Chapter 8.
“Good morning, my friend! Did you sleep well?” Amon looked past Broc and smiled. “I see you are not expecting guests. Your tiny place couldn’t accommodate them.”
“It was Sara.” Broc smiled sheepishly. “Complaining about the cold again.”
“I trust your lack of sleep will not distract you from listening to what I know you want to hear.”
“I trust you will not be deterred for a similar reason.”
They both had a good laugh. Then Amon continued. “Not as similar as you might expect.”
“My first question is what is the purpose of this ‘darkness’? What does it do? Why is it watching us? Does it intend to do us harm?”
“Slow down, my brother. True, this is exciting. But are you not over-reacting? After all, this transceiver . . . that is what it is called . . . has been with us from the beginning. For how many years has it dwelt among us, never doing us harm. Never interfering, never disrupting? You must see that it means us no harm.”
Amon threw his arm around his friend’s shoulder and re-directed him toward his father’s shelter.
“What you will learn today will change your life forever! Ah, but do not be afraid. Not all change is bad.”
“Stories are that a man comes out of the ‘dark . . .,’ the tran-see-vur, and that he speaks to those who are there to listen. Is this true?”
“The transceiver is but a tool used by a man called Evander. He lives in a place far away from here, so he uses this tool to help him see and hear us. It also can remember things, like what a person looks like. And it can show an image of that person for others to see.”
“What of the man?” Broc was still anxious, but tried to collect himself.
“The thing that my father and I saw was not a real man. It was only an image of him, another of his tools. But his image spoke as he would if he were here with us.
“He spoke of his home as if it were another world, far beyond the heavens. He said that he could come here to see us face to face, but only for a short time.”
Amon was practically dragging Broc along as anticipation built in him, too.
“Slow down yourself!” Broc held back, but only slightly. “I still have questions.”
Amon saw genuine concern in his friend’s eyes.
“All will be answered in due time. For now, know this.” He stopped and turned to face Broc squarely.
“You above all people do I trust. We have been together from the time we were small. All things have we shared. Now, as we are men, so does this sharing continue. No matter what the outcome of this encounter with the ‘darkness,’ you and I will remain as we have always been.” They turned and continued walking, this time at a much slower pace.
“You and I do not always agree.”
“That too has ever been so.” Amon laughed, pushing his friend toward the doorway into his father’s shelter.
“I care not about the affairs of others. I have enough and more to occupy myself. I have a mate now, and must see to her needs. And if it be so, I may soon have a child to watch over.” Broc had listened closely to the dialog between Amon and Evander. He was intrigued by the idea of going to other places and experiencing new things. What troubled him was the amount of time he would be away.
“If I am to leave, I must take my mate with me. Without me, there will be no one to care for her.”
“That, I’m afraid, will not be possible.” Evander was a bit put off that such an idea would even be considered.
“The premise which is the foundation of this entire venture does not center around any select group or any select family. It is designed to look at populations as a whole. It has been shown time and again that when an individual is forced to choose between the welfare of his immediate family or that of an entire community, he will inevitably choose to protect his family. The emotional attachment he has with them is simply too strong. It tends to cloud his judgement. He tends to look only at solving the issues of the short term. The ‘future,’ as he sees it, is something nebulous, something not real, and therefore something which is of less import. In short, long-term planning is difficult to do when one has become embroiled in immediate issues.”
Broc sat motionless, trying to absorb what he was hearing. Many of the words this man used, he didn’t understand. He looked to Amon for support.
Amon, for his part, was beginning to believe it might have been a mistake to include Broc in any of this. He seemed not to be able to grasp the idea that if he left, his family would likely never see him again. More importantly, he seemed to lack the desire to take on the challenge. Perhaps it wasn’t that Broc didn’t want the responsibility. Perhaps he just didn’t understand what was expected of him.
“Do not be amazed by the words of this man, my brother. This language which you and I now speak to one another, he and others before him have spoken for time beyond measure. Therefore do not marvel that he uses it so much better than we.”
“I do understand him, in the main,” said Broc, looking at Amon. “I understand that to go with him, I must be willing to leave all that I know behind. I also understand that if I go, I will see my world change almost before my eyes, but that I will not be there to participate in that change. Rather, I will be left to deal with the results of actions taken during my absence. I will not have been there as a participant, doing what I could to influence the outcome.”
