Chapter 8
“Are you a Jedi?” The wind was getting cold. The sun would be setting soon. The sky was hazy and purple and a moon was tracking across the sky.
“I am not good enough to be a Jedi,” Jon said.
“So, you’re a Sith?” Heather asked.
“I am not bad enough to be a Sith,” Jon said.
“But these people exist?” Heather said.
“Everything exists. If you saw it in fiction, it exists,” Jon said.
Heather frowned. “That’s seriously scary.”
“Yeah,” Jon said.
“‘It’ exists?” Heather said.
“Everything,” Jon said.
“I want to go home,” Heather said.
“You’re not going to make this go away by going home and pretending nothing happened,” Jon said. “You’re no longer on the same map. Nothing back home will ever be the same again. You will cease watching news. You will cease following politics and fiction. You will stop listening to music. You may stop socializing with family and friends. You only think no one got you before, but now…”
“What have you done to me?” Heather said.
“I am sorry,” Jon said.
He came to a partial wall, sand on both sides. He pushed on the wall and found it sturdy enough. He moved some of the sand and found more sand. He kept digging. There was a cavity in the wall and he dug out all the sand until he found a collection of river stones. He collected four of the eight and walked back to the tent. He dug a pit and set the stones in them. He touched one, saying a Sanskrit word for heat. The stones illuminated. They glowed a soft orange, the brightness of an ember embedded in ashes, and emitted heat. Jon set a grill mesh over this and unpacked steaks and stuffed peppers from the blue box.
“How?”
“Every artifact is tech,” Jon said.
“Every artifact?”
“Every building constructed on and in Mars has tech imbedded in it,” Jon said.
The smell of food cooking reminded Heather she was hungry. It also gave her contrast to the surrounding environment. There was an old smell to this place, like an abandoned library, dusty. Not dead, not sterile, just old and quiet and unsettled, like a place where you might find ghosts- but bigger than a graveyard. The sun set. The stars came out in full force. Even without the glowing stone camp fire, they could still see due the brightness of the stars. Heather stood up and marveled at the sky.
Jon stood up, faced the same direction. “This makes it all worthwhile for me. You don’t see starry skies like on Earth like this anymore, unless you’re in the middle of the ocean. We’ve forgotten how majestic it all is. How connected we all are.”
“Joe Vrs the Volcano,” Heather said.
Jon actually smiled. He quoted: “Dear God, whose name I do not know. Thank you for my life. I forgot how big. Thank you…”
Heather looked at him, saw him staring out into the vastness, and touched his arm. He returned his focus to Mars, where he was standing and to Heather, nodded and went back to the stone fire. He turned the peppers a quarter turn. He could discern the grill lines even in the starlight. Heather zipped her jacket and pocketed her hands.
“Namid asked you to bring your Torch,” Heather said. She continued to take in the stars. “Is where we’re going dangerous?”
Jon stared at the rocks. “Where there’s beauty, there’s danger.”
“Were you going to tell me?” Heather said.
“You said you want to go home. We’re going to have to jump through some hoops,” Jon said.
She returned to the stone fire and sat on the ground. “What kind of hoops?”
“Unlike the Wizard of Oz, we’re not going to just sing and dance our way to the Emerald City,” Jon said. “The Land of Oz is actually fraught with mortal danger. And not the sort a nine year old can sort out.”
“Dorothy was in her teens,” Heather said.
“In the book, she was nine. To get full meme access, you need to have more than one source material,” Jon said. “Background stories add flavor.”
He turned the steaks over and rotated the jalapeños.
“What kind of mortal danger are we talking about?” Heather said.
“I don’t think I can prepare you for what’s ahead of us tomorrow,” Jon said.
“Try,” Heather said.
“Well, first, there are the Germans,” Jon said.
“Germans?”
“So, news flash, the Germans won the war,” Jon explained. “They made an alliance with non-terrestrials. They went to the moon. They went to Mars. They hold the high ground.”
“Germans like in Nazis? You’re telling me Nazi’s are on Mars?” Heather said.
