God’s Child Chapters 26-30
Chapter 26
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For the next few days, the transport cruiser carrying the child silently moved through the Astragius Galaxy’s Trockhov sector. Voyaging through the starry seas tended to be a tedious venture. There were no waves, no wind, and nothing to do but drift through jet-black space without a care in the world.
That’s why most of the fun was in the meals. It all came down to the third meal, or dinner. The major sipped his glass and lamented his daily boredom.
“The wine and food aren’t bad, but…it’s about time for a rotation, or a twist to the menu. Otherwise, what else is there…?”
“I have nothing to say,” Bob replied. “I’m grateful to whoever brought such peace to my life. Well, maybe I should thank Lu.”
Bob casually raised his glass to Lu — when the lights in the ship suddenly dimmed, and ferocious music shook the darkness, filling the air. The ship’s monitor lit up, and images of a fierce battle flooded out of it.
This was a one-sided affair more aptly described as a massacre rather than a battle. A certain military group shot, trampled, and tore apart civilians and combatants, young and old, male and female, without distinction. It was a feast of destruction, carnage, blood and fire. Voices were raised all over the ship.
“What is this?”
“Oh, my God!”
“Look at that red shoulder!”
“The Red Shoulders!”
“The Bloodsucker Squad!”
The “march of the Bloodsucker Squad” stopped blaring, and the images disappeared, leaving only an artificial voice in the darkness.
“Chirico…you don’t seem as upset as before. It seems like only yesterday I saw you crying and turning pale when you heard the ‘march’ and saw what you had done…”
Chirico responded to the darkness.
“I’ve grown up too.”
“Hmm…and that is why you are fit to be responsible for the upbringing of my successor.”
“And what about that?”
“Let us see how my successor has grown.”
As soon as the lights came back on, an alarm sounded, signaling an emergency.
“What is it? What’s going on?”
“I’ll check with the bridge,” growled the major, frustrated by the sound of the alarm and the lack of an announcement. he rushed to the bridge to find it filled with tension. All the crew members were glued to the instruments at their stations.
“What’s going on?” the major asked the captain.
“It’s–” the captain was about to answer when the image on the main monitor changed and a crew member spoke up.
“We have video of a mysterious floating object!
“What is this?”
Numerous dark brown cylinders were floating in the blackness of space with a dull glow.
“They’re approximately 30 to 35 meters long and seven or eight meters in diameter.”
“Their mass is comparable to an equivalent amount of steel.”
“We’re surrounded by these objects.”
“Why didn’t we see them before?” the captain demanded.
“Between the march music and the appearance of that image…”
An artificial voice interrupted the crewman’s reply.
“I brought you here.”
“Who are you?”
“I am the one who rules the Astragius galaxy.”
“W-Wiseman??”
“Or God.”
“Why God?”
“I want to see my successor grow up.”
“Successor?”
“The boy you call The Child. There he is.”
The voice prompted the captain to look around.
“Ah!”
Lu was standing at the back of the bridge with Chirico.
“You can’t get out of this floater belt with the way you guys are maneuvering,” Lu said.
“I want to see what The Child is capable of,” the voice said. “Let him guide the ship.”
“You want me to put this boy in charge of the ship?”
“Yes. With your skills, the ship won’t last another five minutes. One brush with a floater, and you’ll be scattered across the universe.”
“Are you saying that child can get us free?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I hope, but if it doesn’t go as expected, that will be the end of it.”
With that, the artificial voice died away.
The captain could only splutter with confusion, at a loss for words. Chirico glanced from the captain to a crew member.
“Is it as impossible as he says?”
“The floaters are too close together,” the crew member despaired. “There’s not enough distance to avoid them!”
Chirico took one look at the captain and said, “Let him handle it,” indicating Lu. “Lu. Try to get us out of here.”
Lu nodded silently and ran to each instrument panel. He consulted with the crewmen from moment to moment, then turned to face the main monitor.
“Maneuvering order!” he shouted.
“Bridge, maneuvering order!” a nervous voice repeated.
The air inside the ship instantly tightened.
“Reverse speed forward!”
