Messengers from the Past

CHAPTER 5

AROPAD



Aropadopened his eyes and glanced to the right to check the time on thenightstand. He has difficulty seeing the clock, because the morningsun is brightly shining through the open window. He reached for theclock and tapped a button on its top.

"Itis eight-forty-five,” replied the digital voice from the speaker ina monotonous tone.

“Dammed,I will be late for my classes,” said Aropad to himself. He jumpedout of bed, slipped on the rug, placed on the highly polished floorand fell, landing on his derriere. He jumped up, scuttled to thebathroom and relieved himself. Then he stepped into the cleaningcubicle. The cool, sanitizing liquid sprayed on his body and cleanedit from all directions. A warm rinse followed. Twenty secondslater, the rinse stopped and with the aid of a low-pressure system,it sucked the moisture from his body and he dried quickly. Hereturned to the bedroom and proceeded to dress.



WhileAropad was in the cleaning booth, Sonali reached for her portable,sonic scanner and she set it for the VVOT frequency. She turned iton, set the VVOT to the VV mode and placed the scanner on her flatbelly. Then she moved the scanner across the general area of heruterus and terminated by the general region of the ovaries. Thesonic rays interpreted the DNA and the genetic properties of thefetus. When she saw the result printed on the large screen in frontof her, she explicated a sound of joy. Aropad has successfullyimpregnated her. The offspring will be a fertile boy of Urianheritage. According to the initial printout, he will be 6 foot 6inches tall, he will have five fingers and a thumb on each of hishands, but he will have only five toes on each of his feet. Inaddition, the projected life expectancy is only 570 earth years. Atfirst Sonali was disappointed, but then she denoted a sign ofrealization as well as one of happiness. She named her unborn sonAroson. It is a combination of his father’s name and her name. Ofcourse, he will not be one 100 percent Urian, because Aropad is not. Ariana, Aropad’s mother, is a full-blooded Urian but his father isan Earthling. His name is Paul Neidermeier and he is also the fatherof Ben.

Aropadreached for his watch and he strapped it on his left wrist. Helooked over to Sonali and by the expression on her face, he realizedthat the impregnation sequence was positive. Aropad was alsouplifted, because he had no desire to return to this female. Thoughshe is tall and athletically beautiful by Sumerian standards, she didnot have the classical Sumerian look about her. He questioned whohad been lately responsible for picking the females for him. Surely,it could not have been his mother. She usually picked the primespecimens. He thought, I must ask hertonight.

Sonaliwas waiting for Aropad by the balcony. He reached for her hands andwished her the best, “Let me know how my son is progressing.”

“Iwill,” said Sonali, sadly. Then he stepped on the balcony andentered his mini glider. He disengaged the holding beam and raced tothe University of Sumer at the rate of 215 miles per hour. Fortunately, Sonali lives on the eighteenth floor and on this level,the direction of traffic is in the direction of the university.



Thelecture had already started. Aropad tiptoed into the large classroomand quietly sat on the first available seat that he could find. Though the professor was facing the monitor and away from the door,he turned and looked Aropad squarely in the face and he said,"Aropad, what kind of defensive maneuver would you perform if anIgitan glider were on your tail?" The professor caught Aropadby surprise. At this moment, his mind is not on defensive warfare. He is still thinking about Sonali and her animal-like passion thatshe demonstrated during their sex act. He stuttered, attempting toformulate an answer, but the professor quickly realized that Aropadhad no idea what the best defensive maneuver might be, because hismind was on another subject.

"Aropad,if you are going to be the leader of the Urians’ defensive forcesyou better pay close attention."

"Yes,Professor."

Thisis Aropad’s last year at the university. This school is the firstof its kind. It is totally integrated. The professors, as well asthe students, are both, Earthlings and Urians. It is a specializeduniversity, with colleges of diplomacy, military science, ancient andnew mechanisms. Because the Urians have always been peace-lovingbeings and they are not well versed in militarism, Earthlings areteaching earth diplomacy and the military science subjects. TheUrians, on the other hand, are teaching new and ancient mechanismsand technological courses.



***



Both,the Urians and the Igitans came to earth at about 450,000 earth yearsago. Then there was no distinction between the two tribes. About100,000 years later, they developed into two distinctly differenttribes. They believed in different ideologies. According to spottyinformation, derived from tablets and scriptures, as they are, someof these pre-Sumerians became rebellious and decided to move andexplore many different regions of the earth. In addition, they alsotraveled in outer space and landed on different planets in our solarsystem, which included the Moon and Mars, but their primary outpostwas located on Titan. Because of the unknown and hostileenvironments, they learned to be worriers. These are the Igitans.