“Technically, they’re no longer Nazi. That paradigm was unsustainable. You leave planet Earth, you grow up quick or die. But even back then, not all Germans were bad, and several commanders broke away and occupied Antarctica and were traveling in space before the Americans, and they weren’t going to give that up,” Jon said.
“I don’t see a way you can sell this to me where I am going to be okay with the fact we’re going to run into Nazis,” Heather said.
“Former Nazis,” Jon said.
“Fuck, I don’t care,” Heather said. “They were part of an evil regime…”
“Hitler was evil, and crazy as fuck, and there were some bad Germans, but not all Germans were bad. Most Germans were and still are good people. Most people are good people…”
“You know how many people died…”
“Yes! I do. I know the statistics. I also know what America did. They hired fucking Nazi scientists to run NASA and get us to the moon before the Russians,” Jon asked. “Operation Paper Clip is a real thing. We got the Saturn Five and nuclear weapons, all thanks to fucking Nazi scientists…”
“That’s different,” Heather said.
“How is that different? Because we were fighting a war with Russia, who also wanted a piece of the action in space?” Jon said. He raised a hand and told her to wait. “Look, I agree with you in principal, 70 years ago. I didn’t fight World War II. My grandfather did. He hated Germans and Japs till the day he died; he would tell you that to your face. I don’t hate anyone. I love Japanese culture, even though that very culture is killing them. Hell, most everyone that fought in that war are dead now. We move on, just like any family would. You can’t punish a people for all eternity. You can’t punish a person forever. You don’t blame a family for the act of a person, and you don’t hold a nation accountable for all time for past shit that a few did. We all do shit. Everyone. We make mistakes. Hundred years ago, you made a mistake you could still live a life. Now a days, on Earth, you make mistake and social media criminalizes you for all time. I have done some shit. The US has done some shit. They’re still doing shit, and a two party system allows the mass public a soft out by choosing the lesser of two shits. At the end of the day, it’s still shit. America has also done some good things, I am not ungrateful for the good. All nations have done some good. We’re going to encounter some Germans. Mostly the grandkids of a world we can’t even imagine because we’re so far removed from that place and time it’s as alien to us as Mars is to Earth. The only thing we have access to is the surface meme. The Swastika for example. It means something to us that it didn’t mean two thousand years ago. Originally, it was actually a symbol of peace and love, the first hippy symbol. It’s also a very common symbol that all species that learn to write and draw stumble upon. It’s a popular symbol, because it is arrived at naturally through art. It represent time and the flow of cyclical energy. It’s the symbol for the galaxy, almost universal. There are four non-terrestrials that consider the symbol sacred. They’re not going to see it the way we see it. And if you encounter it and your first thought is we’re dealing with evil, then your interpretation is going to bring you a level of danger that will put you at odds with quite a few beings. These Germans don’t touch that symbol because of their past. But it’s funny, Star Wars has picked it up and run with it, because they don’t know how to write true evil- they can only give you a meme. And that meme is lost on kids that don’t know history. The television show ‘V’ also gave us the same meme. Evil and overcoming evil is a recurrent theme in galactic history. All children and teenagers encounter this. We all must confront this. Reality is much more dynamically complex than we imagine.”
Heather didn’t say anything. Jon put Heather’s food on a plate and handed it to her. He handed her silverware wrapped in a napkin.
“It’s not the symbol that leads men astray, but our interpretation. The Swastika is just one example, but it clearly reveals that this symbol is emotionally charged with multi-vectors that is difficult to sort out. True evil will not come wearing a sign. And contrary to popular memes established by the ugly green witch and Sith being grotesquely malformed, it won’t be ugly. It will come bright and shiny and shake your hands and melt you’re heart with a smile; people invite true evil directly into their house and hearts. Vampires always get invited in. Maybe the average person is so busy trying to make a living they don’t have time to sort symbols the way they need to be sorted, and so they naturally take short cuts- they call it evil and ban it and move on. Simple, sweet, done. And, maybe it’s the right thing to do, because some people can be stupid about symbols. But it’s not just symbols. ‘Retarded’ used to describe a person who was slow. The word was abused. It became slang for disparaging anyone that disagreed with you, and consequently, the powers that be that want the world kind and safe changed the word to handicap. And then one day, that became the new disparaging slang. They change the word again. You can’t make this world safe. You can’t make Earth safe. There is some stupid ass people. There are some unkind people. It is not an act of kindness to hide people from the dangers of reality. That’s the Buddha meme. Tomorrow, you’re going to see some shit. You’re going to experience some emotions. And we’re going to get through our day, accomplish our goals, and then we’re going to go home. We’re not going to change the world.”
