Eli Morningstar by Linwood Ellsworth
Sixteen
Abduction
Okay, I was in my second week of abduction. Kellil hadn’t shown me the last three Prime. I most likely lost my job at the warehouse and my girlfriend, Alyce Green.
She had not returned me as promised and I had seen her only once since I refused to save Earth from the clutches of the Gandorans who had infiltrated the three most powerful governments on Earth. They were plotting to turn Earth into New Gandora or Gandora II. Kellil was keeping me here hoping I would change my mind.
Most of my time was spent alone in the injection chamber. It was my own personal room. It gave me plenty of time to practice using the nanomachines. These microscopic machines made me superhuman, almost like a comic book hero. Everything about me was greatly improved; eyesight, hearing, strength, speed, resistance to injury and sickness, agility, and the ability to process information rapidly. I had not eaten in a week but felt fine.
I seem to be evolving very quickly. Two days ago I discovered I was able to emit a low voltage electrical charge capable of incapacitating a three hundred pound man. Today I discovered I have the ability to communicate with computers. I can understand the zeroes and ones of any computer. Then I had the brilliant idea to ‘communicate’ with the ship’s computer. At first it was not cooperative until I gave it the Morningstar charm.
This ship was amazing! It’s an outer-system fortress, a merger of technology and organics. Its shape was similar to that of a blue whale, not saucer shape as the ones often reported by the casual ufologist. This ship is the stuff of science fiction. Its engines were capable of folding or bending space at one point and opening it in another point. They could travel light years in the blink of an eye.
The ship’s computer divulged its entire layout to me. It was huge. According to my calculation, it was the length of three aircraft carriers. I was able to see the ship’s log. They had searched for the Gandorans for a very long time. They had searched for the Gandorans before my birth. The ship gave me its location as the dark side of Earth’s moon, cloaked from all sensors. The ship also divulged the secrets of the nanomachines and the last three Prime. The only thing not on the ship’s computer was the identity of the Tabiil priestess.
The milky membrane quickly dissolved. Kellil followed by Negu, and two staff wielding guards entered the injection chamber. The two guards took up a position on either side of the door.
Negu smiled as he looked up at me. His black eyes were the size of saucers. Oh yeah, did I forget that I could levitate. Sitting in a cross legged pose about six feet off the floor, I stared at Kellil. “Hello Eli Morningstar.” I did not respond.
“Excellent,” said Negu as he continued looking up at me in amazement. “You are evolving just as the priestess said you would.”
“Well, I’ve had plenty of time,” I responded. “What else I’m I going to do?”
“Will you save your home world?” Kellil asked as she looked up at me. “No, I will not fight your fight,” I said looking down on her. I almost felt like a god.
Negu said, “It is not just our fight, but the fight of all to stand up to oppressors and slayers. People of your skin color on Earth saw this as very true.”
Oh boy, here comes Negu trying to kick some knowledge as the old guy in the barbershop. What did he know about people of my skin color? There was nothing anyone could say that would make me change my mind. I would not save Earth. I would not fight their fight for them. I asked Kellil to remove the nanomachines and put them in a white hero or heroine who fit the bill of savior. Because the process could not be reversed, she politely told me no.
“I lost my consort and my brood at the hands of the Gandorans,” said Negu. “Life without them has been agonizing. The only thing which keeps me going is knowing that the ones responsible will someday meet their end.”
Another sob story. “I’m sorry for your lost Negu, but I just can’t save people who hate me because of my skin color. A man with my color of skin once said that we must live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” I said, lowering myself to the floor. “Humans have failed to live together as brother and never will so let them perish together as fools.”
“The man you speak about, Martin Luther King Jr. also said the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others” said Negu. “You now stand at times of challenge and controversy Eli Morningstar.”
Like I said the old guy in the barbershop. Negu was right. I was standing at times of challenge and controversy, but I would not accept the challenge or confront the controversy.
“So, what will it be Eli Morningstar?” asked Negu. Looking at Negu, I said, “No.”
Negu sighed, then said, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
“Who said that?” I asked. “Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963,” replied Negu before turning and exiting the injection chamber.
“Why does he know so much about Martin Luther King, Jr.?” I asked perplexed as to why an alien would know anything about Martin Luther King, Jr.
“He has studied all of the great men and women of Earth and has found this particular one intriguing,” said Kellil. “How so?” I asked. “He admired that he endured much for the equality of all, even the ones who disliked him,” said Kellil before exiting with her armed guards in tow. Schooled by aliens.
Wait! They did not say anything about sending me home. Then I got the brightest of ideas to get home. I’ll send myself home.
I looked around my home away from home once more before exiting. I would not miss it. Following the map in my head, I made a left, walked about fifty yards to a milky membrane door, opened it and stepped into the shaft of light. Instead of going up, I went down. In seconds, I was standing in a hangar filled with ships the size of a transport plane and smaller ships the size of a Cessna.
Here was a test of test for the nanomachines. Let’s see if they could fly one of these. What was it with the Vathian’s? Did they have some weird alien fetish with Earth’s aquatic life? These smaller ships were the shape of a stingray or manta ray. Going to the nearest ship, I extended my hand. The single man cockpit opened.
I quickly climbed in and commanded the cockpit to close. Placing my hand on the control panel, the lights came on. I quickly communicated with the ship’s computer. In mere seconds, the nanomachines told me everything I needed to know. This specific ship was a weaponless quad skiff used for reconnaissance. It was called a quad skiff because of the four engines. Perfect. With just a simple thought, the engines fired up. So far the nanomachines were passing the test.
The ship hovered then it moved forward towards a large door. Then my escape was discovered.
“Eli Morningstar, you are not permitted to leave,” said Kellil. She was in my head. “You refuse to send me back to Earth,” I said. “You refuse to save Earth,” snapped Kellil. “Until you decide to stop the extinction of your people, you shall remain on this ship.”
“Well, either way Earth is done as a turkey on Thanksgiving,” I said. I gave another command and the huge door open into space. Nothing but stars and the dark side of the moon.
“Very well,” said Kellil solemnly. “Hopefully, you’ll change your mind about stopping the collapse of Earth.”
Looking out of the door into space, I said, “Never Empress Kellil.” With another command, the quad skiff blasted out of the hangar into space. I was on my way home.