“Reverse speed forward!”
Lu’s orders were sent to the ship’s departments one by one.
“Hard right rudder!”
“Hard right rudder!”
On the screen, a dark brown column drifted sharply to the left.
“Port engine stop!”
“Port engine stop!”
“Open starboard engine!”
“Starboard–”
“No need to repeat! Immediate action permitted!”
Lu prioritized the speed of maneuvering over shipboard customs.
“Center rudder! All ahead port and starboard!”
He ran from instrument panel to instrument panel, issuing a series of commands. His voice and the voices of the crew answering his questions were the only sounds on the bridge. The major, the captain, and even Chirico held onto whatever they could and endured the pitching from side to side without a sound. They could only stare at the dark-brown metal pillars approaching one by one on the main monitor.
Chapter 27
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Lu’s ship was passing through the dense floater belt.
“45 degrees starboard!”
“Slow ahead!”
“Port engine stop!”
“Port engine full!”
“Full speed, port and starboard!”
The commands issued one after the other were subtle, bold, and precise! The rudder and engines were controlled as if the ship were moving its own limbs. Everything inside was silent.
Then, “We’re out.” Lu’s voice brought back the sound of human breathing in the bridge. Of course, no one had stopped breathing, they had just been so tense that they had forgotten about it.
“Captain, I return the ship to you.”
At the sound of Lu’s voice, the captain could only nod. And then, “What planet is that?”
It was unclear who had shouted this, but everyone in the room gasped. A huge light brown sphere was drifting into sight from the left edge of the main monitor, filling the screen.
Lu’s boyish but calm voice echoed through the bridge. “It’s all right. The ship is already in orbit around it.”
“What’s going on?” the captain asked. “Can you explain?”
“It seems we’ve been invited to that planet.”
“Invited?”
“Well, we were led here by necessity once we passed through the floater belt.”
Chirico’s hunch was right.
There were no further instructions from Wiseman from then on. The control staff had determined the ship’s current location from the navigation record.
“We’re out. The ship is in polar orbit around the planet Glasseus in the northern reaches of the Trockhov sector.
“Planet Glasseus?” the captain shouted in surprise. “The vanishing planet?”
Understandably, the major asked, “What is the vanishing planet?”
“It’s no wonder people don’t know.” As the captain explained, all eyes in the bridge were fixed on the light brown world on the main monitor. “At the end of the Hundred Years War, a planet suddenly disappeared from all data in the Astragius Galaxy. Of course, both Gilgameth and Balarant made numerous attempts to explore the Trockhov region, where the planet had once existed. But no trace of it could be found, and exploration teams were disappearing one after another, so the quest was abandoned. That planet is Glasseus.”
“An invitation from Wiseman,” Chirico muttered. “One we can’t refuse.”
“Are you going down to Glasseus?” the captain asked.
“Lu and I will. I have a long history with the one who invited us.”
A beat later, the major came forward. “Where the child goes, I have to go. That’s the mission.”
The Doctor remained silent.
Bob looked alternately at Lu and Chirico. “Can I come with you?” he asked timidly. “Or will I be a liability?”
“It’s okay with me,” Lu answered. “Chirico?”
“Whatever you want,” he said.
It then took two orbits to unify the will of the ship and prepare for landing. The captain decided to go along.
“I and five of my men will go with you. I don’t know if you’ll need them, but I have two A.T.’s ready.”
A landing craft carrying the group left the ship and descended toward Glasseus.
“We’ll land in the mountainous region of the northern hemisphere.”
Observations from the ship showed that the mountainous area was free of any man-made structures. The ship’s landing site had to be secluded to avoid unnecessary friction.
“I have my duty, of course, but as a sailor of the Star Sea, there are temptations I can’t escape.”
According to the captain’s account, “Glasseus, the vanished planet” belonged to a frontier region of the Astragius Galaxy at the time of the Hundred Years War, and its social development was barely medieval. He explained that the Gilgameth and Balarant camps brought their own conflicting agendas to the mix.