Heather met his eyes. “You’ve given up.”
Jon didn’t answer.
“What did you see that made you give up?”
Jon tended to his dinner.
निर्मित
The city was indistinguishable from any modern day Earth city, except it was surrounded by red dunes. There were city parks. There were water fountains. All the streets were made for pedestrians, bicycles, and small robotic vehicles. There were robotic flying drones carrying supplies, and some bigger ones carrying people. There was an airport, or spaceport, or a combination. There were private landing pads attached to buildings in the city. Jon got routed into a building, where he was authorized to land. He set it down as easy as you please, with the tail hanging out over the pad. It was thirty story drop to pavement.
Kids dressed as soldiers approached. ‘Kids’ was Jon’s word for them, as they were teenagers. They were all female. They wore multiple identifiers; they were on loan from the Israel Defense Force, UN insignia, and a Sol badge. They were all armed. They had the side arm, as well as the rifle they had slung. There weapons were not identifiable, but were clearly multi-functional, military grade weaponry.
“They don’t look German,” Heather said.
“Oh? And, what does a German look like?” Jon asked stowing his headset. She frowned at him. “They’re Jewish.”
Jon got out and greeted the officer that came forwards. She saluted, “Captain, Orit Jekel…”
“Oh, don’t do that,” Jon said.
“We’re here to escort you to the Path, Seeker,” she said.
Heather came forwards. Jon was looking at his feet. “I am with a guest.”
“She has to walk the Path,” Jekel said.
“She’s not prepared…”
“That’s why you’re walking with her,” Jekel said.
“Is that why Namid told me to bring a Torch?”
“I would not presume to know the Ambassador’s intentions,” Jekel said.
“What’s the Path?” Heather said.
“The Yellow Brick Road,” Jekel said.
“It’s your introduction to the world,” Jon said. He met Heather’s eyes. “You have a choice. We go home back to my habitat and you live out your life here on Mars. Or, we follow the Path. Once we start down the Path, we are obligated to complete the journey.”
“Scarecrows and Tin-men involved?”
“Scarier,” Jon said.
“Lions and tigers and bears?” Heather asked.
“Not many lions, tigers, or bears during the Jurassic period,” Jon said.
“We have to walk a path of dinosaurs?” Heather asked.
“Essentially,” Jon said. “Welcome to ‘Boom boom acka-lacka lacka boom.’”
“Ha ha,” Heather said.
“As long as you’re on the Path, you should be safe,” Jekel said.
“People always get off the Path,” Jon said.
“Keep her on the Path,” Jekel said.
“I forget, are you the good one?” Jon asked.
Jekel smiled, without comment.
“Do I get a Torch?” Heather asked.
“No,” Jon said.
He went to the vehicle and got his mail bag. He grabbed a second bag and handed it to Heather.
“What? Do I look like a pack animal to you?” Heather asked.
“Please,” Jon said.
Heather accepted the bag.
“Captain.” Jon said to Jekel.
Jekel escorted the two of them to a lift that opened up on the landing pad. Jon went right to the rear of the lift, and watched out the window as the descended the outside of the building. He was aware of two of the officers looking at him.
“Why don’t I get a Torch?” Heather asked.
“You might cut your arm off,” Jon said.
“Can I have a weapon?” Heather asked.
“You might shoot your eye out,” Jon said.
“A Christmas Story?” Jekel said.
