The Dawn of Day - 11. Chapter 11 - The Dawn of Day

The men left the cube the following morning. The air was cool and the place was empty and quiet. The Aryaka were still sleeping in their pyramids after the long celebration night.

The men walked around and finally sat down on the step of a pyramid at the edge of the rainforest. A sapphire-blue snake uncoiled in the grass, reared up briefly, and then disappeared into the forest. The sun was shining and the air was filled with the intense scent of tropical flowers and blossoms. A huge bird crossed the sky and a carmine red lizard on a pyramid step watched the men with an unblinking eye. The wind was whispering softly.

A loud noise broke the silence.

A vehicle was descending to the ground. The men stood and watched. The helicopter-like vehicle touched down and a squad of black-clad men jumped out of it. They ran in direction of the Pyramid of the Elder, shouting wildly. The noise woke the Aryaka. They stumbled out of their pyramids, their movements slow and clumsy. Their bodies had not yet warmed up, but the males struggled and forced themselves to move faster.

The men entered the Pyramid of the Elder. They came out a minute later, dragging the Elder with them. They forced Varyuka to his knees and a man pointed a weapon at the Elder’s temple. A man gestured and shouted at the Aryaka. Two male Aryaka started to run but were struck down by shots from a gun. The other Aryaka froze and stared at the scenery in shock. The man standing near Varyuka hit the Elder in the face.

Nahusha entered the place and called out loudly. The leader of the squad turned around and pointed a weapon at him. Varyuka called out to Nahusha, but Nahusha shook his head, raised his arms and then moved towards the intruders. Shesha and Vasuki followed him. The men stormed towards the three Aryaka. They searched their clothes, bound their hands and finally dragged them to their vehicle. They thrust the three Aryaka inside and the leader of the squad shouted something to the man standing near Varyuka. The man hit Elder’s head hard with his gun. Varyuka fell to the ground.

A child ran across the place in panicked zigzag movements, the little one that had clung to Dave’s sleeve the previous evening. The child stopped at the sight of the fallen Elder. It jerked its head, waved its arms and ran towards the man with the weapon. The man fired his gun. The child fell to the ground.

“Little one,” Dave wailed in agony.

The leader of the squad turned his head and searched the place with his eyes.

The teacher came running towards the humans with a finger placed on her lips. She dragged Dave behind a pyramid. Eric and Brandon followed them quickly.

The intruders climbed into their vehicle. It ascended into the air and disappeared out of sight.

The humans looked at each other in shock. The teacher made a gesture with her hand. She pointed at the Pyramid of the Elder and started to run. The men followed her quickly.

A few Aryaka were carrying the two shot males from the place. The Elder was nowhere to be seen. The child was lying on the ground.

“Little one,” Dave wailed and raced towards the child.

Dave knelt down, took the child up, held it in his arms and stroked its forehead gently. The nurse from the birth house knelt down beside him and took the lifeless child from his arms. She rose to her feet and walked away. Dave knelt in the place, his body shaking and tears streaming down his face.

“Little one,” he wailed.

The nurse went back to Dave and placed a hand on his shoulder while holding the child tight to her body with the other arm. Another female hurried to help her. The nurse walked away with the child and the other female pulled Dave to his feet. They followed the nurse.

The Aryaka stood frozen in the place. Eric felt as if his heart was torn out. Brandon wiped tears from his face.

The teacher came and placed her hand on Eric’s arm. She pointed at the Pyramid of the Elder, then crossed the place and entered the building. Eric and Brandon followed her inside. The old Aryaka was stretched on a bed. Varyuka was looking at them with sad eyes.

The female raised her hand and made typing movements with her fingers. Eric pulled the translation tablet out and handed it to her. Varyuka made a weak gesture with his hand and spoke to the teacher. She pointed at the chairs in the room. They all sat down. Eric showed the teacher how to use the tablet. The Elder watched the scene with clouded eyes.

It took the teacher a while to grasp the tool and type the words, but finally she had completed her text. She handed the gadget to Eric. Eric read the text and then turned to Brandon with an angry look.

“Varyuka’s not seriously hurt. He feels numb and his head hurts, but otherwise he isn’t hurt. The teacher witnessed only part of what happened and heard only bits of the talk, but she has summarized everything to the best of her knowledge. The squad that raided Dharana was probably the squad that threw Nahusha, Shesha and Vasuki out on the planet. They said something of a backwater ship from a backwater planet and a registry archive that sent a belated warning. They must have questioned the man who produced our identity cards. He must have told them of the three backwater spacemen and the Aryaka that traveled with them. I guess they quickly found out about Nahusha and his crew. Nahusha called the air cab with a card, a personal credit card most likely. They found out the air cab drove to Dharana and hence they came here.”

