The Secret of Mars

“No, I will not allow it,” Europa stated again, as she swam back and forth in front of the Window of Universes. “It is too dangerous. I will not allow my oldest son to go inside the Expanse and heal Mars’ window.”

“Then who, Mattwa?” Prince EJ argued with her. They had been discussing this subject for the past twenty minutes and were nowhere closer to a solution. “You certainly cannot go. You carry my unhatched brother inside you. Dattwa cannot go because he has to be here to take my brother into his birthing pouch when he emerges from his egg.”

“That is weeks away,” Kiijon said. “It should only take a few days to repair the window.”

“And what if something happens to you, Dattwa?” EJ asked. “We do not know if any of you can survive in there. If you die, so does my new brother. He will not have a pouch to crawl into, to finish developing in.”

“So you are the logical choice?” Europa asked, her maternal hormones coursing through her body, making her exceptionally emotional.

“Yes, I am,” EJ stated. “I am the only logical choice. I am the only Oonock who has ever been inside the Expanse. I survived it then, and I can survive it now.”

“You were just a small boy when you crossed over to your Grandfather,” Europa said. “A little boy who was protected by the Orbs.”

Hating the anger and sorrow he was causing his mother, EJ turned to his father and Hygone for support. “I am right. Am I not?”

“I honestly do not know, Son.”

Hygone felt all eyes turn to her. “Like your father, I am not sure, Young Prince. Small boys are often capable of things they cannot do as adults. It is true that the Orbs protected you during your journey from this window to Earth’s, but that trip took less than a minute. We are talking about hours, even days to repair the cracked window. I don’t even know if you can survive the journey to it.”

“What if Barook brought the window closer like he did Earth’s that day?” EJ asked, remembering back to that day long ago. For his mother to obtain the Lilac Orb she had left on Earth, Barook had been able to move Earth’s Window of Universes closer in the Expanse until it was only a few inches away. “We can tie a line to me so that I won’t drift away.”

“Tie it to what, Your Majesty?” the usually quiet Ospree asked. As EJ’s protector, he rarely said anything, but he too feared for the prince’s life. His duty demanded that he speak up.

“Not you too, Ospree,” EJ said in frustration. He swam around the room trying to come up with the answerer to their problem but having no luck. “Look, we tried seeing if another Oonock would suffice. We tried Ospree and two others. Each wore an amulet and mixed their blood with Hygone’s. Nothing happened. We cannot trick the window. It has to be a royal. Uncles Jeanip and Earon are on Mars, as is Amber. Misso and Aunt EeRee are females, and I will not stand here in safety while they risk their life to save my daughter. And while I know Robert would gladly go in, again, I will not sacrifice one of my children while I wait here.” He drifted down to his mother. “Mattwa, just as you fight to save your child, I am fighting to save mine. You know in your heart that I am right. I am the only one who can do this.”

“I beg your pardon, but I am not sure that is a true statement, Your Majesty,” came a familiar voice from the entrance to the portal at the Complex.

“Windar,” everyone shouted, glad to see the Oonock female that had helped them in so many ways over the years. She was a special ambassador of the Orbs. Hopefully, her presence meant they had sent for her once more to help them.

“Did Ragjaw come with you?” Europa asked, giving the young Oonock a warm hug.

“No, he is currently with The People in the rainforest,” Windar stated, giving each one present a hug. “Since the destruction of the rainforest has stopped, along with the poaching of its animals, the forest has rebounded. It is growing at a rate not seen in centuries. With that good news comes the reality of more predators. Several jaguars have been plaguing the villagers. Ragjaw is down there trying to persuade the cats that the area is not a good place to set up their territory.”

“And how, may I ask, is he accomplishing that?” Kiijon asked.

“He’s transformed into an enormous jaguar,” Windar giggled. “He’s marking every tree, flower, and blade of grass with his scent to scare them away.”

“So, in other words, he’s going around peeing on everything,” EJ laughed.

“Yep.” Her answer caused everyone to laugh, even Europa, the crisis at hand momentarily forgotten.

“Why did you not go with him?” Europa asked.