“Are you even old enough to know what a movie is?” Jon asked her.
“Oh, sure. I watched a documentary on youtube about them,” Jekel said.
“Nice,” Jon said.
“So, I am going unarmed into a habitat with dinosaurs?” Heather said.
“You’ll have me,” Jon said. “That’s more than I had when I walked the Path.”
“You walked the Path?” Heather said. “Without a weapon?”
“Three times,” Jekel said.
“How do you know so much about me if you only watch youtube?” Jon asked.
“I don’t only watch youtube,” Jekel said.
“Three times without weapons?” Heather said.
“Four, actually,” Jon said. Jekel raised her eyes, but didn’t protest.
“Why did you do it four times?” one of the other officers asked. Her name was Rina Naim, LT. One of them made a comment about him being retarded. Jon politely smiled.
“I didn’t do it right the first three times,” Jon said.
“How can you fail walking the Path?” Rina asked.
They arrived at ground level, where it was busy enough to take time orientate-giving him an Jon a reasonable out from answering. They filed out. The streets were busy, pedestrians of all species seemed to be out enjoying the air and sun and walking and general associations. There were street vendors. There were groups of people exercising, yoga, and Tai Chi. There were lots of kids running amok. Specifically, it looked like the human kids were running amok. Alien kids seemed to be more disciplined, in step with parents or guardians or school processions. Heather drew closer to Jon. He stopped and she ran into him.
“I need you to walk beside me, or in front of me,” Jon said.
Heather was staring at people she assumed were human, but were clearly not human. She stared because she couldn’t decide how they were ‘not right.’
“It’s not polite to stare,” Jon said.
“I…” Heather didn’t have words.
“Hominids,” Jekel said. “Unlike your history books tell you, they didn’t die out. Also, there are more species of hominids than there are fish in the oceans. There are more races of humans and blending of hominids and humans than you can count. Star Trek got that part right. There are races of humans that are so distinct, they can no longer breed successfully with humans. Vampires. Fairies. Druids. Elves. You name it from any source of fiction, they exist as an adaptation necessary for colonizing fringe worlds. All the human races on Earth were human colonies, sent to Earth to work in harmony at reclaiming it from devastation. Humans are particularly good at revitalizing planets.”
“Almost as good as destroying planets,” Rina said.
A kid ran up to Jon and put out his hand.
“What makes you think I got something for you?” Jon asked.
“You have a rep,” the kid said.
“Kriss?” Jon asked.
The kid brightened, having been remembered, and put out his hand.
“Well, umm, nothing in my pockets here… Heather, is there any candy in your bag?” Jon asked.
Heather reached in and pulled out a pack of M&Ms. She smiled and extended to the boy. Jon blocked.
“Are you going to share it?”
“No, Sir,” the kids said.
Heather withdrew the candy.
“Give it to him,” Jon said.
“You should share it,” Heather told the boy.
“You want him to kill someone? Some aliens are allergic to chocolate. Some to peanuts,” Jon said. The intel his clothing provided said Kriss had a sibling. “Give him another for his sister.”
“Thanks!” he said, taking it and stepping back. “You should update. My sister got squashed three days ago.” He ran away.
Jon was quiet for a moment as they continued their journey; he recovered quickly enough when a group of Tall Whites passed him. Jekel smiled faintly at him, knowing full well it wasn’t safe emoting so strongly around Tall Whites- had he lingered in the emotions they may have approached him to understand why he was emoting so strongly in a public place. They would have likely have wanted to provide him with mental health care. A Priestess Triad approached, wanting to solicit Heather’s information. They wore simple robes, with gold belts. Their most noticeable feature was they each had hair draping to the back of their knees. He told them his pet was not for sell. They frowned at him and moved on.
“Pet?” Heather said.
“You might want to research them before you joined their cult,” Jon said.
