Twenty Five - Prepare For Contact
In a valley next to the northern mountains of Havay the night wore on. The purple sky was a thick curtain of eerie illumination. Smoke from erupting volcanos and burning cities shrouded Miraba. Electrical discharges crackled in the atmosphere, flashing across the twisted landscape. Distant thunder announced the coming of black rain. Mother Miraba began to wash her wounds.
In the cave, Biltar, Nahvar and Nelyani slept on, beseiged by strange visions of the night. Biltar ap Dyn, I am coming for you! A familiar voice resounded in his head amidst unspeakable turmoil. A woman floating above the ground, the wind blowing her hair in wild configurations blended with lightning. Behind her a metallic saucer, its skin alive with throbbing rainbows thicker than light. Biltar looked down and saw that he was holding someone�s hand. He glanced over and saw Sinya�s beautiful face, her eyes fixed upon the specter looming before them. He gasped, turned his head again and saw their children held tightly against his breast. He shouted with exhilaration as a beam shot out from beneath the saucer and they corkscrewed into the white void.
"Mother Miraba!" Nahvar dropped the boot he was trying to put on and jumped up.
"That was some wail! Are you okay?"
"I�m okay ... I�m okay ... a dream ..."
"Tell me about it. Did it perchance have something to do with an electric space-alien and a flying disc?" Nahvar sat back down to finish putting on his boot. He had changed into coveralls. Nelyani was busily attending to a pot of food over the fire.
"How did you know?" Biltar sat on the edge of his cot and reached for his shoes.
"Well ... Nelyani and I had the same dream, friend."
"Did you see my family?"
"No, how about you Nel?"
"No. I saw a scary woman. She spoke in my head and told me things then I went zooming up into a space ship. That�s all I remember .. oh ... and a kitty ... I remember a kitty."
"Well," said Nahvar, "I don�t remember no kitty but I do remember a bizzar looking female and I remember that incredible space ship ... facinating. Oh ... and I remember being pulled up by a beam of light."
Nahvar stood up and went over to the fire to pour himself some tea. �Bil ... 'they' (whoever they are) are on their way. You�d better get ready."
"Yeah? How the hell do I do that?"
"I dunno. I guess its mostly psychological preparation." The three sat down together around the fire to eat their beans and rice. Nahvar scratched his head and looked at Nelyani. "Nel, that lady said things to you ... what things?"
"Oh, they were neat things. At first I was really scared, but after I saw the kitty and the lady talked to me, I felt a lot better. This little kitty has four white paws. She let me hold him and pet him."
"What did she say, Nel?" Biltar asked.
"She lives in another dimension ... fourth I think ... and ... she�s going to enter our dimension to help Biltar. She says not to be afraid and just wait. Oh, and she said �don�t go outside�. She said the atmosphere needs to stabilize. It�s raining and the dirty air makes the rain dangerous."
Nahvar picked up a lantern and went over to a wall. He could see streams of black ink running down and dripping onto the floor. "Yep. Probably acidic as hell and no tellin' what else."
"I don�t think we�ll have to wait long," said Biltar.
"You like kitties eh?" Nahvar said to Nelyani.
"Yeah. I had one, but it ran away."
"Well, I tell you what. I�ve got something you might like."
"What?"
Nahvar went over to a corner and dug through a sack.
"This here. It�s a wonderful book about cats. It has some great pictures.
Would you like to look at it?"
Nelyani nodded enthusiastically. Nahvar handed her the book and sat down by the fire.
"So you have a family, Bil?"
"Not any more, Nahvar. They�re all gone now. My daughter Jyla and my son Vali died five years ago. Three years ago, I lost my wife Sinya"
"Oh ... sorry."
"I was working on a defense project and we were all poisoned. I don�t have long myself but right now, for some strange reason, I feel better than I have in a long time."
"Well, I�ve had a few tragic losses in my life too but one has to remember the good things, the happy times, those profound moments."
"Oh yes, I have many of those."
"How did you and Sinya meet?"
Biltar laughed a little. "I was a real flute, liked to read books, write poetry and discuss philosophy. No one liked me in school. I joined this astronomy club. It turned out there were only five members ... me and four girls."
"Oh, my stars and garters!"
"Yep, it was hell."
"I�ll bet."
"Those girls mocked, teased and ridiculed me unmercifully. Then, I noticed that one of them would not participate with the others."
"Ahh ... Sinya."
"Right. She stood up for me, Nahvar. She told them I was interesting and very smart. Then she made a big mistake."
"What was that?"
"She confided in one of them that she thought I was ... 'cute'"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha. I�ll bet things really went downhill from there!"
"Well, in one sense, but Sinya became even more defensive of me and finally I asked her to come over to my parents house for dinner? Biltar choked up a little. "We became wonderful friends, Nahvar ... and later ... lovers ... then husband and wife with the blessings of both sets of parents."
"She sounds like a rare and wonderful woman, Bil."
"Yes. She gave me inspiration and strength, taught me how to stand my ground ... gave me a heart to love others in a way I never knew before."
"Sorry for your pain my friend. All things change ... and in the long run ... I still believe ... love prevails."
Biltar nodded but could not speak.
Continue on to Chapter 26
PART 1
Introduction by the Author
Prologue
Ch.1-The Mission Ch.2-An Astral Roach Ch.3-The Conspiracy of Light Ch.4-The Kultaki
Ch.5-His Pestilency Ch.6-Brain Storm Ch.7-Feline Processing Ch.8-Red Alert
Ch.9-The Day of Days Ch.10-Empathic Agony Ch.11-Oldtime Melodrama Ch.12-Orange Flies
Ch.13-A Boots Assist Ch.14-Vision Delivery Ch.15-Sudden Capture Ch.16-Cat Torment
Ch.17-The Horror Ch.18-Cobi and Ana Ch.19-Playing Doctor Ch.20-Open to My Soul
Ch.21-Self Sufficient Monkey Ch.22-Total Destruction Ch.23-Alone in Space Ch.24-New Plans
Ch.25-Prepare for Contact Ch.26-Dhati Knows Best Ch.27-Healing and Peace