“For the past few weeks, I’ve been having dreams about Princess Mary,” Windar said. “And a cracked Window of Universes.” She looked over to be sure their window was not broken. “Then I saw a hand repairing the window, and it was my hand. I went to the Complex to talk with you, King Kiijon and Queen Europa. That’s when I learned that Mary was missing on Mars. So I immediately came here.”

“The Orbs have often spoken through you in the past,” Hygone said. “What did they show you of the princess?”

“I’m not completely sure, for the dreams about her are somewhat clouded for some reason. Almost as if she is somewhere I cannot go,” Windar began to explain. “But I think she’s inside a FarCore, but not Europa or Earth’s. A different one. And she’s not alone. There is an elderly male with her, one with a long, flowing beard.” She paused for a moment and stared at the Ancient. “He looks a lot like you, Hygone.”

“He is my brother, Weenow,” Hygone replied.

“The one that JeffRa killed on Mars?” a surprised Windar asked.

“Evidentially, he did not die,” Europa stated.

A huge smile spread across the Young Windar’s face. “That’s what it means. I couldn’t figure it out. It made no sense, but now I understand.”

“Understand what, Windar?” Europa anxiously asked.

She looked at the faces before her. “The green emerald capsules. My dreams have been filled with them also. Hundreds of them.”

“What are they?”

“I didn’t know until just now. Your Majesties, they are the sleeping Oonocks of Starships Four and Twelve,” Windar answered.

“Oonocks? From the Mars Complex?” Kiijon asked.

“Of course,” Hygone stated, now also seeing the entire picture. “Weenow somehow used the Stryguard Obelisk and pulled some or all of the Oonocks into Mars’ FarCore to save them from JeffRa. Remember, I said the Librarians enabled the obelisks to save lives. It must have realized JeffRa was going to destroy the entire planet and did the only thing it could. Put them inside FarCore.”

“If that is true, Hygone, why has the obelisk never released them?” EJ asked.

“I cannot say for sure,” Hygone answered.

“I can. Because it felt it was not safe to release the colonist,” Kiijon replied, a huge smile of understanding covering his face. “Remember, Mars has been and still is a dry, lifeless planet, thanks to JeffRa. The obelisk saw no change, no signs of life. It’s only been a few years since humans even stepped foot on it, and that was on the other side of the planet. But after the starships returned to Earth and opened up trade with the other worlds, the Mars colony grew and thrived. Finally, the obelisk sensed life again.”

“A compelling conclusion, except for one thing,” Europa stated. “Misso spent two weeks in that area searching for the lost Oonock Complex. Why did the obelisk not take her?”

“Misso and her small party were the only lifeforms to have stepped foot in that area for six thousand years,” EJ answered, now also seeing the truth. “Perhaps there weren’t enough of them to spark the obelisk’s interest. Or Misso wasn’t there long enough for it to recognize her as a royal. Or it might even be that it was still buried too deep underground. Remember, Jeanip’s report stated that the engineers had been doing a lot of digging in that area before Mary arrived. They could have even accidentally activated it.”

“But why did it take Mary?” Medi asked. “What use could her kidnapping accomplish?”

“Remember, we don’t know who took Mary,” Kiijon quickly clarified. “It might have been Weenow, or the obelisk acting on its own. Or something else we haven’t even thought of. But whoever or whatever took her must have realized it could not return the missing Oonocks the same way they entered FarCore.”

“Yes, that must be it,” EJ shouted. “Mars no longer has an atmosphere. If the lost Oonocks tried to exit through the obelisk, they would be dead within seconds. The only way for them to safely leave is through the Window of Universes, which is broke. It takes the blood of both an Ancient and an Oonock, along with the power of the Orbs, to repair it. Whatever took Mary recognized her as the third component needed to restore the window from within while we repair it from outside.”

“So now we know why Mary disappeared, where she is and how to get her back,” Europa said. “But how do we tell her what she needs to do? Do we just wait for her or Weenow to stumble upon the answer?”

“I may have the answer to that question too,” Windar smiled. “Last night, I dreamt that Princess Amber was standing before a large, tall, slender black structure. A door opened inside it and, through it, she was able to tell Princess Mary what to do. Does that make any sense to any of you?”

