Abel III's Awakening - 25. Chapter 25 A Personal Encounter

Chapter 25

A Personal Encounter

Abel III's Personal log:

Tuesday, 6 March 2734

We awoke early as we were scheduled to enter the transit point heading out of the system toward our next destination, Gagarin's World at 09:00 hours. With our morning erections leading the way we headed to our rock show shower and got thoroughly clean with all the usual outcomes. After grooming ourselves and then dressing, we made the bed and walked hand in hand to go get our breakfast. Everyone was there already and we made a grand entrance, approaching the family table with our heads held high and our shoulders squared back. Dennis pulled out a chair for me and seated me and then sat to my left as usual. There was a smirk on both of our faces and my family smirked right back at us.

Steve and Bill served the family table and brought out platters stacked with scones, Danish pastries, French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. Coffee was poured and we all began digging in and shoveling it down. Grandfather and Drew surveyed the younger generations eating with gusto, watching us with contented looks of their own, as they ate much slower and healthier. They both had oatmeal and whole wheat toast with coffee. Filling but much fewer calories to burn in exercise.

Since my cousins would be spending the transition with the kitchen crew, the rest of the family adjourned to the bridge, which had been transformed during the refit. Instead of just the two permanent workstations in the front of the bridge, there were now six more mini-workstations permanently installed along the back wall facing front as well. The main workstations were state-of-the-art with interactive holographic customizable displays that could monitor and display more information than even a trained professional could easily take in. The mini-workstations were almost as functional and easily as functional as the main workstations had been prior to the upgrade.

Grandfather and Drew with years of bridge experience had already completely familiarized themselves with theirs and Dennis was quite proficient as well. I could interact with mine in a beginner’s sort of way and was still learning much about all the systems and had yet to pass my journeyman certification in Engineering. The extra two stations were of course viewing stations only at present and Steve and Bill had been sitting at them for our arrival at the Houston space station at Armstrong's World.

We decided that during the upcoming transit that Dad and Kade would not actively monitor and join with the rest of us and they would in fact block their normal permanent connections with the rest of us in case things got crazy. It had been Dad's idea and was supported by Kade. Dad thought that would assuage some of the fears of Grandfather and Drew about our intent to do a deeper and more active scan of the Guardian if we got the chance.

Our initial scan which just viewed and recorded the Guardian's surface thoughts and one level deeper, was completely passive and we did not actively direct it or look for specific information. If the next encounter went as planned we would be looking for specific information, including whether our prior scan had been detected even if after the fact and then, what the Guardian had found out about human telepathic abilities in his time samplings. This would be an active scan and one that would further test our ability to remain undetected. From the analysis Hal provided from our first scan, the Guardian was much more self-aware and his mind was much more aware than any other intelligence we had encountered. We planned to immediately bail if we found that the Guardian had noticed our prior viewing. If we found no evidence of that, then we would look for information regarding his time sampling to learn about human telepathic ability.

We approached the transit portal normally and Dad issued all the standard warnings about securing the ship and sitting down and buckling up. We could see the portal on the forward view screens as Dennis and I joined in our mind-meld and Grandfather and Drew started sending us some of their power through our links. We entered intra-space and Dennis and I sent out our disseminated probe through the camouflaged group psychic shield which was still tucked neatly just inside the outer hull plates. As usual, the golden glowing paths were in evidence and seemed quite busy and orderly. As we stretched our awareness outward we suddenly recognized the Guardian watching over his domain some long ways off, but just inside our area of perception. Dennis and I could feel my grandfather and Drew tightening their mental grip on us as we extended our thread questing toward the Guardian. Again it was a disseminated or scattered appearing thread, like some 'noise' in an old vid as we cautiously approached the Sentinel.