This, in a sense, promoted the development of military technology, but it also brought about strife and instability. Neither side wanted Glasseus to be biased toward the other, but they did not take responsibility for social disorder. Eventually, the war came to an end and Glasseus disappeared from the galaxy.
“For what reason, and what is it now? I’d think that would be interesting to anyone, not just me.”
Bob nodded in agreement. “It’s like an experiment that’s been left alone for 30 years.”
The captain agreed enthusiastically. “Yes, it is. Wiseman’s super-technology manipulated data throughout the galaxy and eliminated anything that came close to it with the floater belt. It’s a necessity, don’t you agree, major?”
The Major’s response was blunt, as if he were on a mission. “I agree, sir.”
A nomad traveling on the Tasa Plateau shouted, “Look at that!”
The man pointed to a streak of light that cut diagonally across the ink-red sky. Several people shouted in surprise.
“What is that?”
The main members of the clan gathered at the chief’s tent.
Chief Taegsang asked gravely, “You’re certain that it was the Arrow of Advent, are you?”
The man could not hide his excitement. “There is no mistaking it! That was the image of God descending into the world, the story I’ve heard since I was a child, descending into this world today!”
He asked the men on either side of him for consent. They responded positively. Chief Taegsang meditated for a moment, then let the words escape from his thick lips.
“At last. At last you have come…”
Chapter 28
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The nomads of Tasa were not the only ones to learn of the descent of the landing craft carrying Lu, Chirico, and the others. Rumors quickly spread throughout the mountainous highlands of the northern hemisphere.
“At last, God has come!”
“We will be saved!”
“The reign of God is about to begin!”
“It’s Mettalia! Mettalia is here!”
These rumors spread not only in the streets, but also among those in power.
“Mettalia has descended?”
“The word is that Mettalia has finally appeared to change the world.”
“Hmm…Mettalia…”
What was Mettalia? The word meant “transcendent.” It was a word with a special ring to it that no one on Glasseus precisely understood.
On the afternoon of the third day after the craft landed, the two men who had gone out scouting came back gasping for breath.
“About a dozen locals are coming this way!”
“What?”
Tension ran high.
“I didn’t see any weapons. I don’t think they’re hostile.”
“Well…” The captain thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s go out and meet them. It’s our first contact, and we don’t want any unnecessary friction.”
By unspoken agreement, the captain took command of the group.
“Three of you stay here.”
The landing craft was the group’s lifeline.
“Yes, sir.”
The captain waited for the visitors far enough away so the landing craft was hidden in the shadows and could not be seen. Soon, the nomadic tribesmen led by Elder Taegsang arrived. When he saw the captain’s group, he kneeled down to the ground. All the others followed his example.
“Hmm. Well, they don’t seem to mean any harm.”
The group, led by the captain, approached slowly, stopping at a distance of about ten meters. Minutes passed in silence. Then Taegsang raised half his body with his hands and said, “Mettalia!”
He knelt to push his forehead against the ground again. His companions followed suit.
“What is Mettalia?” the captain asked the man with a translator.
“It could mean…transcendent.”
“Transcendent? Does he mean us… or the child?”
The Taegsang clan did not speak basic Astradan, but with the help of a translator, the group was able to get a general idea of what they wanted.
“They want to invite us, but what does that mean?”
After some thought, Bob answered simply, “We should accept their invitation. I don’t doubt their good will, and I think we’re all getting a little tired of the ship’s food.”
The group was led to the clan’s main tent, which was quite large. The seven of them were seated in a place of honor, and in front of them were the main members of the clan. Between the two groups, there was an overflowing supply of food and drink.
“Very good!” Bob looked around the tent and observed, “But no glass, no steel, no plastic!”
Indeed, the space was made of wood, cloth, and animal skin, with almost nothing inorganic in sight. The softness and warmth that enveloped the group made them feel at home.
“Mettalia. Atoura delshanse.” Taegsang’s words signaled the pouring of wine into the cups, and when it had been poured and distributed to everyone, “Murshans, murshans, murshans.”
Taegsang held a cup out in front of him. The others in the troupe followed his lead and held theirs out, not moving.
Chirico saw this and said, “It looks like they can’t drink until we do.” He raised his cup and said, “Murshans.”