“Does it ever,” EJ said, taking Windar in his wings and twirling her around in the lilac waters. “I could kiss you, Windar. In fact, I think I will.” To her astonishment, the prince kissed her right on the lips. A good one, too.

“Please, Your Majesty, I am a joined female,” Windar teased.

“You know, Jeanip, if what we saw ends up not being the beginnings of a hatch or bay door, we’re going to have a hell of a time digging through all that concrete.” Everyone was watching the field crews pouring tons of fresh concrete onto the fake mountain, sealing the air gaps, saturating the loose gravel with the bonding mixture, strengthening the structure to prevent more loss of life.

“Now’s a hell of a time to mention that,” Jeanip grumbled. “You might have mentioned that idea BEFORE they began to cover the mountain in cement. Guess all we can do now is hope that we are right.”

“I didn’t think of it before,” Swaybuk replied.

“Actions like those almost got you kicked out of the Core,” Jeanip stated back. “Always doing things without thinking them through. Just like those dang Nazca Lines you drew in Bolivia.”

“I’ll have you know Queen Medaron and King Enok thought highly of those lines,” Swaybuk proudly declared. “Even drew a couple themselves.”

“It’s a good thing they did because you would have been out of the Core faster than a fly sneezes.”

“Jeanip, do you always have to argue?” Earon asked. “And what is this fly sneezing?”

“Now you’re going to get on my case?” Jeanip sneered.

Suddenly, there was a huge sound behind them, making them jump into a standing position. Swaybuk and Jeanip immediately drew their weapons. All were surprised to see Amber standing there, a large book on the table that she had apparently purposely dropped.

“Am I going to have to separate you three?” she asked. “I thought you three were supposed to be the adults here. But all you do is bicker and try to outdo each other with stupid practical jokes.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Jeanip apologized. “It won’t happen again.”

“Sure it will,” Earon stated. “Because I am right. You are always arguing about everything.”

“Monarch Earon is right, you know,” Swaybuk said.

“Listen here you two, I’ll . . .” Jeanip argued.

Once more there was a loud bam as Amber dropped the book again onto the table. “Enough!” Amber announced. “Swaybuk, I order you to go sit over against the right wall. Uncle Earon, I order you over to the left wall. And Uncle Jeanip, I order you to remain where you are.”

“Does she think she can give us orders and tell us what to do?” Earon softly whispered to the other two.

“Well, I know she can order me,” Swaybuk said, picking up his drink and walking to the furthest wall and taking a seat.

“She’s not a queen yet, so technically she can’t order you or me,” Jeanip replied.

“What is she going to do to us if we refuse?” Earon chuckled.

“Try me,” a defiant princess replied. Without another word, Earon walked over to a seat against the right wall and sat down.

“Now that you have succeeded in separating us, what can I do for you, Amber?” Jeanip cordially asked.

“Staybo said we received a message from my parents,” Amber asked. “I was wondering what it said.”

Jeanip reached into his pocket and handed the message to the princess. “I believe there is a copy of it in your room waiting for you. It didn’t say much of what we didn’t already know, so I did not seek you out but chose to observe the cement pouring. It says we know the who, what and why.”

“Which leaves us with how and when?” Amber stated, handing Jeanip back the piece of paper. “Father says that Windar has arrived and will facilitate the repair of the window with Hygone. He did not specify when, though.”

“That part of the message was on the back,” Jeanip stated, turning the paper over. “They are waiting for Barook to return so he can hopefully bring the broken window closer.”

“On a scale of one to ten, how dangerous is it to go into the Expanse?” Amber asked her uncle.

“About a twelve,” Jeanip truthfully replied. “When your father crossed the Expanse we never knew if he could because he was Oonock, human or a combination of both. Or perhaps it was his love for his Grandfather that protected him. Or his connection to the Orbs. Whatever power protected your Father then will hopefully protect Windar now on her journey.”

“Let us hope,” Amber sighed. She turned and looked through the window at the reinforcement of the fake mountain. “How long before we can attempt getting inside the ship?”

