Journey To The Planet Merridion (1)
Michael Harris

 

Roger Coleman looked over the story cursorily while Adrian Belfast watched with agitation on the other side of the desk. He had a pen in his hand and was making alterations here or there, whatever and wherever he felt was necessary to make it more of a polished product. This was only Adrian's second piece that he'd submitted for publication with the Bethesda Daily Star and the first time that Coleman was making modifications to this particular piece. He tilted his head up from reading every now and then and gave Adrian penetrating stares. Adrian held his gaze but perplexedly wondered why Coleman felt the need to torment him so.

Maybe he thought he was a young punk just out to make a quick buck, a kid who didn't take his craft seriously. Perhaps he felt the story wasn't grounded in reality. It certainly was sensational enough to be. Or, was it possible, that Roger Coleman was just too far separated from most of his troupe age wise; that he felt them all to be too much of a young and irresponsible lot?

Without question he gave the impression often enough to fit the description. An editor who didn't give a flying you-know-what as to morale of his younger troops (he didn't treat the elders that way); a guy so jaded, so passed the point of cordiality, presumably for reasons that didn't stand up well to scrutiny. Well, I won't let it bother me, thought Adrian. He would take the high ground. He would prove Roger Coleman wrong.

Finally, and rather abruptly, Coleman spoke his thoughts, breaking Adrian's reverie.

"This, story you didn't just--pull this out of your rear end, did you?"

"No," replied Adrian while rocking his head this way and that and placing his hands in his pockets, his face contorting into a grimace, frustration showing, despite expecting as much from Coleman. "It's all true."

"Your informants? They can be corroborated?"

"Of course." Roger Coleman then began to beat his pen on the desk and reflected inwardly on what Adrian had just said, shifting his gaze away from him. Adrian just stood there, questioning not for the first time what kind of decision he'd come to. After a time, Coleman burst out with a reply.

"This is good."

"Yeah?" said Adrian, breathing a sigh of relief and removing his hands from his pockets.

"Yes it is. Maybe not front page material, but the locals I'm sure will eat it up. That's what I hired you for, right? You're a local news reporter. I don't ask you to come up with the front pagers. But we can perhaps put the headline on the front page leading to the local section, it's good enough for that. Let's just hope none of that half-wit Nelson's lackeys across town is privy to this. A principal accused of knowing and cooperating with drug dealers at his own school? The locals will be outraged. We'll of course just need to verify your informants. I can't take the chance of blindly making this kind of accusation. I'm not trying to get sued for libel. "

"Right," said Adrian. Coleman rose and handed the story back to Adrian so he could make the alterations.

Adrian shuffled back to his desk with a grin, a bright beacon lighting up his face. To think that he'd actually get a headline on the front page for just his second submitted story was beyond thrilling. The Bethesda Daily Star was a decent sized print organization, with a circulation of around 250,000 in a city bordering 900,000 residents. Adrian was twenty four years of age. He was about to graduate from college and had veered towards journalism as his major after two years of majoring in English.

Adrian began making the amendments on the story that Coleman wanted. At times he would shake his head at some of the corrections. It seemed as if Coleman was just going through protocol, that none of the corrections were really worth correcting. Well, at least he admitted it was a good story, thought Adrian to himself. Maybe me being nice to him is starting to payoff. After about an hour's worth of revision he finished and resubmitted the piece and had performed his work for the day.

He collected his back pack, waved goodbye to his comrades, put on his sun glasses, and bounded for the exit, heading for the bus stop just outside of the building. The sun peeked behind the clouds in the late of the evening day. People strolled past him, going to their different destinations. Adrian still felt as high as a summit after discovering that his piece would get the treatment it was getting, and thought to himself that this could be the beginning of a great summer.

Then he was arrested by something. There was someone negotiating towards him in the thick of a few passersby, and through his sunglasses he could see that he carried an orange outline. Through his sunglasses, too, he recognized that it was someone from his past, someone he had thought long gone. Lucas? But, he left this planet a long time ago. Despite his uncertainty, the person drawing closer did at the least resemble Lucas, and not the persona he had previously took on, Casey Hudson. He sauntered in his direction, sometimes shifting his gaze. That seemed to change as he got closer to Adrian. Finally he pulled up right beside him near the bus stop where it was just he and Adrian.

