Visitation - Exodus (book 2 of 2)

I sat, stood, floated, I did not know which.

I was back to the normality, if it could be called that, of a communication through Shara with the Senior Keepers to that other place where I truly wished I could have remained. Shara was released but she was still needed to effect communication between us all. She turned her face to look straight at me and I felt her warmth seep into my thoughts, more gently than ever before, with a respect I did not expect.

“I truly know now who you are Ian,” Shara spoke to me with a serious and intentioned calmness.

“You are the point of a focus in time and space of events between our mutual races, our ancestors and our future descendants; a connection and almost an explanation between this living world and the other place. You have become the nexus of events that must ensure the survival of those who would escape the machinations of alien invaders and the catastrophe of a once beautiful planet.”

The Senior Keepers interrupted Shara’s flow.

“We have now had revealed to us many things Ian and for this we will be eternally grateful although our gratitude on this planet is to be short lived. That one experience which you allowed us to share was a moment of determination in the very fabric both of life in this world and of the next. We are no longer concerned to leave this existence for we are aware of where we shall next come to exist.”

“We must provide you with some information, some of it critical that may assist in your existence within this world being extended. There is something, a great task that must be undertaken, in which you will be involved, but of which you know nothing as yet.”

“Let us explain to you that your understanding of this planet is not quite as complete as you may believe.”

The voice of the Senior Keepers took on a different intonation, developing a more instructive tone, of calmness without humour. I guessed that perhaps one of the Senior Keepers was being allowed to dominate the provision of information. The most senior of the Keepers raised his eyes to meet mine and with a slight smile only, gently nodded his head in the affirmative.

The voice in my thoughts continued. “The scientists of your planet are sending probes to the surface of this one in the search, so they believe, for any signs of life that may have existed once on what they see as a dry, apparently lifeless place, bombarded over millennia by meteorites and solar discharges. The people sending these probes are, we believe, genuine in their efforts and understanding.”

“How can you know all of this,” I asked, interrupting somewhat impolitely but keen to become aware of what they may know.

“Because you have told us so,” the answer came back.

I sat stunned and a little confused once more.

“Your thoughts and memories contain much more information than you are actively conscious of. We have been able to see and reach into all areas of your memory, not only those of which you are aware and consciously live by. We are able to undertake an analysis of your thoughts, integrating many separate strands to reach an understanding that you are incapable of yourself. Perhaps your descendants many generations hence will develop such a talent but for the present that is why we are the Keepers and you are not.”

“Do you understand now?”

“I believe I do and I apologise for the interruption,” I found myself saying.

“I must sit here quietly and learn from those who are clearly my Seniors and most learned. Please continue if you will,” I asked as politely as I could.

“There are others on your planet that are already aware of what occurred with the great catastrophe and have been collaborating with the alien races abounding on your planet in separate efforts to find us here. Since your eventful departure they have renewed their efforts to locate us. They have been searching for a long time now but, of course, without success. The ‘official’ scientific search by Earth’s scientists has been allowed to continue because it is conducted by people who genuinely believe in what they are doing; they have been deceived for many years as you have also.”

“The real search is being undertaken by a joint effort of a secret organisation within your United States of America and several groups of the aliens, the latter having the technology to travel through space and the former a self seeking interest of world domination. I understand that the process on earth is well underway and you were well advised to move quickly to leave.”

“There is a base some distance from here, perhaps a quarter circumference in a direction that you would describe as eastward. They have occupied another underground cave system, which was probably like this one before the catastrophe but by which it was in the main destroyed and with an enormous loss of life.”

“We have over many generations and long before these aliens came here, found that here in this enclave, our ancestors we were the only survivors of the catastrophe. Some of our brave people in the early days searched for others across the now barren surface until the effects of the solar discharges took their lives and we could explore no more. Their names are illuminated forever in our records.”

“We have had our other underground expeditions, to determine where this alien base is and thankfully, having done so we did not reveal ourselves. This we would describe as no more than a basic adaptation of a once underground shelter. It must be sufficiently large to be capable of concealing one of their large craft that we see occasionally flying slowly in the skies. We are aware that this craft and the base is manned jointly by the personnel of your United States of America and the alien people and has been so for some years.”