They stopped at a checkpoint, German soldiers, U.N.-Sol division badges, and then wound down a large spiral staircase into the first level of Underground. They spoke German. Heather heard German and English translations in her head, thanks to the tech. The vastness that opened up underground was difficult to accept. There were no pillars. No ceiling supports. It was just big open and defied any sense of a human who knew anything about architecture. Buildings continued down into the earth. There were walkways and more vegetation than was on the surface. Light came from everywhere, but not from any identifiable source. They passed a bazar. There was row of brothels catering to all sorts of biological needs. More kids approached to get candy. An alien kid approached, and Jon provided him something from his bag- but only after looking to the adult for consent. Jon bowed to both.
“Do they get enough food?” Heather asked.
“No one starves here,” Jon said.
“Why do they come to you for candy?” Heather asked.
“Seekers usually bear gifts,” Jekel said. “They bounce worlds and tend to carry artifacts and treasures. Evidence they’ve been somewhere. Jon has a reputation of being generous to the kids. It has increased his esteem here for the most part, but many of the humans considered the behavior suspicious.”
“Why?” Heather asked.
“He is too soft on the kids, and would have them work less, for one,” Jekel said.
“Kids work?” Heather asked.
“Everyone works here,” Jon said.
“The kids work?” Heather said.
“Everyone works,” Jekel said.
“They don’t have labor laws?” Heather said.
“There are things only children can do,” Jekel said. “The kids do the heavy lifting because they can see things that adults can’t. The younger they are, the better.”
“That’s not right.” Heather said.
“Some shit, eh?” Jon asked. “Look, no one forces kids to do things, but they do things. Everyone earns their keep. And they’re compensated for it. You can pick any one of these street rats and ask them questions. Any age, you will find them six to ten years advanced of their peers on earth. We don’t learn best in classrooms. Science has demonstrated that over and over, and yet we ignore the data and push kids through cookie cutter protocols that increase anxiety and loneliness through increased competition. We learn on the streets and in nature. These kids here are not impeded by systems of regurgitation, which has never been the best example of education.”
“It’s not right,” Heather said.
“Have you ever known someone who was homeschooled versus farmed in a high school?” Jon asked.
“Farmed?”
“Raised, experienced. Culture changes you. Your group changes you. Homeschooled kids have tells, compared to high school kids. No one on Earth is prepared or capable of handling what’s out here in the galaxy not because they can’t handle it, but because they have not been exposed enough to fit in socially,” Jon said. “It’s the difference between wolves and dogs. Can you tame a wolf? Sure. It’s best to start from a pup.”
“I don’t like that analogy. Humans here are being groomed?” Heather asked.
“Good analogy. Another reason giving candy to kids here are suspicious. People on Mars are suspicious of generosity without reciprocity; they are very mindful of debts,” Jon said. “Would you say your grandparents were racists?”
“Yeah. And my parents,” Heather said.
“And you?”
“No!”
“Because of exposure?”
“Because it’s right…”
“I think we’re getting better, too, but there is evidence the system has not caught up to where most people are. That is also evidence by our fear of aliens, whether that is from another country or from off planet. Most humans on earth are afraid of aliens. Hell, technically those hominids you were staring at…”
“Homo Naledi,” Jekel said.
Jon nodded, suggesting ‘whatever.’ “Those guys, they spooked you. They would spook anyone not accustomed. But they’re close enough we can breed. They come across as if they had autism, extremely rule bound, but super kind. They do not get our nuanced conversations. They don’t get humor, and if you tell them ‘take a long walk off a short peer,’ they might. Many humans, even here, are spooked by the thoughts of AI. How do you change this? Exposure. Acclimation. These kids are on the front line of communicating with aliens. Their kids will likely live in a world where aliens and humans are neighbors and no one can even imagine a world where there wasn’t diversity,” Jon said. “Do you think Earth humans are there?”
Heather was quiet.
Their walk took them into a tunnel that descended and opened up onto another large cavern. They wrapped around and continued down. There were aliens congregating at the ramp out to the next level. They departed as Jekel led his team down. Heather noted the weirdness of the way the aliens departed. Their conversation stopped. A couple made faces.
“Humans are not the only one with biases,” Jon said.