Evander listened carefully to what Broc said. It concerned him that perhaps Broc didn’t fully appreciate what he had been offered.
“All these things you say are true, my friend Broc; what you say, as well as what Amon says. When I originally came up with the idea of making direct contact with Amon, it was because he possesses something rare, even in all the worlds I have visited. He possesses the gift of being willing to step outside the bounds of his own world, his own experiences and perceptions, and observe objectively. From time to time, if it becomes necessary (and if it is appropriate), he may or may not intervene, depending on the severity of the need. Such intervention would, by necessity, only be done under well-established pre-conditions.”
“I too misinterpret some of what you say.” Amon turned from Broc to look penetratingly toward Evander. “However, if this is a gift; this feeling of concern which is inside of me, I perceive that it has also become a burden. I, like my friend here, am newly mated. For us and for our clan, this is a very difficult time.
“I AM the leader, as you say. I am the leader only because there was no one to come forward with a better plan. Should that person appear, I would be forced by conscience to relinquish my position.
“That person has not yet come forth. Therefore, if I leave now, my clan will be left to wander. My brother would lead if it became necessary, but for now, his heart would not be in it.
“Though your offer is tempting almost beyond resisting, I must decline, at least for now. Too much rides on what happens to us in the near future. This community is still very small, and vulnerable. My presence is needed here.”
Evander understood the logic in what each of them had said. Perhaps Amon was right. Much had been invested in this endeavour. Though countless other planets had been seeded, all had brought forth revelations, each unique in it’s own right, and worthy of the expense. This small community, though well on it’s way, was still quite vulnerable. Evander admitted to himself that his attraction to the qualities exhibited by Amon had perhaps clouded his judgement. Perhaps it would be best to wait a while longer. Hesitantly, he brought forth his last appeal.
“Do you understand that your ties to your family and this community will grow stronger as time goes by. It may be more difficult for you to leave at a later time.”
“Yes, Evander, my new friend. I understand the risk.” Amon was hesitant to say more. Both Broc and Evander could sense it. Turning to Broc, he continued.
“My brother, you and I have shared everything between us for as long as I can remember. Let us then speak plainly
about the future.”
Broc spoke from the heart, knowing that his brother would accept nothing less. “I am newly mated, as are you, though not for the first time. You understand what it is I feel for this woman.”
“Yes, of all people, I know. You know as well as I that, were you to leave, your thoughts would be always with her. You would wonder what your life together might have been, had you stayed and lived out your days here.”
“And you have the same feelings.” Broc responded. “I see the way you look at your new mate. I see the pain in your eyes. I know you remember . . . and I know you are concerned for her future, as well as all the others.”
“Yes. I look at Mahrom and remember . . .” (he would not say the name of his first mate) “ . . . she who is no longer among us.”
His voice strained as he struggled to re-focus his thoughts. At times he thought the only reason he had taken another mate was because it was expected of him. He forced himself to continue.
“I know how difficult it would be for her, as well as the rest of the clan. We move from the familiarity of our homeland because there are now so many of us. As we grow, we increase the risk of coming in contact with the ‘others.’ Though our numbers grow, we still lack the strength to withstand an assault from them. And even if we were strong enough, it would not be right for us to impose our will on them, should we prevail.
“It is better that we live separate. They are our brothers, but only in the sense that we share the same homelands. Though our parents were of the same lineage as them, we are not. This is clear from what is obvious . . . we do not look like them.
“It is this distinction that causes me to wonder. Why is there such a difference between us and our parents? I am certain that, should I go with Evander, I would learn the answer.
“Our clan has not yet reached a place of safety, where the loss of one man might not be of too great a burden. Also, soon there will be young ones among us. Then, the need for extra hands will be even greater.”
“I can think of no better solution than the ones you have given.” Evander responded. It would be expected of a person such as Amon. But in a very real sense, he felt relieved. He had not anticipated Broc being brought into the conversation, but Amon had insisted. Fortunately Broc’s priorities were in a different place right now, which put Evander’s original plan back in play.
“Very well then. You have made your decision, and it is a good one. If you will allow me, I would like to look in on you from time to time to see how you’re doing. And if you desire to speak with me, you have but to touch the trans . . . the device. It will remember you and will establish another link between us.”