“It is possible that they have noted the departure and subsequent return of the Ark that you have employed, but so far you have not experienced any form of attack from them. Perhaps they are employing a much bigger strategy in an attempt to foil our joint departure when we are at our most vulnerable. We do not know and cannot look into their thoughts; perhaps that may be to our benefit.”

“The cloaking systems of the Ark and the crafts you are employing appear to be effective against detection by the aliens. Perhaps our ancient technology is still more advanced than anything they possess as they have not attacked you, which I am sure they would have done had you been so detected.”

“What we must now tell you,” another intonation of the Senior Keepers joint voice took up the narrative, “is, we consider, one of the most important things you will ever hear or be a part of.”

“There is a surviving Relic from before the catastrophe which we believe came with the original settlers on this planet as they travelled from their ancestral home, a place in or near the constellation of stars as you see them from Earth or from here, the one you call Orion. Even we do not know of from where our ancestors came, records had not survived for some reason and the catastrophe made the possibility of any further work in this realm no longer possible. We are reasonably confident that this relic came with them, of this much we are sure.”

“Someone, before the great catastrophe destroyed all we held dear, had the foresight to bring the relic down here before the surface buildings were all blown away as anticipated. This Relic has been guarded ever since by only those who have been initiated into its secrets, ourselves. We have been known as the ‘The Keepers’ for as long as anyone can remember. We keep the secrets of its existence and how it may be employed safely without risk to life.”

“You are about to be taken into a presence of those of us who will have the responsibility to move this Relic from its secure location onto the last craft to leave. It must not remain here but go with you to a new home. This last craft will have the Relic taken aboard by the Keepers chosen for this task. Shara and yourself will go aboard afterwards and you will all leave for last time to the Ark. You will never return but will go on to find another place in the universe for the continuation of both our races.”

“We are to remain, because we have decided to play a final part in your escape. We shall make ourselves known to the aliens as you leave for the Ark and their attention will be drawn to the diversion we will create. We shall ultimately lose our lives but we have lived very long lives and there are now others who can take our place. We are not afraid to leave this life because we are certain of an existence in another place, as your experience so kindly shared, has so correctly confirmed for us.”

“Enough,” the Senior of the Keepers voice became dominant.

“We must now terminate this meeting as it will not be long before the last craft will be awaiting you. I detect that the last of our people have departed and we are now truly the very last and you will shortly be awaited.”

“It is time for you to leave.”

“You will be taken to where the Relic is housed and from there you will escort it to the craft in which you must leave as quickly as possible afterwards.”

“Thank you for all that you have done, Ian, our experiences with you has settled many things and has been very illuminating. We are overjoyed to have seen and experienced this planet before it was destroyed and to know that there is and will be a genetic continuation, obtuse perhaps yet beneficial, of all our people.”

“This life works in mysterious ways its existence to continue.”

That was a paraphrase of something I knew only too well.

Before I could bring the exact words to mind the senior of the Senior Keepers looked up at me and our eyes met. A big smile came across his face and broke into a chuckle as I heard the words.

“Your words and mine both mean the same thing Ian.”

“It is only the emphasis that is different and because it has become tainted by belief systems; perhaps both yours and mine, who knows, perhaps I will find out shortly.”

“There is an ancient proverb,” the most Senior voice became dominant to the exclusion of the others, “that we are a race destined to travel for eternity and that every many thousands of years we will again be required to seek a new home.”

He paused.

“This is not what you expected, is it Ian? You have different words to this saying, do you not?”

“I do and so does everyone of your race that has left the Earth,” I offered.

“There you are, Ian, we are the same people as yourself only different in a way that does not matter.” He chuckled yet again. “You must leave now, please go quickly, your time is running out and events cannot be delayed. No goodbyes, they are not needed for we will be with you, in some way or another, for many years to come. Please go quickly.”