He emptied the glass in one go. The Captain, the Major, Bob, and Lou all followed suit.
“Murshans!”
The whole troupe joined in at once in a sudden, joyful roar of, “Murshans!” and the cups were drained. This was their way. It was a signal to drink as if a dam had been broken. Then they dove into the meal. The tent was filled with a tremendous amount of energy, laughter, words, and joy.
Bob, not to be outdone, took the tone of the event by drinking, eating, laughing, and slapping his belly. “This is so much fun!”
“The professor has been easy-going so far,” the captain said guardedly. “Now let’s see what’s going to happen.”
The major’s comment was a bit too immediate. “The liquor and the food leave a bit of a residue on the tongue, don’t they?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s pretty good, but I guess it’s just a matter of taste.”
“How about Lu?” Bob asked casually. “Is he eating?” He looked back at Lu, who was still playing with the translator.
“I’m full,” he said, handing the translator back to its owner.
Someone suddenly shouted “Murshans!” and soon it became a chorus. “Murshans! Murshans! Murshans!”
Taegsang stood up and held out his hands to quiet everyone. The voices and movement stopped. Silence reigned in the tent. Taegsang sat down again and took his cup in his hand. Immediately, a man nearby filled it with wine. Other men filled their own cups as well. As if he had been waiting for the right moment, Taegsang opened his mouth solemnly.
“Coletec sa hornican dasanté do mettalia.”
“What did he say?” The captain asked his men to translate.
“We have long and ardently awaited the coming of the transcendent.”
“Nonoricam nono murshans mettalia.”
“Therefore, we sincerely wish to offer a cup to the transcendent.”
“Dodo dodo Mettalia?
He says, “Who is Mettalia? In other words…who is the one?”
The captain and the rest of the crew stopped talking. He was unable to decide what the best response would be. They looked at each other, and eventually their gazes fell on Chirico.
If the transcendent one they were referring to was the Son of God, then was it the child? But was the child really the Son of God? Chirico was the one who knew the most about this. After all, Wiseman had entrusted him with the child’s upbringing. But was the child the same as the transcendent one on this planet? And if so, was it safe to admit it? How would things work out after they answered that question?
Time stood still and the silence grew heavier until it could not go on any longer.
Lu spoke as he slowly stood up.”Shi, shi, basu Mettalia shi.” He opened his hands in front of his chest.
“Shi, Mettalia.”
Chapter 29
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Elder Taegsang and the others shouted with delight. “Oh! Mettalia!”
Lu spread his hands and connected the words. “Bon shi bouffel zuon.”
An even higher cheer went up. “Oh, Mettalia!” And then toast after toast. “Murshans! Murshans! Murshans!”
“Child, what did you say to them?” the captain asked Lu.
“I told them I was the transcendent, and I blessed them as transcendent people.”
“In their own words?”
Lu nodded and said simply, “I just studied it on the translator, and now I have no trouble speaking it.”
A man jumped into the tent and shouted, “Rabaraba!”
“Van Valarasa? Kakou, rabaraba!”
The noise of the troupe suddenly subsided.
Taegsang said, “Kakou! Kakou!” and the man nodded.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Lu answered the captain’s question without waiting for the translator.
“They say the army of Van Valarasa has arrived.”
“An army!?”
Soon, someone who was clearly a military man appeared, pushing aside the man at the entrance.
“Nanousa, Taegsang.”
He gave a familiar nod to Elder Taegsang, and then said to everyone in clear Astradan, “This is my first time seeing you. I am Captain Esesraze Jumolan of the Imperial Guard, First Battalion of the Divine Kingdom of Van Valarasa.”
“Hmm…” The captain felt comfortable with the general Astradan language and the rank of captain.
“I am Captain Dromzen Pasdard of the Gilgameth Strategic Space Command.” He returned the name, but dared not introduce the others. “What can we do for you, Captain Jumolan?” he asked by way of a preemptive probe.
“The other day, our Intelligence Department received a report that an unidentified flying object had landed in this area. We have been searching for it.”