TheUrians, however, settled in one area, and they had no desire forviolence. They developed the sciences of medicine and mechanisms toa highly advanced plateau. Furthermore, they enjoyed the flora, thefauna and they actively pursued agriculture. Unfortunately, thisfact later became a detriment to their existence. They had totallyforgotten how to defend themselves, because they fell behind inwarfare materials. Their only defense against the Igitans was toescape and isolate themselves.

“Butwhere could they go?” asked one of Aramu’s ancestors,discouraged.

First,they moved to caves. However, that wasn’t safe enough, especiallyin the desert country of today’s Middle Eastern regions. Then theymoved from place to place. That didn’t solve their problem either. The Igitans kept following them. At last, they had another idea;let us move below the surface of the earth! Aramu realized thatother aliens had lived there for thousands of years. This is wherethe Urians lived for more than 300,000 years. Even today, aboutone-half of all the Urians remained below. The Urians, which areliving on the surface have quickly adapted to conditions on earth. They learned how to speak proper English and all became well educatedin different disciplines. Aropad, the son of Ariana, is one of theseUrians. He will be the first military leader of the Urians. It willbe his job to organize a defense force to defend the Urian citiesfrom enemies, primarily the Igitans. All technological defensemechanisms are already in place. In fact, they have been in placefor thousands of years. Before the Urians and the Igitans split,they used nuclear energy in their wars. They had complete knowledgeof atomic energy levels and atom manipulation, not only in the fieldof energy, but also in the field of medicine and food supplies. Inthe field of energy, they use atom manipulation for two purposes; onewas for the purpose of conquest and the other for the purpose oflocomotion. After they released a measured amount of nuclear energy,while attempting to control another settlement, they quickly realizedthat this form of energy is not desirable, because it had longreaching harmful effects and its byproducts stayed active forthousands of years. For that reason, they abandoned it thousands ofyears ago. However, they continued to develop the manipulation ofatoms for the purpose of locomotion to the point where they can nowtravel at nearly the present speed of light. Not only that, but theyhave also developed a means to counteract the gravitational forces ofvarious planets and moons. Aropad learned these technologies and hewill be using them to defend Sumer City as well as the cities of theEarthlings. For the near future, however, Aropad has three primaryreasons for his existence. First, he must finish his last year atthe university. Then he must continue the controlled copulation fora while longer, directed by his mother, Ariana, and the medicaloverseer, Nimali. Third, he will change his status in directing thedefense operations of the Urians from at temporary to a permanentposition.



***



FranzBauer lifted the glider from the shoreline of the Gulf of California. Aramu is sitting in front, Ben and Sven in the back. They arereturning to Sumer City, flying east. The sun is still above thehorizon in the westerly sky, piercing its rays through the cactitrees and keeping the white sand hot. Aramu checked his watch andrealized that Aropad has completed all his classes for the day. Hecalled him and Aropad answered immediately, "Yes Aramu, what’shappening?" Aramu looked at the speaker on his communicator andhe just shook his head. This new generation surely is different,even with all this education. Earthlings call it the generation gap. In three months, he will be graduating from the university.

"Pleasecome to a meeting at five in the government building."

"Yea,I will be there, Aramu."

Rightafter Aramu disconnected, Franz landed on top of the governmentbuilding. The men took the elevator to the conference room on theground floor. Then they proceeded to the automats to get drinks. Itis four-forty-five. They sat down by the conference room table. Ateach station, there are communication, scanning, recording and videosystems. Aramu switched to the scanners that read Igitan auras. Thescreen is clear. The Igitans must have left beyond the reaches ofthe earth satellites.

"Hellofellows." Everyone turned. Aropad has arrived. He presents animpressive figure. He looks like Benson; tall and athletic, goodlooking, bronze skin tone and six fingers on his hands and toes. Heis one year younger than Benson is and he is the half brother of Ben. Aramu looked at him favorably and he said, "Sit at the end ofthe table, Aropad. You might as well get used to it." Aropadsat down and played with a coin, flipping it from finger to finger onthe outside of his hand with unequaled dexterity. To Ben and Sven itlooked bizarre, because he flipped the coin five times, rather thanfour. He saw that everyone is waiting for him to stop his display ofskill and he slipped the coin into his shirt pocket. Then he lookedat Aramu and told him,

"Aramu,why don’t you get started with the meeting." Aramu lookeddumbfounded at Ben and Sven. The two are somewhat taken aback, shooktheir heads but then smiled at each other. Aramu read their minds,how do you Earthlings say this? This kid hasballs.