They arrived at a checkpoint. There was an arch that seemed to go nowhere. There were reptilian guards. Information was exchanged without speaking, without paper or crystals. The interaction was between one particular, gaudily dressed reptilian and Jekel. The reptilian in charge asked if they were armed.
“I have a Torch,” Jon said.
“Seeker. You are recognized as an authorized carrier,” it said. “This one is not.”
“She is unarmed, but due to circumstances I have been allowed to accompany her,” Jon said.
“It is permitted. Unusual. I do not like unusual on my shift,” it said. “Humans are chaotic.”
Jon brought out eight cans of sardines, bundled together. The reptilian accepted the gift.
“You may proceed to the Path, Seeker and guest,” it said.
Jekel handed Jon a disk. “Call me when you get back?”
“He’s seeing someone,” Heather said.
“Loxy? Oh, I love Loxy. Call me,” Jekel said, folding the chip into his hand.
Jon nodded, put the disk in his jacket pocket and stepped up the arch. He offered his hand to Heather as if he wanted to hold hands with her. Jekel and her squad retreated.
“Seriously?” Heather said.
“It’s best if we hold hands, to ensure we arrive at the same time and place,” Jon said.
“I meant, seriously. She’s like 18,” Heather said.
“So. She’s got a gun. I bet she can handle herself,” Jon said.
Jon emphasized his hand.
“What?”
“Take my hand,” Jon said. “Unless, you want to take my arm.”
Heather hesitated. Jon took her arm, and briskly brought her forwards, stepping with her. They passed under the arch, into the stone cavity and were suddenly in an open field. There was an arch made of stone directly behind them. There was a gold, stone path that went into two directions. The cave ceiling was so high that one could only discern the ceiling looking directly up. The space was large enough it had its own weather system. There were clouds inside a cave. There was lightening and the smell of ozone. Light came from everywhere and nowhere. It felt like daylight on the surface of earth, but it was not. There was a river. There was fields of grain. There were strange beasts walking, completely unconcerned with the arrival of the two humans. They did not look like the dinosaurs she was familiar with. She took hold of Jon’s arm.
“I am afraid,” Heather said.
“Oh, good for you,” Jon said.
Heather looked at him.
“It means you’re thinking correctly,” Jon answered her unspoken question. “Stay on the Path.”
“How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“This? Four times?”
“I don’t do it without fear,” Jon said. “But I don’t stay in it. I drop out of my brain and into my heart, and I walk the Path. That’s it. Walk. Go forwards. Follow a path. Behavior results in mental and emotional shifts. Don’t start by fixing thoughts. Don’t start by fixing emotions. Walk. Breather. Emotions catch up. Thoughts catch up. Touch your chest with your right hand, like tap on your heart space. And say, I am walking, I am walking, I am walking…”
They took a step together. “I am walking.” Heather said. “Walking the mile. Walking the Green Mile…”
“Yeah, don’t invoke that Meme here,” Jon said.
“You propose we skip and sing?” Heather said.
“Oh, no. That would draw way to much attention to ourselves,” Jon said. “Just walk. Be observant, but do not make direct eye contact. Walk like you’re the lead cheerleader in high school and you own this place. Treat everyone as if they’re invisible, or you’re indifferent. Treat them the way you might a plant/”
“What does that mean?”
“You don’t see plants as a threat. You don’t recognize they move, they think, they communicate, they even make sounds,” Jon said. “Most animals have plant bias.”
“That’s not true,” Heather said. “About plants.”
“Cameron got that right in Avatar,” Jon said. “Don’t argue it. Let it go. Walk. Stay on the path. And don’t run. Ever.”
“I don’t think I could outrun a dinosaur,” Heather said.
“You can’t,” Jon assured her.
“I can outrun you,” Heather said.
Jon smiled. “You run, I will become a plant. It will ignore me and chase you,” he said.
“We’re screwed?”
“No, we’re walking the Path,” Jon said.
She shivered, her arm and neck hair standing. “I feel like we’re being watched,” Heather said.
“Just keep walking,” Jon said.