Minister Shirra and Kantootha assumed their places in the Great
Hall. The sphere of the Galacticum
AI brought the Trantken’s mind into joining. In the reality of the meeting of the minds, the avatar of
the sentient that was Malachi stood.
He appeared proud and utterly without fear. He had yet to speak a word, yet Shirra felt derision among
the other Ministers. Surprisingly
enough, none of it was aimed towards him.
By the time they had arrived, the image from Sol was
already being debated. The
majority had discarded it as non-pertinent to the proceedings. Some said it was Shirra’s keen interest
in the missing race’s history clouding his judgment, the very thing the
Minister wanted to avoid. He
silenced his thoughts and minimized his presence to the others. After the present debates were
completed, the Galacticum would turn to Malachi.
Sentients
revisited the issue of dimensional migration. Proof was posited debunking the theory entirely. There was simply no way the entire
Human race could vanish from the Galaxies of the Local Group in such a
manner. They would have made too
much noise. Such a population,
each individual filled with such vast energy, be they corporeal or not, trying
to leave this reality for an adjacent one at one time would have had disastrous
results on both continuums.
Several
officers and agents of the Fleet reported findings from all corners of the
cosmos. Searching the various
levels of hyperspace would take more time than there was of it. The chaotic reality just
underneath this one was still over eight-five percent uncharted. Its physics allowed for shortcuts in
travel, but its dimensions seemed to comprise more space than real space.
It was true Humanity could have
vanished among one of hyperspace’s many levels, but even the powerful form of
Humanity to which Shirra’s friend Randolph belonged required a conveyance to
navigate that realm. It was far
more hazardous than travel by portal and the Fleet reported every registered
vessel belonging to Humanity was still present. Even if they weren’t, there was still more Humanity than
ships available to carry them.
Scientific
inquiries of all types abounded until an errant thought from an Umiate Minister
inquired about the Humanoid at the center of their joining. The Galacticum AI immediately seized
hold of all thoughts and directed them towards Malachi.
“THE
GALACTICUM RECOGNIZES THE SENTIENT MALACHI, A HUMAN/ZATAI HYBRID.”
The
Galacticum listened as Malachi spoke.
“My
name is Malachi. I am of the race
Human/Zatai,” he said, intentionally correcting the AI’s appellation. “I hail from the world Purgatorio, in
the Israel System. On that world I
followed the tenets of a religion, which existed when the Conjoining was but a
young thing.”
The
sentients of the Galacticum gasped in thought. First, the hybrid said religion. Second, it said a religion
was active among their galaxies and older than the Conjoining.
“Yes,
it is true. Though religion is not
at the core of your society, it is in mine. And yes, it is ancient. It is as old as some of the very worlds many of you were
birthed on. Know me and the Lord I
serve. I am Malachi the Jew,
Malachi the Christian, and Malachi the Muslim. In the star system of Israel, the Lord’s chosen people
retained the ways of their forebears, their likeness as well as their love for
the
Lord our God.
I see you Ministers of the Galacticum. I know your thoughts. You think me a fool, but the proof is
in front of you, in the Universe you think you’ve mastered. But the Lord is all powerful and he has
shown you his strength.”
Minister
Shirra smiled. He was a bright
star in the dark sea of Galacticum thought. Malachi was joy personified as he addressed his audience.
“In Israel, we remembered the old
ways. On Purgatorio we worked,
worshipped, and waited. The world
of the in-between, it was our crucible.
There we burned away all our inadequacies in preparation. In the intervening years we have
received signs. God has made
himself known to the faithful.”
The tumult was growing. The Galacticum was still listening
intently, but most of them were beginning to dismiss Malachi’s testimony
outright. A minority was wondering
if something beyond the realm of present knowledge had indeed occurred. Findings had already indicated as much,
but now they were entertaining ideas beyond the supernatural. It was supranatural.
Shirra would rally behind the
minority. For he felt the truth of
it in the electrons of his breast.
The disappearance of Humanity went beyond them. To believe Malachi’s story required
faith. Shirra had known Humans of
all types, not just Randolph’s.
There was no more thought to it, no more debating, he believed.
“Great Ministers of the
Galacticum. It was written I would
come here to herald the end. Most
of you have forgotten the religions of old. You will not believe it, but the undercurrents have often
been the same. You just don’t
remember. Know that the Lord God
has called home Humanity! They
were the first in a long line of many.