“The cement will have to dry for at least two days,” Jeanip answered. “But believe me, as soon as we get the okay, we will be breaking into that ship, even if I have to cut a hole in its side myself.”

Amber gave her uncle a warm smile. “PiePie and I are going to join Tong and Glock for something called square dancing. Apparently, it’s something the engineers like to do, and they’re a few females short.”

Jeanip tried to imagine the large Glock trying to dance. “Have fun.”

“And you three behave yourselves,” Amber said, as she and PiePie turned to leave.

“Swaybuk started it,” Earon said.

“I did not. I only made a statement about the cement.”

“A statement that you should have voiced sooner,” Jeanip reminded him.

“Well, as the head of this operation, you should have thought of it also,” Swaybuk grumbled back. “Remember, like you, I’m not in the service anymore.”

“And what kind of excuse is that?” Jeanip asked.

“Oh, they are utterly hopeless,” Amber said, quickly leaving her uncles to their discord.

“My Love, wake up,” Kiijon said, as he softly lifted Europa’s top wing. He saw her stir, then open her eyes.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yes, everything is fine,” Kiijon replied. “How are you feeling? Did you get enough rest?”

“Yes. What is wrong, Kiijon?”

“I just received word from EJ that Barook is back from his homeland,” Kiijon answered, giving his mate a reassuring smile. “I was wondering if you felt like going with me to FarCore to see what he discovered about the obelisk.”

“Of course,” Europa replied, immediately opening her wings and lifted herself up into the water. “We have been waiting for days for his return. I would not think of missing it.”

“Let’s not forget a supply of these,” Kiijon said, opening a box and grabbing some TeePoon leaves in case Europa’s hormones began to surge again. Kiijon placed them inside his wing pouch. “How many boxes of tubree worms have you eaten today?”

“Only three,” Europa answered. She saw the look her mate gave her. “Okay, maybe four.”

“Hmm, you really shouldn’t have any more until this evening, but we’ll take a box just in case.” He swam over to the kitchen and grabbed a fresh box of worms, placing them in a bag he would carry. “We’re ready.”

The two monarchs and Jazee swam down the hallway to the sitting room where their portrait hung. Standing before their picture, they announced themselves and said the Ancient words, stepping through the portal into FarCore. Europa hurried down the hallway to the Window of Universes. She saw EJ and Medi with their protectors were already there, as was Windar, Hygone, and Barook.

“Well it’s about time,” Barook grumbled.

“Barook, be nice,” Hygone ordered. “They are trying to help us get our brother back.”

Giving no indication he was sorry for his rudeness, Barook said, “The Council was quite shocked when I told them we believed we had discovered a Stryguard Obelisk. They couldn’t even approximate the last time the object was even mentioned, although some felt it was about a hundred and fifty million years ago.”

“A hundred and fifty million years ago?” an amazed Medi quietly commented.

Adhering to Hygone’s wishes not to be rude, Barook continued. “With some help from Council members, I searched through numerous old recordings, trying to learn something about the Librarians or the obelisk. But alas, there was not much. Just a mention about being protectors and placed across the galaxy to ward off evil. Stuff we already knew. The real problem was those recordings are so ancient that some have gotten misplaced over the years.”

“Misplaced?” Europa asked. “I did not think the Ancients misplace anything.”

“That was one of the appeals of FarCore when we stumbled upon it,” Hygone admitted. “The Ancients were always losing stuff, so when we discovered the recording Orbs it was the perfect opportunity to correct that flaw.”

“Unfortunately, no one thought to record the already old recordings,” Barook said. “With beings almost immortal, they probably figured they would eventually get around to it, which they never did.”

“So you didn’t learn anything new,” Kiijon said.

Still keeping his voice calm, although his insides were becoming agitated from the constant interruptions, Barook replied, “Nothing new, except for one little statement which said a key was needed to open the obelisk.” He waited for a question, but one never came. “And no, it did not mention what the key was.”

“So, we know no more now that we did before,” Jazee stated. Barook went to say something, but Hygone gave him a disciplinary look, so he remained silent.