"It's been a long time," said the Merridion who not only looked but sounded like Lucas. It must be him, thought Adrian.

"Are you--really Lucas?"

"Come on, Adrian, do we really have to go through this again," said he with a grin. "Of course it's me. And--there's a very important reason why I came back." Adrian thought on this for a time, wondering what the reason could be, as the Merridion-proven-to-be -Lucas reflected for a brief moment.

"Listen, Adrian, I uh--need you to come to Merridion with me."

"Huh?"

"It's very important, and for the good of humanity. It won't be a long stay," said Lucas as his gaze drifted away from Adrian for a moment, seemingly musing on something. "Maybe two days at most."

"Me? On Merridion? I've--I've never even been out of this country!" Adrian mulled over the whole of what was happening for a moment in time and aired his thoughts.

"You disappear for two years, show up out of nowhere, and expect me to just halt everything in my life and journey to an alien planet with you? What kind of sense does that make?" Adrian was exasperated. Lucas put his hands in his pockets and sighed, tilting his gaze away from Adrian once more as a hard breeze pushed against them both. Adrian considered it a little more after having calmed down a bit.

"Why exactly do you need me to go to Merridion with you? And how did you find me?" Lucas lost his gaze for a time. He seemed to be measuring up within himself what he could and could not reveal, a bewildered look about him.

"I kept in contact with the Merridions still living on the planet, those who would act as your peers, and they directed me to where I could find you."

"I see," said Adrian while lowering his gaze. "I did notice that there were Merridions eyeing me knowingly, as if I too carried an orange outline. So you were keeping tabs on me?

"Yeah," said Lucas. "As for your other question--" here Lucas halted and directed a hand to his head, looking away from Adrian, "umm--perhaps it's best if we leave that revelation up to the Contingent." Adrian's jaw dropped, and fear began to well up in the pit of his stomach. He wants me to go to see the Contingent? Why? His eyes widened. Without warning whispers of events long past reanimated themselves within him and disquietude pressed against him.
 
"They won't put me on trial for what I tried to do to you, will they?" Lucas brought his gaze up towards Adrian, chuckled a bit and waved his statement away.

"No, not at all. I forgave you for that, remember? The Contingent and us Merridions, would never do anything to harm you Earthlings."

"--Okay," said Adrian. By now the sun had sinked into the lower depths of the horizon, it being past dusk. The bus Adrian had been waiting for drew close in the borders of that horizon.

"So," began Lucas looking hopeful, "will you journey to Merridion with me?" Adrian reflected for another brief moment and aired his final few concerns.

"I'll be needing some kind of space suit, won't I? I mean, to travel in your space ship? And what about Merridion itself? Is the planet fit for human beings?"

"We breath air just as you do," said Lucas. "Merridion is very similar to Earth environmentally. And no, you won't need a space suit in my ship. The ship serves as the suit." Adrian lowered his head to the ground. Despite his initial concerns and fears, this wasa one in a lifetime kind of opportunity, to see another planet, a civilization so far advanced from his own.

"So," began Lucas, "shall we be on our way?"

"Yeah," said Adrian. "I'll go to Merridion with you."

***


Adrian wanted to at first journey back to his apartment and get a few things for the trip, but Lucas cautioned him not to. He said it was imperative that they be on their way as soon as possible.

After traveling through the inner city for about twenty minutes they were now on an isolated two lane road. Lucas himself seemed to be on edge the entire trip. He would gaze at his mirrors with rapidity, be deft at deflecting Adrian's inquiries as to why he was needed to go to Merridion, and ignore the speed limit. Admittedly, Adrian was accustomed to Lucas' driving at inflated speeds in his baby blue Porsche, but with all of the other characteristics lumped together it made Adrian himself feel a bit disconcerted. Something was amiss, he thought. This doesn't feel right. Maybe I should have said no.

Lucas was his friend, true, and he acted as so, just before he left planet Earth to do as he said 'a little ripening.' But his demeanor was questionable now that he had come back. Even though Lucas said that he was needed for the good of humanity, he reflected that he needed something, something of assurance, anything. Adrian felt like there was no way he could continue in this manner, and that he needed some answers.