Captain Jumolan paused for a moment and looked around at the others,
“And here I encounter the captain’s party…”
The captain shrugged his shoulders as if he had no choice but to explain. “I see. I’m sorry to have troubled you. Our ship left the planet Rado for the planet Melkia, but we unintentionally veered off course. Before we knew it, we found ourselves lost in orbit here over Glasseus. I was concerned about fuel and food, so we came down to ask for assistance. We were invited by Taegsang, and treated with such hospitality…”
The captain cleverly concealed the details.
“I see…” Captain Jumolan’s eyes were sharp and thoughtful. “That must be problematic for you. Rest assured, our Divine Kingdom will gladly offer our support. We will return to headquarters to deliver a report, but we will come back to pick you up later. Farewell until then.”
Captain Jumolan saluted quickly and turned around without waiting for a reply. Looking through a seam in the tent, the group watched his platoon of soldiers depart.
After returning to the landing craft, they began to analyze the situation. Captain Pasdard opened the conversation.
“We must assume that our presence is known throughout the planet.”
“We were received by the nomads,” Major Kromzender said, “and the local military is aware of us.” After stating the obvious, his mood lifted. “But your answer was excellent, you didn’t give away a single important detail.”
“Yes, I think you could read his demeanor. That’s why I only said what was necessary.”
The captain’s reading of the situation was accurate.
“Do you mean you are the Mettalia?” Bob asked Lu in an inappropriately casual voice. “The transcendent?”
“That’s what it means.” Lu answered. “For Taegsang, Mettalia is a blessing that bestowed the gospel on him.”
“What does it mean to the military, or rather, to the Van Valarasa Kingdom?” the captain asked. “And what does it mean to all the people and nations of Glasseus?”
“That’s exactly right,” the Major said. “What is Mettalia to this planet? If it’s a nuisance to those in power…” He paused thoughtfully.
Bob jumped in, still speaking in his leisurely tone. “The captain told us that this planet’s civilization is, roughly speaking, still in the Middle Ages. That usually means there’s a power bias with oppressors and oppressed. I’m not saying that this planet, or even the Kingdom of Van Valarasa, is like that, I’m just saying that in general, that’s how things go…”
Bob’s theory was interrupted by the Major. “Power bias exists in our world, too. Both for oppressors and the oppressed. As long as there are humans, those things will not disappear.”
“You’re right, Major,” Bob said, satisfied. “Humans never learn, do they? They want to boss each other around. They want to take things, and once they hold them they never want to let go. Oh, that’s right. Lu. Why did you call yourself Mettalia?”
All eyes turned to Lu. No one here disputed that he was what Taegsang and the others called Mettalia. Everyone recognized it. But who “decided” it? No one had “declared” it.
“I figured it out,” Lu said in an unwavering tone. “The more I heard them speak, the more I understood that this was about me.”
Lu could speak their words with anyone, about anything. Everyone here had witnessed it.
“Not just Taegsang, but everyone on the planet has been waiting for Mettalia. In other words, they’ve been waiting for me.”
Everyone was speechless.
Eventually, Chirico stated, “Wiseman’s test has begun.”
Chapter 30
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Chirico’s words, “Wiseman’s test,” silenced everyone.
“The word ‘test’ always has an unpleasant sound…” It was Bob who finally broke the silence. “A test is a trial, isn’t it? A confirmation, or something like that.” He looked to Chirico for an answer. “The question is whether Lu is worthy of being his successor and whether he can become a child of God.”
“I don’t know. I just…”
Major Kromzender interrupted Chirico in his usual military tone, “Sergeant Chirico, you were entrusted by Wiseman to raise him, and you agreed to it. If that’s the case, then you must take responsibility. The fate of all of us hangs on your answer.”
“I just said I would raise him, that’s all.”
“What do you mean ‘that’s all’? What do you mean by ‘raise him’? Explain it, Sergeant Chirico!”
“Feed him, teach him various things, help him grow.”
“Is that all?”
“That’s all.”
“Is that supposed to explain how a newborn infant can grow this big in just over eight months, solve 3,000 year-old mathematical problems, freely pilot a virtual A.T., operate a warship, and communicate with an unknown people after only a few hours of contact?”