His mental shields appeared identical to our last visit and as we slowly probed inward we were questing to see if this gargantuan intelligence had perceived our initial entry, even if on a delayed basis. There was nothing in his surface thoughts nor in the first layer of thought below that so we probed lower and still there was nothing on the second layer below the Guardian's surface thoughts. We did encounter some information regarding interventions into human affairs in a distant byway of the Orion Spur and filed it away and sent it to Hal's archive as it was about some lost colony neither Dennis nor I had any knowledge of. As we prepared to penetrate to the third level below the Guardian's surface thoughts, Dennis and I could sense the growing trepidation of Grandfather and Drew, but we pressed onward.

Suddenly, Dennis and I were sitting in a large imposing courtroom facing the Judge's bench, which was empty. The walls stretched so high that we could not see a ceiling. There was an expectant hush over the place. Before Dennis and I could react and attempt to do anything, an apparition dressed like an old time judge from a British court of half a millennium ago appeared seated on the bench and spoke directly to us:

“Welcome Abel III and Dennis and also those family members observing! In answer to your questions, my name is Uriel and I am mankind's Sentinel.”

“I have been carefully observing you both in what you call intra-space and normal space, both now and in the future, and as well in your past.”

“You seek answers to your future but you must create it yourselves. Your only guideposts remain your own understanding of what is just and proper. Be confident in your abilities, continue to seek the counsel of your families and friends, be wary of those who want to exploit your talents and love one another.”

“If you follow these precepts, you will have a life journey filled with joys, heartaches, successes and failures.”

“In the end, you will hopefully realize that it is enough.”

With that last pronouncement ringing in our heads, we found ourselves back on the bridge of the Silverspin, our telepathic probe suddenly and completely ended. Dad was just announcing we would be leaving intra-stellar space in five minutes. We had spent nearly an hour in the presence of the Guardian and it seemed like less than five minutes. Dennis and I were both sitting there looking dumbstruck. Grandfather and Drew were watching us, with worried looks. And perhaps their looks contained a look of awe. Kade and my dad sensing something was up, turned and looked at the four of us and unblocked their links to us. I sent them a synopsis of what had transpired and they too looked at us with a sense of awe.

Hal sent, {I have the recorded and archived everything I observed of the probe along with a lot of details that Abel III and Dennis picked up along the way. The amount of data is about five times what they sent in their initial probe. It will take months for me to sort through it all, but I think it is best distilled in the words of wisdom provided by the Guardian directly.}

We exited into normal space and Kade verified our location and my dad made the usual announcements to the crew to resume normal operations. I looked at my family and sent, {I need some time to process and discuss everything with Dennis before I can begin to discuss it with the rest of you. Do you think we can have the rest of the day off so we can go to our cabin and work on dissecting and analyzing what we just experienced?}

Dad responded, {I think that is a wise course of action and take as much time as you need. Remember we are here to help in any way we can and that we love you both!}

Dennis and I immediately felt the love and support coming from the rest of my family as well. We made our good-byes and headed for our cabin. We were both emotionally, mentally and physically drained. We shed our clothes as one and made straight for our bed where we cuddled together, our thoughts a jumbled mass of confusion. Slowly, in the embrace of each other we calmed ourselves and found ourselves asleep. It was a deep dreamless sleep that we shared, yet were somehow intimately aware of each other and feeling content in each other’s arms.

We awoke after a couple of hours and spent the next three hours discussing what we had experienced. We both had been convinced we were dead and meeting our final judge when we found ourselves in that large and imposing courtroom. We replayed the whole probe from the beginning to end several times and each time realized we had seen and learned more than we initially observed. We were so caught up in what we were discussing that we ignored Hal's reminder about lunch as that time came and went. Hal was a big help in our discussions as he had recorded everything and was also working on what we were processing. Finally, we decided we needed to go do our work-outs and dressed and headed there.