"Listen, Lucas--I--I don't know if I can continue on like this."

"What do you mean?" said Lucas as he gave Adrian a brief contemplative stare.

"I mean, you're acting strange. There must be a reason behind it, right? I trust you and all, but I don't understand why you have to be so secretive."

"I'm not being secretive," said Lucas. Adrian just looked at him. "Okay, maybe I am. But I have to abide by the rules that the Contingent laid out. They know the best route for us Merridions to take. We have been under their governance for over a millennia, and they have never steered us wrong. Why would they steer the friends of us wrong, you Earthlings? It'll be the Contingent that lays everything out for you, and you can decide for yourself. It's not like I don't want to be completely honest with you--I do--it's just that by doing it this way your best interests will be served. That's all." Adrian considered this for a moment. It seemed genuine, it seemed like the friend he remembered. Maybe he does have my best interests at heart, he thought.

They were journeying on a road in Bethesda near Washington D.C. Lucas had his space ship situated in the exact same area (the clearing) that it was when he bought Adrian to see it the first time.

They made it to the clearing at around 9:15, an area bespotted with clumps of trees and brush infrequently. Lucas pulled up alongside the curb of the road and very nearly came out of his sneakers when a car raced right past them. Adrian held his gaze and Lucas told him to forget about it, that it was nothing. Then Lucas looked penetratingly up and down the road, and pulled the car behind a gathering of trees and brush. He exited the vehicle and motioned for Adrian to do the same.

"We're here without incident," said Lucas. "Let's get moving, we shouldn't keep the Contingent waiting."

"--Okay," said Adrian. "Lead the way." Lucas bounded for where he kept his ship, and Adrian sagged behind.

Lucas pulled out the alien looking device to de-cloak the ship. After playing with it a while, a shimmering, electrical storm began to coalesce. The shimmering held for brief moments and then the ship was exposed. It was about the height of a van and was pointed, sleek and silver. The moonshine fell down upon it, reflecting off of it at varying angles, even in the depths of night.

Both Adrian and Lucas headed in its direction, but then there was a rustling in some isolated brush to the very right of them and near a tree. They turned, and were confronted by a tall man of about six and a half feet of decidedly Russian decent, with black slick down hair and who held some kind of silver two handed weapon, resembling something out of a science-fiction film. Adrian looked back towards Lucas and he perceived that he was frightened..

"Ah, Lucalan, you haf no idea how long I haf ben waiting on you to return with the contact," he said as he approached them with whatever he had in hand, primed and ready to fire. "I haf ben sekretly trailing you for dayz. It is meeracle dat you haf come at' tall. I would'haf konsidered yourselv to be, uh, how do you say...somewhat brighter." Adrian by now had shortened the distance considerably between he and Lucas, wondering dumbly what was going on, while the Russian advanced slowly.

"It won't work this time, Clev,” said Lucas while grabbing hold of Adrian's hand. “The Contingent won't let Earth become like Telkwinira. You and your people should leave here peacefully.”

“Come now, Lucalan, we are far pass da stage of dizkussion. Now, two of you will be coming with me.”

“Never!” said Lucas.

Adrian was beyond confused, but he held tightly onto Lucas' hand. Lucas then pulled out a metallic sphere from his pocket and threw it at the man. It let loose a force field that stretched at least fifty yards, hemming the Russian in. He looked at the field of light, cursed, and then fired his weapon at it. A ball of aggressive energy came exploding out of the thing, and when it made contact with the force field the barrier seemed to weaken, the light reflecting off of it dimming a great deal and the field dissipating somewhat, but then it was re-energized.

Lucas then quickly lead Adrian to the ship. They ascended the newly revealed transparent steps, entered into it, and the hatch fell down. Lucas activated crisscrossing
safety belts. Then the craft began to hover, and they bounded off for space in the dead of night, quickly putting great distance between themselves and the ground.

"Who was that?" said Adrian as Lucas piloted the sleek interstellar cruiser over the earth and through the black. "What's going on? Come on, Lucas, you can't keep me in the dark like this." Adrian was exasperated. What was happening? Why did Lucas fear that man so?

"Alright," said Lucas after briefly considering. "I'll try to answer some of your questions, the ones that aren't of too significance. Fire away." Finally some answers, thought Adrian to himself.