"Yes,I believe I could start the meeting. Aropad, you are late for themeeting. I hope that your boldness will be in your favor in thefuture. That is what it takes in today’s society. One has to bebold." Aramu dwelled on his thoughts and then continued,"Aropad, do you have any idea why we are here?"

"Notreally, but I was hoping that you will tell me."

"Yes,I will. I understand that you have completed the AG combat glidertraining. Is that right?"

"Yes,I have and I passed it with flying colors and I was first in myclass."

"Good. We just returned from the Gulf of California. Do you have any ideawhy we were there?" At this time, Aropad assumed an entirelydifferent demeanor. Apparently, he did not care that Aramu treatshim like a college student while he is sitting in the chair ofauthority.

"Yes,I do. You just came from the Gulf of California where you confrontedtwo Igitans. However, unfortunately, they got away from you. Youlost them. Am I right?" said Aropad. Aramu looked at Sven forhelp. Sven stared at Aropad for a while and then responded in a loudvoice, "First of all, we do not need your wise cracks andsecond, we have been fighting Igitans successfully for thirty years,long before you were born. I suggest that you apologize to Aramu. Then we will start all over. But if you do don’t like it, get thehell out." This time Sven took Aropad by surprise. It isobvious that he overstepped his boundaries even though he placedfirst in the glider school. He quickly realized that he has twochoices, either act maturely in the meeting or leave. He definitelydid not choose the ladder. That might set him back considerably. Who knows when Aramu would call him back again to show that he isready to assume a leadership position? Aropad sat back in his chairand contemplated his next move. He decided to fall in line, "SorryAramu. I was out of line. Do you have any idea where the twoIgitans disappeared to?"

"Yes,I do. From the construction site at the Gulf, they took the lightbeam to their glider and we believe that they returned to Titan. Ifthey had gone to one of the caves at Nazca, we would have picked itup on our scanners, before they would activate their scrambler."

"Wellthen let’s organize a team to check out Titan. Do you mind if Imake a suggestion?" said Aropad, searching.

"Notat all." Aropad looked up and down the conference room tableand thought for a while. Then he started, "Franz Bauer will bethe pilot of the lead glider. Sven and Aramu will be riding withhim. I will pilot the backup glider and Lord Ben can fly with me. Is that a reasonable plan?"

"Yes,Aropad, this is a good plan. Let us get ready. We could leave inone hour. Is that agreeable with everyone?" said Aramu. Everyone approved of the plan. They rose and took the elevator tothe roof of the government building. They stepped into the changeroom and dressed in their space suites. Tailors made them fromsilion, an extremely strong, lightweight and airtight material. While they checked each other’s suites, Sven briefed Franz aboutthe plan that they formulated in the conference room. Going to Titanexcited Franz. He has heard many stories about the pioneers thattraveled at nearly the speed of light to Saturn and its moon, Titan. He turned on his communicator and called his wife in Frankfurt, CSEto tell her that he will be on assignment for a couple of days. Hemarried two years ago and he has a beautiful, one-year-old daughter. He misses her. However, he has a job to do. Earlier, Franz placedtwo of the newest gliders on the roof. Ben and Sven checked theirlaser pistols to confirm that there are in perfect working order. Each glider has two discharge weapons mounted in front. These areefficient weapons. Ben and his father designed them in theirgunsmith shop in the outskirts of Baltimore. They have the abilityto cut through the Igitan’s defense shields as well as their spacemetals. The glider bosses checked them to make sure that they arefunctional. Then they boarded the gliders. Franz located theposition of Saturn and one minute later, they rose into the easterlysky to a height of 45,000 miles. Aramu looked down and at thisaltitude the earth was hardly visible. Now Franz rammed the knobforward to travel at nearly the speed of light, while the spaceglider elongated to nearly twice its original length. Aramu askedhim to slow down and travel at ninety 93,000 miles per second.

"Thatis fast enough. Let’s enjoy the trip, Franz. It will take usabout two hours to travel to Titan."

