the house.
‘I would like you to meet my husband, Slater, and my son, Kane.’ They all hugged like old friends.
‘It is always a great day when a guru meets his chela in the flesh. How are you Kane?’
‘I am well, teacher, and you?’
‘Also well, thank you.’
‘I hope your journey was uneventful.’
‘It was.’
‘I look forward to our time together.’
‘As do I, chela, as do I.’
‘Let Iapetus come into the house and settle into his quarters, Kane. I’m sure there will be plenty of time for questions later.’
They walked up the stairs into the house. After Iapetus and Zeke settled in, they all sat on the veranda overlooking the water. Thebe and Lucy organised refreshments and snacks after which they all sat and chatted.
‘I hope you brought your surfboard, Iapetus,’ said Slater, ‘there’s a bit of a swell running at the moment.’
‘I did. I never go anywhere without it.’
‘Granite should be pumping tomorrow.’
‘I have heard much about this break and look forward to surfing it.’
After some time, the conversation turned to the comet and the 23rd of September. Everyone wanted to know more about what was going to happen.
‘It’s been in the news,’ said Lucy, ‘but nobody has guessed that it will hit anything.’ ‘I am afraid it will,’ said Iapetus.
Then Zeke asked a more serious question. He couldn’t help himself as the thought had been surfacing in his consciousness, from time to time, ever since he had a conversation about it with Adam.
‘Does it have to happen, Iapetus?’
Iapetus smiled a melancholy smile and warmly looked at Zeke.
‘Ahh, a very important question and I know that you have been wrestling with it for some time, Zeke. It deserves a thorough answer and that is precisely what I shall give you. But before I do, might I have another cup of your delicious tea, please Lucy, it’s quite addictive.’
Lucy smiled and made Iapetus another cup of tea. He took a sip and began his story.
‘We Rama are all full telepaths. However, we are not the only fully telepathic species in the cosmos. In fact, most species are telepathic. Non-telepathic Earth humans actually belong to a tiny minority of very young, non-telepathic species.
‘All telepaths communicate in the mind plane. It is like an Internet of the mind. Nontelepathic humans don’t even know that this Internet exists and they are incapable of imagining the manner of communication that is possible within it. For us it is second nature, although it takes some training to become proficient at it. I am sorry, Zeke, but we do not consider you or Adam any lesser persons because you are not telepathic. To the contrary, you are both greatly admired and much loved amongst my people.
‘Now, you may or may not know this, but one of the many skills of a telepath is merging with a creature. This must be learnt as the technique is different and unique for each creature. Most telepaths specialise in just one animal. Mostly they learn the technique of their teacher and learn to merge with the animal that their teacher could merge with.’
Kane butted in, ‘What is your animal, teacher?’ ‘Don’t interrupt,’ said Thebe.
Iapetus smiled, ‘It’s fine, Thebe. My animal is the wolf. As a consequence, I can merge with any species of wild or domestic dog. My favourite wolves are those of the high forests of Rama. They are wilder than most and spend the early part of their lives alone, until they meet a mate. I also am very fond of the desert coyote. Does that answer your question, chela?’
‘Yes, thank you, teacher.’
‘Now, where was I? Oh yes, that’s right. OK. Now, this merging with lower species is a very serious business because it involves the complete takeover of their body without them being aware of it. Besides animals, all non-telepathic humans can be merged with as well. Because this is possible, and because it is considered immoral, a code of conduct was established amongst all telepaths everywhere. The code states that a telepath must never merge with a non-telepathic human. The chief exception to the rule is self-defence. So, animals are OK, but humans are not.’
Slater asked, ‘If I control the behaviour of someone to my advantage; is that merging?’
‘No,’ replied Iapetus. ‘Merging is a complete becoming of the other creature. Firstly, I locate the wolf. Then I usually sit on the ground and slide into a deep trance. I then locate and merge with the wolf’s brain in the mind plane. From my perspective, my body morphs into the body of a wolf and I become the wolf. I see through the wolf’s eyes and feel through his body, but I think with my own brain. The wolf on the other hand has no inkling of the fact that there is someone else controlling his body. I know that our mutual friend, Ambriel, is a master merger of eagles, as is her brother, Albion, and her son, Ben, my most recent chela.’
‘That’s somethin else I didn’t know about her,’ said Zeke.
‘Anybody mind if I get my stuff?’ asked Lucy.
‘Certainly,’ said Iapetus.
‘Oh, that’s a good idea,’ Zeke agreed, ‘I think I’m ready for a puff.’
Lucy zipped off to her room, Iapetus had a sip of his tea, while Thebe thought she might play some Van Morrison. When everyone was settled again, Iapetus continued his explanation.
‘Most telepaths are what we refer to as clears. That means they are unburdened by dark thoughts and emotions, such as anger, jealousy, hate, etc. The chief reason we are like that is because we can see right through each other. Nothing is hidden and nothing is secret. Now, there is a small, shrouded group that many, many years ago rebelled against the code of conduct. We refer to them as the dark ones. They particularly enjoy merging with non-telepathic humans. The things that really stimulate them are; military strategy, warfare and deviant sexual practises. The bigger the war, the more perverse their carnal exploits, the happier they are. At least that is what we assume because we virtually never come in contact with them.
‘You see, when we look at a living being, we see straight through them like looking through water. We can see what is inside. What the dark ones have learned, however, is a special telepathic technique, which makes them opaque to us. When we look at a dark one, all we see is a black cloud, or fog, surrounding them. We cannot see the person inside. Because of this, they have become like stormy oceans, consumed by lust, wrath and greed. They have become cold-blooded murderers of millions of people through their puppetmastery of weak individuals. Once they have merged with their chosen person, they quickly rise to power and proceed to orchestrate an environment for war. Adolf Hitler, for example, was a man who was completely possessed by one of the dark ones. Churchill was another. When the war is over, the dark ones move on to new pastures. In the meantime, many lives are lost and much is destroyed.
‘The Earth has been infested by these telepathic vermin for thousands of years. Some of them live here amongst you while others live somewhere else, but they all embody a non-telepathic human and act out their evil deeds through them. They are the scourge of the Earth and are responsible for all its suffering. They are also nearly impossible to root out.
‘They are planning a great nuclear war involving all the nations of Earth. They control all the militaries, the governments and the media. This planet is completely enslaved by them. The comet shall put an end to all of it. When everything is destroyed, the dark ones will leave and look for another planet to torment.
‘There will be a hundred-year healing period, after which all the time shifters will arrive along with the Rama immigrants. We will begin anew on a new Earth, free of the dark ones and aided by Rama technology.
‘So, to answer your question, Zeke; does it have to happen? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. Either way, nature has decided for us and she will do what she always does, she will cleanse. All we will try to do is be in harmony with her.’ ‘Thanks for that explanation, Iapetus,’ said Zeke.
‘Who wants a jayjay?’ asked Lucy.
‘I think I’ll bring out the Mana,’ said Thebe.
‘We’ll have to take off for Granite straight after breakfast,’ said Slater.
‘I can’t wait,’ said Iapetus.
…….