"He wasn't really human was he?" said Adrian softly. “He's like you, isn't he?” Lucas thought on this for a time, seeming to measure within himself what he could and could not reveal again.

"In some ways you would be correct, but in others, not nearly so. Clev is... a member of a race of people known as the Aelkighted. Their home world is a planet at the rim of the galaxy, called Aelkightia." Here Lucas halted. "And that's about all I can share."

"So that man was actually another extraterrestrial?"

"Yes," replied Lucas.

"And why did he look like he wanted to kill us?" said Adrian sharply as he stared across towards Lucas. Lucas lowered his head while piloting the cruiser. He never looked towards Adrian and Adrian saw an almost helpless look displayed on his visage.

"That--I can't share at this point and time. But--suffice it to say they have been causing a lot of problems as of late.”" He then refocused his attention on piloting the craft. Adrian looked out into the great expanse of graphite that was the universe, stars bespeckled throughout, serving as points of light. His mind was beginning to work in overdrive. It was starting to get back to that point it did two years ago, when he saw just how many Merridions populated the university through the alien sunglasses Lucas had given him.

The deep recesses of his mind cracked forth, bringing with it scores upon scores of open cans of worms. A dark pall of doubt began to descend about him.

His thoughts would drift, zigzagging around pathways men's minds shouldn't have to wander. They would race, each vying for dominion. He was experiencing what was akin to a mighty struggle. Something is brewing, on an intergalactic scale, he managed. There's a reason he can't share this information with me. But what? From somewhere deep within himself he was able to summon enough courage to ask Lucas one last question.

"Everyone I know is going to become enslaved, aren't they; all of humanity even? The Aelkighted, they're going to invade and enslave us!" Lucas didn't look at him, he only pressed a button on the console, reached within an ascending cylindrical compartment on the dashboard, and pulled out one of many splendiferous and many sided leafs and held it out to Adrian.

"I had a feeling something like this would happen. Swallow this. It'll allow you to fall asleep and rest almost instantly." Adrian reached hesitatingly. "Go on, it's safe. Us Merridions use it when we are cruising through the galaxy, during hyperspace." Adrian only glared at him for a few more moments until he then took the leaf and chewed. He needed to rest his mind, regardless of whatever turned out to be the case with the Aelkighted. In only an instant his eyelids became heavy and he hazily heard Lucas say the following:

"We'll be entering into hyperspace now. When you awake we'll be near Merridion." And that was how he passed out.

***


Adrian's rest did not come easy. He was experiencing a conglomeration of succeeding nightmares. He saw great capital ships descending on planet Earth, hordes upon hordes of them, blotting out the sun's light. Extraterrestrial super beings rounded up Earth's inhabitants, putting Hollywood's best visual effects and makeup artists to shame. The ETs were varied; some spread throughout the land tentacled, like something out of a work of Lovecraft; others were beings of pure light and energy, and still others managed to look like a multitude of invading Russians.

In every scenario humanity was either shuttled to a distant planet or massacred. Such was the options left to Earthlings. There was resistance, but it was largely divided; and the vast knowledge of the extraterrestrials greatly outweighed anything that the human race was able to throw at them. Adrian saw numerous cities engulfed in blazes of light as the aliens let loose advanced weaponry. It was beyond terrifying...

...Adrian jolted upright in his seat. He was sweating bullets and looked about himself, wondering what was real and what wasn't. Lucas was looking towards him with an air of concern.

"You alright?" he said. "You were having nightmares." Adrian glanced about himself awkwardly and sought to question Lucas.

"What happened? I saw...war...great and terrible conflict. Was none of it real?" Lucas' gaze was one of great melancholy.

“I...Merridion is—in view. See? We'll be there shortly.” Lucas' voice jarred Adrian out of his reverie, and he bought his head up from his lap and looked through the wide cockpit window.

It was a planet with a lot of vegetation, the greenery could be seen from space as they came ever closer. There were great oceans on Merridion, and several large interconnected landmasses, from what Adrian could see. Adrian observed with an air of reverence, and he spoke wistfully.

“To think, someone as—insignificant as I could be shuttled to an alien planet, on some wild mission, for the good of the human race.” He then managed a grin. “If I were still seeing Crystal there's no way I could share something as extraordinary as this.”