After just sitting or laying down for most of the day, the exercise was a welcome change and we each made three rounds of all the machines. When we finished we were a sweaty mess and our muscles had a slight burn all over. We stripped and drug ourselves into the shower and let the misty warm pulsating spray wash our fatigue away and revitalize us. Soon we were soaping each other and rubbing against each other. We pressed ourselves together in a warm slippery embrace that turned into full frottage where we humped ourselves against each other amid cries of delight. We were making quite a scene and as we explosively came, everyone else in the shower broke into applause. For the first time in forever, I did not blush at their reaction. I merely hugged Dennis tighter and gave him the most amazing kiss I could which he returned with equal ardor. The kiss lasted several minutes and as we slowly parted to rinse away the smeared residuals of our shared orgasm, both of our stomachs growled. Hunger reared its head and we hurriedly finished and headed to our supper.

Supper was a bit of a somber affair. While Dennis and I were ravenous, the rest of my family wanted to talk about our encounter but realized this was not the place. It was decided we would have a family conference as soon as supper was finished so we all hurried through a wonderful meal that deserved to be savored, but was instead gobbled up. As usual Dennis and I ate more than anyone else at the table.

As we were walking to the family quarters afterward, Hal suggested we hold the meeting on the bridge as he had something he wanted to show us. So we headed there instead of my grandfather's cabin. On the bridge we arranged ourselves in our accustomed workstations with my dad and Kade turned around to face the rest of us. Hal used the holographic projectors to display his digital recreation of our probe. It was an awesomely done job and looked like it was an actual digital movie scan of the actual event. Hal while only observing and not directing any part of our probe, saw more detail than Dennis or I could have imagined. Dad and Kade and Steve and Bill who had not been part of the probe got to see and experience what we saw and experienced in our probe of the Guardian. Hal captured the imposing characteristics of the courtroom and even our shock. The Guardian appeared just as he had to us and his words, which were now carved into our psyche, were perfectly rendered. The sudden termination of the probe and our reactions back on the bridge were also fully captured and shown as well.

It was this last point that Dennis and I wanted to discuss first. Dennis indicated I should proceed and so I said:

“Dennis and I know that this was our last time attempting to probe the Guardian. It's our clear impression this was his final word to us and that any further attempt to probe him would not be allowed. He clearly said he was mankind's Sentinel and from that we must infer he meant that he is not the personal Guardian of the Silversmith family. It was eminently clear to us we have gotten as much as we will be allowed to from the Sentinel.”

“We believe our encounter showed that while we do have our fates, it is how we act and react to the opportunities and hardships we encounter that shape both our future and our destinies. As he said, we must create our own future. The future is about possibilities. While there may be some certainties, there are many more uncertainties in every life and every piece of the creation we call our universe. Chaos exists alongside of order and how we react is the chance left to us.”

“The grandeur we encountered, we believe, was purposely displayed to show us the small part we play in the greater scheme of things. But we each have our part and the responsibility to rise to life's challenges and do the best we can with the situations we encounter in life's journey. The point of living is to live it, not just to sit back and let it happen to us unless there is no other choice.”

“We are still sorting out our impressions and will continue to utilize Hal's help and the help of the rest of you for the rest of our lives in this adventure we call our lives so that we can make good decisions and choices to make our lives and the lives of our family and friends better.”

With that I ended my little speech and Dennis squeezed my hand in support as he had held it for my entire speech.

My Dad was the first to speak and said, “Perhaps Hal's digital recreation was influenced by you, but from it I also got the distinct impression that the abrupt termination of your telepathic probe meant that it was over and would not be allowed again.” Kade and the others all seemed to agree with that interpretation as well and from my link with Grandfather, I got that he had a definite sense of relief about that fact too.

My cousins were still sitting enthralled by the digital holographic recreation provided by Hal and asked about it. Hal replied, “I was merely observing while Abel III and Dennis were in their mind-melded probe searching for answers to the two main questions. As a passive observer, I tried to take in as many details as possible and probably noticed more than what actually registered with either Abel III or Dennis as I was just looking and not directing the searching probe. However, I must say that the quality and quantity of the information they obtained in their probe is unlike any other telepath. I have limited experience only in observing telepathic probes of the gifted members of this family, but none of you see everything that Abel III does at a glance. Dennis is getting better. When the two are in a mind-meld it is almost indescribably richer in detail. It is for this reason that I was able to digitally recreate this holographic projection which I believe is as physically accurate as could be possible without doing an actual telepathic replay by Abel III and Dennis. That is something which Steve and Bill could not perceive until they come into their powers.”