I felt a breaking of minds, a disconnection of thoughts and Shara and I found ourselves standing up straight away as though by automatic response. The Keeper who had brought us here and who had sat with us bowed low to his seniors and sat back with tears in his eyes. He was saying goodbye in his own way and in thoughts that I could not detect.

I was no longer privy to his or the Senior Keepers’ thoughts because Shara had also broken the intermediary bond she had held as soon as we stood.

Our Junior Keeper arose to join and walk in front of us in the direction that one of the Senior Keepers had gently indicated with a slow wave of his hand; the opposite direction to that which we had entered. He walked slowly to the far end of the room without any sign of hesitation and without a glance backwards.

Shara had moved away to follow him; I remained where I was.

All three Senior Keepers looked up at me, no longer smiling.

I didn’t know whether or not it was appropriate or even good manners but I felt something so distinct within me that I bowed slowly and deliberately from the waist with my arms kept tight to my side. I was showing respect, I hoped, in the same manner as I once had during my interlude into the martial arts.

It just seemed the most natural and right thing to do, to show respect for those most senior to me who had revealed much to my beneficial learning. I kept my eyes firmly looking forward at the central seated figure of the Senior of Keepers.

I held my bow and did not avert my gaze.

All three of the Senior Keepers, in unison, bowed slightly forward as an acknowledgement and broke into a warm smile again. As they raised their heads I brought myself back to the standing position. The central of the three, the most Senior in his red robes nodded a further acknowledgement to tell me that he understood what I had just done and waved his hand to tell me to leave.

As I managed a small affirmative nod, I spun to my right and walked away without a backward glance. A few paces and I had left the room through another vaporised wall and still did not look back to where the wall had most surely re-solidified. I would not see these wonderful and learned people again, most certainly not in this life, and sought the Junior Keeper who was guiding Shara and me forward. We walked no more than perhaps another twenty or so paces in the dim light to be directed through yet another mistiness that had been a wall only moments before.

We were back outside in the absence of the incense permeating the interior we had just left. Here we were within a large high, white walled compound where the air was clear and crisp as though on some early spring morning.

We were met by another of the Keepers although this one was dressed differently. He was in white robes that hung down loosely finishing just above his white sandalled feet but without a waist tie to gather his robes together. He did not speak; I heard no thoughts from him via Shara, as he stood firmly and silently with his right arm raised. We all understood that we were to go no further.

The saffron robed Keeper accompanying us explained via Shara, this is where the ‘Relic’ was housed. The white robe turned sharply with a glare that did not need interpretation; we were to stay quiet. It was pleasant not to be the one to be told to shut up.

Across the large expanse of this high walled compound stood another smaller one with walls of less height than those that surrounded everything. Our guardian here, the white-robed Keeper, turned to face this internal smaller walled construction as, I counted six, similarly clad others come from somewhere to our right. This large cavern we were in had been brightly lit with warm ‘sunshine’ but here all was dim; the light seemed to be almost completely absent locally.

The six walked slowly towards the front wall of this other smaller construction where one reaching it first waved his arm in a large circle and the central area disappeared completely as mere mist in the first light of day.

We could now see inside where a simple, white tented structure on corner poles with guy ropes seemed aglow from something located within. As two of the white clad Keepers stood either side of the tent and drew back the frontal flaps, the source of the glow became apparent. There in the centre upon, what I had to assume was some sort of dais, was something covered in a white sheet or mantle of some sort.

A bright glow shone through it revealing the rough shape of its source. I got the impression of some sort of rectangular box perhaps having two or more protuberances on the top creating rough peaks in the covering. There were what appeared to be projections, poles perhaps, and protruding forwards clear of the covering.

I noticed then that the first Keeper, the one that ‘opened’ the wall had some sort of, what I took to be, a ‘controller’ with coloured lights hanging from his neck. I had not noticed it before in this dim light but as soon as he turned sideways with this device illuminated, it could be made out reasonably clearly. This first Keeper ran his fingers over this ‘control’ device, the lights changed colours, and then an electric hum filled the air.