“Those men are criminals,” Brandon said in an enraged voice. “I totally believe they threw Nahusha and his crew out on the planet. They took the law into their own hands. It sure was not an authorized act. They now want to save their own skin. Either by getting rid of the Aryaka once and for all or by finally handing them over to the authorities like they were supposed to do in the first place. They’re simply dubious and corrupt. Look what these criminals did! They shot two Aryaka, knocked down the Elder and shot an innocent child. That’s absolutely brutal. Why this brutal slaughter? Because the Aryaka made plans for more independence, plans that were never put into action? I fear the entire galaxy is a corrupt and terror-fraught place. I don’t want to be part of it,” Brandon said, shaking his head in disgust. He crossed his arms and clenched his lips.

“I’ll ask her if she knows what’s going to happen to them,” Eric said.

The teacher typed a reply. Eric read the text and spoke to Brandon.

“The teacher thinks they will take their prisoners to Izanami or another Izanami-controlled hub in space. She’s certain Nahusha and the others will never come back to Kunjara or any other Aryaka place. They will be sent to a prison in space. Many Aryaka were sent to prison in the time of the big war. They composed songs, lamenting their fate. Their songs were added to the Serpent Songs. The Aryaka prisoners are regarded as heroes. The teacher says Nahusha, Shesha and Vasuki will compose new songs and add to the legends that are written by heroes. They will forever be remembered in the Serpent Songs, until the day the Great Serpents coils and time itself will come to an end.”

Eric looked up. Brandon swallowed.

Eric placed the gadget on the table. “That’s not going to happen,” he said, his voice very calm.

“What?” Brandon asked in confusion.

“I said it’s not going to happen,” Eric repeated, rising to his feet. He stood, his feet firmly on the ground, and turned his eyes to the Elder. “It’s not going to happen. I will free the prisoners at whatever cost,” he said, then crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The teacher pulled at Brandon’s sleeve and Brandon typed Eric’s reply into the gadget. The female read it to the Elder.

Varyuka raised his eyes and studied Eric with apparent surprise. The Elder struggled to his feet and spoke to the female. She typed his words.

“You sure have Aryaka blood in your veins,” Brandon read the Elder’s answer.

The Elder gave Eric a respectful nod and then spoke solemnly.

“I am the Elder of Kunjara, Aryaka governor, descendant of the great King Nahusha, and Son of the Great Serpent,” Varyuka said. “I speak on behalf of the Great Serpent.”

A serpent guards the vault
The celestial serpent
A messenger from across space and time

Ananta-Shesha
Endless Shesha
Brave One in the house of its founder

Summon the serpent housed in silence
Wake the Great Serpent from its sleep
The ray of creation emerges from the Divine

Ananta-Shesha
Endless Shesha
Time moves forward, Adishesha uncoils

“The Great Serpent woke from its sleep and uncoiled. Brave One in the house of its founder, Ananta-Shesha has heard your call,” Varyuka said.

The teacher listened to the Elder in awe and entered his words into the tablet. Brandon read them to Eric.

Varyuka looked at Eric. Their eyes locked. The Elder raised his hand.

“I speak on behalf of the Great Serpent. The Great Serpent calls his kin to arms.”

The nurse had carried the child into a pyramid and laid the small body on a bed. Dave was relieved that the child wasn’t dead, but he was aware that the child was in a very bad state. He saw no blood coming from a gunshot wound, but the child was without conscience, the breathing shallow and the muscles numb. Dave sat down on a chair beside the bed and watched the child with tears in his eyes.

“Oh, little one,” he said, deeply grieved.

The nurse left the room. Dave placed his hand softly on the child’s cheek. The Aryaka child didn’t react. It lay still and didn’t move in its coma-like sleep.

The nurse returned. She placed her hand on Dave’s arm and talked in a low voice. Dave gave her a questioning look. The female made a gesture. Dave understood she asked him to stand up and step back. Hesitatingly, he did what she said.

An old Aryaka entered the room. He carried a bag in his hand. The nurse treated the old Aryaka with much respect. A healer, Dave guessed. He made a step back and leaned against the wall. The old Aryaka gave him a look and then turned to the child on the bed. He placed his hand on the child’s head, forehead and cheeks, put his hand on the chest and wrapped his fingers around the wrists. Finally, he pulled something out of his bag.

Dave watched the healer suspiciously. He expected him applying magical cures and singing a serpent song as a treatment, but the healer produced a headset with a disk on each side. The disks were made of a black material with metallic inlays. The healer put the headset on the child’s head and pulled a gadget out of his bag. He studied a display, then pressed buttons and entered codes. Dave clenched his fists. Was the Aryaka manipulating the child’s brain functions? The nurse shot Dave a warning look. Dave took a deep breath and turned his eyes to the child. The sight left him stunned. The treatment was already working. The child stirred but didn’t wake up. Its breathing had improved, however.

The Aryaka finally removed the headset from the child’s head and put it back in his bag. He spoke to the nurse and then left the pyramid. Dave moved to the bed and looked at the child with concern. The nurse placed her hand on his arm and nodded at him. Dave saw no concern in her eyes. Was she trying to say the child was getting better already? The female left the room and Dave sat down on the chair.

The child lay still for a long time, but suddenly it moved its hands and its head. The child was still sleeping, but the coma-like sleep had ended.

“You’re getting better, little one,” Dave whispered softly.