Dennis interjected, “It was a very faithful reproduction of what we experienced in every detail.” I nodded my head in agreement.

Grandfather said, “I was surprised by the fact that the Guardian told you his name. Uriel is a mythical name long associated with creation myths and has been written about extensively in several religious traditions. Wasn't it John Milton who described Uriel, as “the sharpest sighted spirit in all of heaven”? Perhaps these myths reveal more truth than we know.”

Hal interjected, “I found that fact interesting as well and plan to do more historical research as well on his name.”

Bill said, “When I suggested the Guardian was an angel after the initial probe, you indicated that was not likely or logical.”

Hal replied, “I am learning a lot about the rules governing order and chaos and the more I learn, the less logical I find them.”

At that everyone laughed, as we could tell from his tone of voice that Hal's regret was a source of some intellectual discomfort. Hal understood the irony of the situation and did not take offense at our amusement.

We talked for at least another hour and then, Drew said something that really struck a chord. He said, “When Abel Sr. and I retired and Able Jr. and Kade took over running the ship, I thought my life would be boring and somewhat empty. Was I ever wrong! We found plenty to keep us occupied and the ship was being run better than ever. And then Abel III turned sixteen and joined our crew. Since he came into his powers this past June, the time has flown by and we've had more excitement in this period than in the last twenty years. My point is that children, provide not just continuity but excitement and contentment. Do not wait until you are an old established couple. Have your children early and have as many as you can afford. Instead of using the crèche/schools why not ask your aunt and uncle, the Brown's to see if they would care to be guardians during their formative years?”

Steve immediately replied, “My mom would love that idea!”

Bill gave him a funny look and said, “Maybe, but you would have to ask her and I am less sure than Steve. It seems to me that when I was a child she was always telling me she would be glad when I was old enough to take care of myself.”

I turned to Dennis and smiled and said, “It is an interesting idea and in any case, we would want to wait until after we got married to start the process. However, we will not wait until we are in our mid to late thirties before starting!”

With that the meeting broke up and we all headed to the family quarters where Grandfather and Drew turned immediately into their cabin. Dad and Kade turned the other direction into theirs and that left the four of us. Dennis and I could tell my cousins were still fairly wound up and we ushered them into our cabin and we all ended up on the couch and I passed out Cokes as we all sprawled out and put our feet up on the low coffee table. Dennis and I were in the middle and Steve was on the right side of Dennis and Bill was on my left side. We talked for at least another hour and discussed having kids some more and the possibility of finding a family to raise them during their developmental years until it would safe for them to join us in space.

It was all very hypothetical and none of us really had the least idea of the legal complications, costs, responsibilities and problems this would entail, however, that did not stop us from speculating. Dennis said he wanted us to have at least six children, three from his seed and three from mine. That seemed like a lot and then I remembered old Angus, my many times great-grandfather had sired six children and only one of them was telepathic.

Dennis who was linked as usual, saw my concern and said, “We will find a willing surrogate who is also telepathic so we can increase the likelihood of passing the ability on to our offspring.”

My cousins then wondered if we wanted boys only or some girls too and this was another thing we had not considered and gave us some pause. Women in space with gravity of less than fifty percent of Earth normal did not fare so well. While the chances were that male offspring would naturally predominate as they had since the Great Blight, there was one chance in three of a female birth. We soon were all slumped toward the middle with Dennis and I pressed tightly together and Steve pressed to his other side and Bill to mine.

It was at this time that Dennis and I remembered one of the lines from the Guardian:

“Be confident in your abilities, continue to seek the counsel of your families and friends, be wary of those who want to exploit your talents and love one another.”

Deciding to put into practice what was preached, we invited Steve and Bill to spend the night. Within minutes all four of were naked, in the bed and we began a long night of passionate lovemaking in several new combinations. It was another personal encounter.