I could feel the air about us become statically charged, the hairs on my head stirring with the intensity. Even being encapsulated within my suit I was feeling the effect upon my skin. Whatever was beneath the white mantle, it was generating a charge, a very powerful charge that was becoming progressively stronger. The crisp clear air now took on an odour I recognised, that of a high powered electrical installation where the smell of hot varnish prevailed, the type I had visited many times as an engineer.

My attention was brought sharply back to the Relic whatever it was, having lifted clear from whatever it had been mounted upon, the dais of sorts. Two of the waiting ‘white Keepers’ moved forward slowly to stand either side and outside of the two protruding poles. The static charge where they were now stood caused a light blue shimmering aura to envelop them. They slowly took hold of the poles and started to walk forward out of the tent; the canopied ‘Relic’, which I assumed was what we looking at, slowly glided forward at the same gentle pace as their movement. Out of the canopy it glided and as soon as they could, two more white Keepers, walked slowly to its rear.

They too were enveloped in the light blue shimmering aura, as they took hold of the two poles passing all the way through the covering to protrude at the rear by as much as they did at the front. These four white Keepers were not supporting the weight of the covered Relic but guiding it in the direction they wished it go.

I could only describe the scene as surreal.

A white drape over some gravity defying Relic that was glowing with an intense golden white light through the covering and four white Keepers, within an electric blue static aura, holding on to some sort of guiding poles. The Relic, whatever it was, was defying gravity I guess in some sort of similar manner as the craft in which we flew but it could not be large enough surely to contain similar drive engines.

Two more of the six white Keepers now placed themselves to the front of what was forming to become a procession. The one with the ‘controller’ went into the canopy and emerged with a large shepherd’s type staff but more substantial. He took up a position to the rear and gave some sort of silent order for the procession to move off. Not one word had been spoken, none I could detect, and not one of them even glanced in our direction.

Our new accompanying Keeper waved us forward to follow him slowly to the rear of the moving procession. We continued behind it at the same slow pace towards the tall wall at the end of the compound.

Then I finally realised what it was that I was witnessing. This was what on earth I had seen variously described as a procession of an ‘Ark of the Covenant’ but I was also aware, however, that this name came from religious beliefs and the purpose such a device had once been put to in antiquity.I had to assume that the one, or was it two, devices on earth that had arrived with the Settlers in ancient times, had been employed in the manner as I seemed to remember setting down in my writings.

I was stood behind what the people here called a Relic, which surely it was, but as the engineering of everything I had seen them use, it had to be in a full working order. Perhaps the one or two lost on earth had not been cared for and were now derelict. I was witnessing the transport of another ‘Ark of the Covenant’; they were all likely as real as the descriptions told and I had to assume also as dangerous if handled incorrectly. These white robed Keepers seemed to know what they were doing and I hoped they kept it up until it was safe aboard the craft and eventually into the circling Ark.

This close to the glowing device increased the static charge effect and I found my skin tingling markedly. I played with the idea of lowering my helmet visor to conceal myself completely in a protective shield. I tried this briefly but it made no difference except to make the experience one of claustrophobia as I felt encased in both the suit and a further layer of the static charge. I opened my helmet to ease the discomfort.

The two white Keepers to the front of the procession reached the tall wall and simply waved their arms for part of it to dissolve into the anticipated mist providing a large open doorway through which the procession could pass. I still could not get used to this, opening doors yes, but dissolving walls not quite, even though the base and the Arks used the same technique on a large scale. Perhaps it was the scale and the close proximity of the effect that astonished me. Slowly but surely and at a sedate pace the ‘procession’ passed through the wall opening and onto a wide path leading down to the waters edge where a large barge type boat was waiting.

Shara took my arm and stopped me from going any further as she also stopped the saffron clad Keeper. The white clad Keeper, without so much as a backward glance, continued to follow the main party heading for the barge.

Shara directed us by little pushes away and off to the left to let the procession party continue without our continued presence along the broad, gently sloping path. She placed her finger to her lips, to tell me in the oldest way there was, to remain silent. Then off she hurried with the two of us following close behind. We were circling the building and compound that we had just been through and within a few minutes came to the jetty where our boat and a very anxious driver was waiting. He was only too pleased to see us and as soon as his enlarged party were aboard and seated, he set off at great speed back along the direction from where our journey had started.