Lucas considered Adrian's statement for a time. “There will be other humans here, you won't be the only one. So—you'll be able to share the experience with those of your race.”

Adrian took in what Lucas had said, as the space craft rapidly approached Merridion, the planet growing greatly through the cockpit view. The swallowing of that leaf calmed his mind immensely, there was a peace that he possessed by virtue of digesting it, so he was able to think more reasonably. Why exactly did the Contingent need to speak with so many different human representatives? What was going on?

The Aelkighted. What were they planning? Then, he made a mental link. Clev...he was a member of the Aelkighted, disguised as a Russian. Lucas proved to him through the alien sunglasses that he'd given him that there were many other Merridions populating the planet, in disguise. Is it at all possible or even within the realm of probability that there were also other Aelkighted living throughout the world, camouflaged? He didn't want to think about it, but the more he considered it, the more it seemed likely.

As he continued thinking on these things, the planet of Merridion loomed into existence. Lucas expertly piloted the craft, breaking through the planet's gravitational field. Adrian began having trouble breathing. He looked pleadingly towards Lucas and Lucas told him not to worry about it, that it was normal. There was much rocking and shimmying as the craft began its descent into the atmosphere. It also seemed as if there was pressure being exerted on Adrian.

Then the craft burst through and they rapidly flew through a lightly violet sky, the planet's sun at the height of its powers, Lucas guiding the craft through the thick clouds, visibility greatly obscured.

Adrian shifted his gaze this way and that, trying to peek behind the orange tinted clouds. “I—can't see anything.”

“Don't worry. Once we get through the clouds you'll get a good look at Castillia, the seat of the Contingent.”

And then it happened at once. The thickness of the clouds receded, and Adrian saw a vast, sweeping city, enfolding before them, with buildings that were anastomotic in many respects, and possessing a kind of all encompassing harmony and excellence that left him wonder-struck. Many structures reached for the summit of the heavens, congregated zeniths, some impossibly thin, others of great bulk and girth. And as they pulled ever closer to the metropolis, the taller edifices hugging them, other vehicles careening passed them, he perceived other structures, much shorter, that were both slanted and curved at their peaks and coated in exotic coloring; structures that were akin to great domes and standing atop steeples, structures that were all formed in various geometric configurations, such glorious configurations! The mind wondered.

He saw other things which left him in absolute astonishment. An extravagantly long hover train snaked its way through the clouded sky of the planet from around an impossibly tall structure, zooming past them and situated on rails of light. Something gargantuan and to the right of them, jet black, a monolith of construction, so profuse in dimensions as to incite apprehension in the human mind, was lifting itself from the ground by some means of propulsion. Adrian watched with great wonderment as the thing slowly yet steadily plied the skies. A massed assortment of spires that were in a circular configuration and surrounding a floating, elevated silver sphere, each let loose their own ray beams, the blasts meeting at the sphere, resulting in a few staggered bursts that gushed towards the skies, like something akin to an alien SOS.

For every time something passed from view there was another something that rose up to take its place. His mouth had long ago fallen open as he continued drawing in the immense splendor of it all, the undeniable beauty and technological achievement of Merridion and Castillia, the seat of the Contingent.

“This place is so—so far advanced from anything on Earth. You Merridions are light years ahead of us."

“If only I had time to give you the guided tour,” said Lucas with a smile as he piloted the craft through the alien skyway. “I myself don't understand the specifics of our technological advancement. My parents are diplomats, and so that is how I was able to live on Earth for a time, and visit. But—perhaps later, if we have time I could give you a tour of what's translated as the Inviolable.”

“What's the Inviolable?”

“It's where the Contingent meets. We approach it now, in the far horizon. It's the biggest structure on all of Merridion, and a symbol of how our people approach others in the universe, as well as ourselves. See? There.” Lucas pointed and Adrian inclined his head. There, in the distance, loomed a great and all-embracing arch of a structure, made of something crystalline and pure, Merridion's sun reflecting off the coating of the thing, showcasing shine and brilliance. In the great distance it stood, probing the mind for impurities, and beckoning all onlookers to follow after peace.

 

 

Go to part:2 

 

 

Copyright © 2008 Michael Harris
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"