I transported her. Three little words that said so much.
I was a Power. A Power! Impossible to believe, but true. My chance to bring honor to my family, to advance our caste; all my dreams about to come true. Sky, the dreams of all Drones about to come true. The weight of responsibility hung heavy.
I’d probably never know why the Guardians of the Universe chose me. But that didn’t matter. I now had a position of prominence unheard of for a Drone. The look on my mother’s face; that would stay with me forever.
I knew the story of my grandparents’ capture, had heard it many, many times. They had been gathered, along with others, from across the universe to serve the Guardians. They were not slaves in the Earth sense of the word. In fact, they were well treated, but their lives were forever limited to prescribed roles and they were never allowed to return home.
From the time I was a small child I dreamt of vindicating them. I had even resorted to the three wishes of humans; wishing to be a Power, wishing to become an exalted judge of the Grand Council, wishing to have the authority to send my family home. Stupid, I knew. Wishes hadn’t worked any better for me than they did for humans. Except for my Little Soldier of course. I was making her dreams and wishes come true. The fulfillment of my dreams would be determined by what happened on that little speck called Earth and how I handled it.
And, how she handled it.
Guardian, help me. If I haven’t chosen the right human, I’m in big trouble.
Earth, sir? I remember vividly my meek protest when I’d been given my first assignment. I had studied the earth ever since I started school, my knowledge of the planet was vast, greater than that of any of the viable candidates, but…. And that was another thing. It wasn’t like I had applied for the job. New powers were always appointed from the offspring of the Grand Council or members of the transport forces. So, why this unprecedented breach of protocol?
And, why me?
My mother thought it only natural. After all, wasn’t I brilliant? No Mom, my friend Exelrud is the smart one. He always did better in school. In fact without his help… And what about Elspeth, my older sister? She was pretty sharp. She should have been chosen. Elspeth grinned and said no, it would cut into her painting time, not to mention her social life. Exelrud slapped me on the back and offered condolences when I told him. Hell of a job, he said. You can have it. Well, I had it and I wanted it. But, Earth?
Sky, who was I to think of questioning the Grand Council? I told myself to shut up, count my blessings at being appointed and get to work.
Really it was a great assignment. There was so much work to be done and if I could pull it off…
I found my Little Soldier and it didn’t take me all that long either. It was her dreams that drew me. I knew right away that she was special.
Then I had to decide where to start. So many conflicts made it simple. Close my eyes, point my finger, almost any spot on the planet would do.
And, in five short earth days, the world had its Madame of Miracles.
I transported her away from Mustafa; a small but urgent job in a ghetto, then a bit of a break before South America.
I sighed. It was time to see Mentor again. Above all show no emotion, I reminded myself. Emotion had no place in the scheme of things as the Guardians saw it.
My parents had always cautioned us to be cool, not to laugh, or cry, or even frown outside our home. I had become pretty good at playing the stone face, but not Elspeth. I think my parents worried about her. I know I did. But, had we Drones become so good at suppressing emotion that we had long since ceased to feel? And, was that a good thing?
Mentor’s secretary gestured. I took a deep breath and entered the conference chamber.
“She’s terrified,” Mentor said.
“Only on the surface. Under that she’s thrilled.”
Mentor’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly. I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been watching closely. I shivered. “She is intelligent, I grant you that, but not the smartest person on the planet by far.”
“True,” I said. “What makes her good is her open-mindedness. She’s virtually free of prejudice and she’s honest. She acknowledges the possibilities of life on other planets, of life after death. She’s not tied to confining religious dogma, yet she has faith, in life and in herself. She knows her shortcomings but has the confidence to move ahead anyway.” I stopped. I was babbling. That would never do.
“Surely there are others with those qualities?”
“Of course.” Why was Mentor pushing? Couldn’t she see? I searched for words to convince her. “It’s a matter of having the right degree of qualities,” I ventured, “in the exact right combination.” Mentor’s didn’t speak, just stared at me with those beady little eyes. Guardian, she was a bitch. I love Earth words. So evocative.
“Most importantly, she is blessed with an ability to see all sides of any issue.” I was sure this would convince her.
“Don’t you mean cursed with?”
“But surely,” I said, taken aback, “surely she needs to be able to see all sides to do the tasks that are set before her.”
“On the surface it would seem so. That ability could also make it difficult for her to decide what is best, to act quickly and safely.”
“But, she’s doing all the right things.”
Again, Mentor said nothing. I shifted under her steady gaze as I considered her words. I had chosen my human with care. I wasn’t wrong. And, I was there to support her.
“She is the right one for the job. I’m sure of it.” I spoke with much more confidence than I felt.