Reaching the jetty, we disembarked quickly and Shara took us towards the door leading back into the corridor system. Looking back briefly I could see that the driver was still at the boat trying to secure it by its rope to the mooring point and clearly trying to use neat and tidy knots. He was having problems due his excessive nervousness, his fingers would not perform as they should, and his coordination seemed to have deserted him. The poor man was frightened but trying to carry out his duties properly as he must have done for many years. Shara, wondering why we had not immediately followed her into the corridor, emerged and seeing what was happening ran past us to the poor man, took the rope out of his hands, threw it back onto the boat, which she then pushed away and out into the lake with a well placed foot. The poor man’s face showed a mixture of fright at losing his boat but also relief as Shara physically dragged him towards us.

As soon as we had all been pushed into the corridor, Shara spoke to me. “Ian, if you or I had spoken back at the revealing of the Relic, it may have noticed to enter our minds and either not release us for a long time, possibly causing damage, or in your case, possibly killed you as a foreign invasive body. I couldn’t tell you what I heard from it and came to realise I was afraid that you might not have stayed completely silent.”

“Here we are relatively safe and can return to the surface much quicker than the long route that the Relic party will have to take. Once the Keepers have got it aboard the craft I guess they will put it into a sleep mode. In that state we can follow and communicate normally. The Relic will stay like this in the Ark until the Mother Ship is located and we are all on board and leaving this system.”

We retraced our steps arriving back at the departure area just inside of the air lock. This was empty except for the suited figure of Rilshen-por. Our robed companion continued into the extended tube towards the waiting craft.

Rilshen-por reported to Shara. “All our people have left successfully and all I am awaiting now is the Relic party, yourself and our two friends outside who have been working hard on the linking tube. There has been no sign of those others on this planet who may be flying about.”

“That is a concern,” said Shara verbally.

I assumed that Rilshen-por was incapable of mental communication, but how had I understood what both of them were saying verbally, speaking to each other? That really caught me out. I did not speak their language and the automatic mental communication was, in effect, being bypassed. Something must have occurred, perhaps very recently, altering something within my grey stuff. The realisation suddenly struck me that what I was hearing was a spoken language I could not relate to, yet as the undecipherable sounds were uttered I heard a simultaneous translation within my thoughts; a major change had indeed occurred in me.

“We normally see them flying above here once or more every few days and I would consider that they are overdue,” he continued in the mental style that I was now very accustomed to, but this had to be via Shara surely.

Shara glanced in my direction and smiled gently but knowingly at the change I had just gone through. He was speaking verbally to Shara but I was hearing his words mentally by something that had changed in me.

“I would expect that our craft would have had to cloak or stay away for an hour or two before now,” he continued.

I saw his lips moving but the mental words I was receiving had the distinct intonation of Shara.

“We have no information to believe that they know where this surface exit is, even with the destruction of the latest surface probe sent from Earth.”

This was news to me and it raised my anxiety levels even further from where they currently were. Was this the reason I had a worrying feeling building up inside, was I becoming aware of something that I should have been advised of. Why had Shara not told me before now?

“How long do you think the Relic party will take in reaching here,” I asked Shara nervously.

“Perhaps another thirty of your minutes,” she replied. “Their progress will be slow but via larger corridors and elevators as a matter of necessity which will help their progress. We will just have to wait and see.”

I was becoming very anxious and fidgety. This was the last and had become the most important step in the Exodus and it could not be hurried, from what I had seen. I really was becoming fidgety and wanted matters to progress faster. I wanted to check on the two valiant workers outside the air lock and had to be briefly interrupted by Rilshen-por as I moved towards the small door in the external wall with the intention of stepping outside.

“Not yet Ian,” he insisted. “Wait until after we have opened the full size door for the Relic and, at that time, please make sure that your helmet is closed. We shall be leaving shortly after and the tube will have to be disconnected.”

Was my nervousness getting the better of me or was he able also to read my thoughts?