The last days of this Universe are upon us.
Do not search for those who have
already gone. They are in a place
none of your science can reach. I
know, still you do not believe my words.
But I am strong in the Lord and he has sent another to validate my
testimony.”
Minister Shirra watched through
the eye of his mind, fascinated.
Events such as this had never occurred. Now Malachi stood rigid in the middle of the minds. He stretched out his arms and held his
face to the artificial, mental sky.
Suddenly the impervious, impenetrable sanctum of the combined minds of
the Galacticum … was penetrated.
“ALIEN PRESENCE DETECTED! ALIEN PRESENCE DETECTED! ALL SECURITY MEASURES HAVE BEEN
NULLIFIED! THE GALACTICUM IS
COMPROMISED! I REPEAT, THE
GALACTICUM IS COMPROMISED!”
Before anyone could answer the
AI’s pleas, the alien presence manifested. It was beyond anything anyone could describe. It pushed back the mental boundaries of
the Galacticum, making room for its presence. It was so bright it blinded the mind. The image of Malachi was engulfed and
in his place stood a giant beyond giants.
The light dimmed and a being
similar to the image Shirra saw at Sol stood before them. It was unimaginably tall, but
apparently shrinking for convenience.
Shirra reasoned it could easily stand astride three of four star
systems. His mind pained with all
the other Representatives of the Galacticum. The presence was testing even their vaunted mentalities,
their powerful intellects. Its
like had never before been recorded in any Nexus data-cluster, or so he
thought.
This was no mere alien. Just as Shirra had that thought, it
spoke.
“Behold! The angel of the Lord! I am Metatron!”
His words were like a powerful
song stampeding through their minds.
They made the mightiest beings of the Galacticum tremble, beings who to
lesser races in the cosmos were like gods themselves.
“The Lord thy God has sent
me, one who exists near the true center of all things, to bring you the
truth. Look towards the wisdom
within, feel the rightness in the words of Malachi, God’s prophet. For the end of creation is at hand and
soon God will call you all home, believer and non-believer alike. And there, all will reside with
Humanity, and others, until the Lord decides it is time to begin again.”
And with that, he was gone.
The minds of the Galacticum
bounced back from the mental distances they had been stretched to accommodate
the strange being. Only Malachi
was left at the center, calm, collected, serene.
An august Andromedan was the
first to speak.
“Galacticum AI?”
“YES MINISTER.”
”Can you explain what just
happened?”
There was a pause, another
something unprecedented. Never had
the AI been at a loss for words.
“NO MINISTER,” was its only
reply.
Shirra let his thoughts come to
the fore.
“It seems fellow members of the
Galacticum we have our answer. God
exists and it is with God that Humanity resides.”
Malachi looked upon the presence
of Shirra’s mind and smiled.
Shirra smiled in return.
Then it started. Discussion
among all the members exploded to a fevered pitch. This was no less than what Shirra expected.
He had thought the investigation
into where Humanity had gone would last far longer then it had. But no, he had his answer, as did they
all. Now they would have to see
who believed. Some would
categorize it as an attack from an unknown alien entity. Some would discount it all
together. These would continue
searching for humanity along other lines.
Shirra sensed the mystery of this
new event would quite literally break the Galacticum into. He felt it implicitly and was sad. But it was the way of the Universe, one
thing makes way after a time for another.
Perhaps it was just their time.
Shirra disengaged himself from the link. “Come Kantootha.”
“Minister?’
“It is time for us to leave.”
“But Minister, the Galacticum has
not yet adjourned. What of…”
Shirra raised a tentacle,
silencing his aide. He looked back
at the sphere containing the purported center, the might of Galaxies.
“No, I believe it has adjourned
Kantootha, perhaps for the last time.
Yes, I believe it has.”
They walked through the disc and
caught a portal on the other side.
“Are we headed home Shirra?”
“Yes Kantootha. We are headed back to Nexus-Septum.”
“What will we do now?”
“I have some research to perform
Kantootha and you will help me. I
seem to remember something from our races’ past, from a time to us immemorial,
a legend Kantootha. A legend of an
ancient, wise Trantken prophet, and the God she claimed was her father.”