He remained sitting by the bed until the child opened its eyes. The little one gazed at him for a long time, its eyes big and wide. Dave smiled at the child and gently stroked its cheek. The child jerked its head slightly, but showed no explicit discomfort at the touch. It said something in the Aryaka language and pointed at the colored NASA logo on Dave’s shirt.

“Oh, little one. You’re doing fine. Rest. I will watch over you. I’m right by your side,” Dave said with a smile.

The child reached out its hand and clung to Dave’s sleeve until it fell asleep again.

Dave watched the child. “I’ll get the one who did this you. I will hunt him down. Promised,” he said.

The Aryaka gathered in the meeting place and sat down on the pyramid steps. The place was crowded with people. Many Aryaka had come to Dharana for the celebration. Many had wanted to leave the following morning, but they all stayed in the city after the horrible event. They listened to their Elder Varyuka who had summoned the meeting.

Varyuka talked to his people. He now and then pointed at the humans or raised a hand to the sky. None of the Aryaka interrupted the Elder. They all listened attentively, their eyes fixed on him. Eric and Brandon were sitting in the shade, under the leaves of a huge tropical tree, while the Aryaka were sitting in the morning sun.

The Aryaka rose to their feet. Varyuka raised his hands in the air and the Aryaka started singing a sinister song. The females and children left the place after the song while the males sat down on the steps once more. All talk and movement suddenly ended. The Aryaka froze and sat like statues on the steps of the pyramids. Some had closed their eyes, others looked into the distance absent-mindedly. The sight was surreal.

“What’s going on?” Brandon asked in bewilderment.

“Combat mode,” Eric said. “They’re all in combat mode, focusing hard. Whatever they do, they want to accomplish it fast.”

The men watched the Aryaka. A long time went time. The Aryaka teacher finally joined them. She touched their arms briefly and pointed in a direction. The men rose to their feet, cast another glance at the frozen Aryaka and then followed the teacher. She led them to a place where the females and children had gathered to eat. Eric and Brandon took bowls from a table and sat down on a pyramid step. Dave and the nurse entered the place. The female was carrying a sleeping child in her arms. The nurse joined the Aryaka females and children and Dave sat down next to Brandon and Eric.

Brandon handed him a bowl filled with meatballs. “Eat,” he said.

Dave nodded thankfully.

“How’s the child doing?” Eric asked.

“Better,” Dave said. “The child was in a very bad state, unconscious and numbed. Phaser shot or whatever. A healer was summoned. The child got better after the treatment. It wakes now and then it but mostly sleeps.” He nodded at the nurse with the child in her arms. “The child will eat now and then she’ll carry it back to the treatment room, if I understood her correctly. I swear I will hunt that bastard down. He won’t get away with the crime.” Dave looked around. “Only females and children. Where are the males?”

“Sitting on the steps of the pyramids in the meeting place,” Brandon said. “They’re in combat mode, don’t talk and don’t move. They’ve been in their frozen state for hours. They focus on something, but we don’t have a clue.”

“Varyuka summoned a meeting,” Eric said. “We’re going to free Nahusha and the others.”

“Who goes? You and the Aryaka?” Dave asked with a surprised look.

“I’ll go with those who are summoned,” Eric replied and then turned his head and looked over the place.

“What’s he talking about?” Dave asked Brandon with a puzzled look.

“The Great Serpent uncoiled. Varyuka called the Aryaka to arms,” Brandon explained. He told Dave what had happened.

“I’ll sure go with you. I can’t wait to depart,” Dave said eagerly.

The teacher joined them and made typing movements with her fingers. Eric pulled the translation tablet out and handed it to her. The female sat down on a step.

Brandon studied her. She looked wretched and tired and her alien beauty had faded like a flower. Brandon felt pity for her. He sensed a deep rage stir within and rise to the surface. For the first time, Brandon felt truly attached to the alien people who had welcomed them to their place. The intruders had brought pain and trouble to the Aryaka. They had cast a shadow over their beautiful place.

Brandon took in the sight, the pyramids in the sun, the ferns, the tall trees with the huge leaves and the bushes and scrubs with red, blue and yellow blossoms and blooms. Brandon heard animals squeaking, croaking and cooing. He heard the wind whispering to the creatures and trees. Brandon felt a shiver running up his spine. The wind was whispering to him.

He had never before in his life felt so aware and determined. He sensed that all beings had a common origin. The source of life didn’t belong to the material world. It was a place where neither space nor time existed. Brandon felt deeply connected to the beyond. Adishesha uncoiled. Brandon heard the Great Serpent’s call.

The moment lasted only a few seconds, but Brandon had irrevocably changed.

“I’ll go with those who are summoned,” he said in a firm voice.

He looked at the teacher. Her face looked tired, but her dark green eyes sparkled with life. The teacher saw the change. She deleted what she had written and typed only one sentence, the line of a song.

I Am That I Am. Creation takes place.

Brandon nodded. The time has come, he typed.

My name is Karma. Destiny, the teacher wrote.

My name is Brandon. Prince or Chieftain. Old Irish name, Brandon replied.

Karma nodded solemnly.