"Howfar is it to Titan, Aramu?"

"About740,000,000 miles, give or take a mile." Aramu has tried tolearn the mannerisms and the slapstick of the Earthlings. He lookedat Franz and smiled at him. Franz nodded and then he looked back andsaw the earth rapidly getting smaller and smaller. For a fewminutes, the earth was partially blocking the sun and it got darktemporarily. In front, Mars is taking its course across space. Theyare lucky to see it. They will pass its orbit about in about twelveminutes. Franz now realizes why scientists call it TheRed Planet. When the sun shines on it, theplanet appears dark red. On the opposite side, the planet is black. Fifteen minutes later, they crossed the orbital path of Jupiter. They cannot see it, because presently it is on the opposite side ofthe sun. Franz looked for Aropad. He is only three miles behindhim. Then Franz used his telescope to find Saturn ahead of him. Finally, he saw it. He calculated the distance and the speed and hebroadcasted to Aropad, "We should get to our destination inforty-five minutes. Watch out for space debris." Aramu and Benhave been on Titan before, 25 years ago. They know what it lookslike. Aramu looked at the scanner on the control board of theglider. It is still clear. In this part of the solar system, theearth’s satellites are useless.

"Startlooking for Titan. We may get lucky. It might be on this side ofSaturn," said Aramu. They got closer to Saturn. The B ring,which is the densest ring, was now visible. From what Aramuremembered, Titan is in an orbit of 600,000 miles around Saturn. Since Franz was traveling at one-half the speed of light, it wouldtake him eight seconds to go from Saturn to Titan. It is obvious toAramu that it is time to slow down, or they would crash into Titan,because there would not be enough time to control and navigate theglider.

"Franz,Aropad, slow your gliders down to Mach 15." The two spacejockeys immediately understood Aramu’s concern and slowed thegliders down. The shapes of the gliders changed again from astreamlined and elongated shape to a more rounded configuration. Franz still has trouble understanding how the shape of the gliderschanges with speed, but he does understand that it is pressuresensitive metal. Aramu’s ancestors invented it. Franz enteredinto an orbit around Saturn in order to find Titan and Aramu is stillwatching his scanner for Igitans. They orbited Saturn several times,passing six smaller moons, until they finally found Titan. Theyscanned for Igitans but the sky is clear. Now Aropad took the leadand he went into an orbit around Titan. Its outer atmospheric layeris thick and hard and it would be impossible to penetrate. However,Ben remembered that the layer has a hole cut in it. He did it byflying in successively larger circles, burning a hole into the hardlayer. The question is does this hole still exist 25 years later andis it in the same place. It is Aropad’s job to find this hole. Heturned on his sonar scanner and searched for the hole.

Witheach pass around the satellite, he covered an area 800 miles wide. Finally, the scanner beeped in quick short increments. Aropad foundthe hole in the atmospheric layer, slowed down to Mach 4 and then hedove through the hole.

“LordBen, the hole is still big enough. Franz, try to follow me,” saidAropad, elated.

“I’mright behind you,” said Franz. At the same time, Ben looked at hisscanner to check for Igitans. The sky was still clear. They circledTitan in a 200-mile orbit to find the habitats of the Igitans and theWarfs. Franz followed Aropad in close proximity. While theycircled, Aropad asked, “How do the Igitans plow through the hardlayer? Who can tell me?”

“Wedo not know,” said Aramu. “Perhaps someday we will find out. However, I remember that the Igitans parked their gliders on theground of Titan. Therefore, they must be somehow moving through thehard layer.”

“Perhapsthey are cloaking,” suggested Aropad.

“Wouldthat work?”

“Ido not know,” admitted Aropad.

“Cananyone see the landscape?” asked Ben.

“Ican recognize the landscape below and my signal indicates that we areabove the caves of the Warfs." Aropad quickly glanced back atFranz’s glider and immediately slowed the glider down into a tightcircle. Then he stopped the horizontal motion of the glider andcarefully descended vertically toward Titan’s surface. Ben set thecommunicator to the frequency that they established twenty-five yearsago and then he signaled the Warfs. He looked through his powerfulscope to find the entrance to the habitat of the Warfs. A fewseconds later, a blue blinking dot appeared on his communicator. Hetransferred the signal to Aropad’s screen and now Aropad isfollowing the leader to the surface of Titan.