Chirico’s answer was curt. “I suppose so.”
“I’ll admit that the child is…unique. It’s self-evident. But what kind of test is Wiseman going to give him?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure that’s why he brought us to this planet. That’s probably what this planet is all about.”
The capital was located on a plain about a hundred or so kilometers away from the mountainous plateau where the landing craft rested. The kingdom of Van Valarasa was a nation ruled by divine royal authority.
There were two rulers in power in this kingdom: the Heavenly King Darmderam Golkin Gyuptabtoten the Third, and the Holy Pope Dralen Nipnip XIII. The king was the supreme executive power of the state, and the pope was the supreme authority of the state religion, which affirmed the divine right of the state.
Standing between these two powerful men was a 70-year old who appeared to be a seasoned politician. The man said, “Raise your head, Captain Jumolan.”
“Sire!”
Jumolan, who was kneeling far away, raised his head to a medium height.
“You say you’ve found a group of people?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me the details.”
“I was contacted by the Intelligence Department. I rushed to the Gonneau Plateau with my troops and came into contact with a group of seven people being entertained with food and drink in a nomad’s tent. The leader of the group identified himself as Captain Dromzen Pasdard of the Gilgameth Strategic Space Command.”
“And among them was the boy in question?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Hmm…and what happened?”
“I accepted their explanation and said that our Divine Kingdom would gladly lend our support. I gave this reply and came back. Of course, they are being watched.”
“Is that all?”
“That is all.”
“Well done, Captain Jumolan, well done. You may depart.”
The man dismissed the Captain and turned to look up at the two authorities behind him.
“He’s quite sharp, that man,” he said with a sly grin. His name was Pulurucul Pulsan, and he was the Prime Minister of this country.
“Indeed, it is good that he did not pry too much into the matter.”
“As you say, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t want any trouble with Gilgameth.”
“Indeed, Your Eminence.”
Despite his language, Pulsan’s demeanor exuded a familiarity that could be called intimate. In other words, this man was the real power behind the actual affairs of this country.
“Now, what shall we do about this?”
Prime Minister Pulsan looked at the king and the pope, but both remained silent. After a few moments, Pulsan came to a conclusion.
“As per their request, we will provide fuel and food assistance, and allow them to depart for Melkia quietly. I think that is our best course of action.”
After a pause, the king replied, “Yes, yes. I think it’s a good idea. It is best not to do anything unnecessary.”
The Pope nodded. Immediately, Prime Minister Pulsan took his leave.
Captain Jumolan ranted as he drove his high-mobility military vehicle toward the Gonneau Plateau.
“Is it enough for a country to have only one power and authority?”
His sharp mind had accurately deciphered the intentions of the leaders of Van Valarasa. In other words, “The leaders of the kingdom are not the only ones with power. They want to get rid of anyone who undermines their position as soon as possible, and pretend such a thing never existed. That’s what it means.”
Arriving in front of the landing craft, Captain Jumolan informed Captain Pasdard of the kingdom’s intentions.
“Our Divine Kingdom will be happy to assist you with the supplies you have requested. We will provide you with everything you need at our Royal Space Station. We look forward to seeing you in a day or two.”
He then added, implicitly, that it would be better for both sides to keep this matter private, and that their flight route should be concealed.
The captain said, “I thank the Kingdom of Van Valarasa and you for your kindness. We will arrive at the Royal Space Station the day after tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m.”
With these words of gratitude, the captain sent Jumolan home. Every bit as perceptive, he thought, “The Mettalia must be a nuisance to the state, just as it is to Gilgameth. If the child is Wiseman’s successor, if he is the son of God, what will come of that?”
“What happens next, Captain?” Major Kromzender asked.
“We get fuel and food and get the hell off this planet,” the captain replied.
“That’s good. I took this mission because I thought I’d get to eat good food and see the Northern Lights on a remote planet, but it’s become much more complicated. As the old saying goes, be careful which God you worship.”
There was more seriousness in the Major’s words than in the way he said them.
To Be Continued