“Maybe when the window is healed, Weenow will know what the key is,” Medi suggested. “After all, he’s already opened the obelisk up at least once.”

A weird look came over Barook’s face, making Medi start to giggle a little. “And how, human, do you expect to do that? Heal the window. I never heard of anything so preposterous. Like we never thought of that. It can’t be fixed, not without a Librarian’s help. And no one has seen one of them EVER.”

“Monarch Medi speaks the truth, Brother,” Hygone stated, also chuckling at her brother’s expression. “We have been very busy while you were gone and discovered the secret to healing the window. We need you to go inside and bring the fractured Mars’ window closer to us like you did with Earth’s when Prince EJ was little.”

“I don’t believe you,” a stubborn Barook said. “There is no way to fix it.”

“I told you he would not believe us,” EJ grumbled.

“If my brother needs proof, let us give it to him.” Hygone reached down and lifted up in one of her tentacles a piece of cracked windowpane. She handed it to Barook. “Can you tell me what that is?”

“It’s a piece of glass. Big deal. Doesn’t prove anything.”

“But what’s in the glass?” Hygone asked, baiting her brother.

Barook held up the glass and looked through it. “It has a crack, just like the window of Mars.”

“So that you don’t think we’ve switched the panes of glass, I want you to hold that piece with two hands out in front of you,” Hygone instructed. Grumbling that this was all a waste of time, Barook did as requested. Hygone and Windar dropped several drops of their blood onto the glass pane while the others held their amulets. Soon they and the Orbs glowed. Like before, when the two types of blood mixed a crackling noise was heard. Then all was quiet. “Did the pane of glass ever leave your hands?”

“No,” a completely uninterested Barook replied, bored by this stupid game.

“Then tell me what you see now.”

Barook lifted the glass and was prepared to say “A windowpane with a crack,” but the break was gone. The Ancient turned the piece of glass over and saw the crack was still visible from underneath. He got up and swam about, searching the floor for the original broken window.

“You will not find another windowpane, Barook,” EJ said, a huge smile on his face. “The piece you hold in your hand is the same one that was cracked. We discovered that if you combine our blood – Oonock and Ancient – and add a touch of Orb power, the window can be healed.”

“But it is repaired only on one side,” Barook stated.

“Because blood was placed only on one side,” Hygone answered. “If we want the entire piece healed, then we have to put blood must be placed on both sides.”

“It’s impossible,” Barook stated, still searching for the other piece of glass. “Orbs can’t heal inanimate objects. Only organic ones.” He stopped before his sister and stared into her eyes, at last realizing what the others already knew. “Which means…”

“That the windows are organic,” Europa finished.

“Possibly molded from the eyes of the Librarians themselves,” Hygone added. “That may be why they can see into those other worlds.”

“Incredible,” was all Barook said as he drifted to the floor, staring at the healed glass before him. “Oh, you guys almost had me there. This piece is ordinary window glass, made by humans. It’s not Librarian glass. So it’s not organic.”

“It took us a while to figure that one out too,” Kiijon replied. “All glass could be classified as organic. It is made from heated sand, which contains the shells of thousands of sea creatures, which are organic.”

“Barook, I need for you to trust them, to trust me,” Hygone said, drawing closer to her brother. “This will work, and we can bring Weenow home to us. But the Oonocks cannot make the journey to Mars’ broken window. I need for you to bring it beside ours so we can heal it.”

“But even if you can repair the window on this side, how will you tell Weenow and Princess Mary what to do on their side,” a very subdued Ancient asked.

“Wow, he knows her name,” EJ said with a snicker.

“Believe it or not, Prince EJ, I do pay attention, despite my brash outwardness.” He turned toward Hygone. “Do you think, Hygone, this can work?”

“Yes, with your help.”

“As for telling my daughter and your brother what to do, we are working on a plan,” EJ stated. “The Orbs have shown Windar a possible way to communicate with Mary and Weenow. We can bring them both home, Barook. But not without your help.”

Without another word, Barook rose and swam to the Window of Universes, effortlessly slipping inside and disappearing.

“Did he leave or is he going to get the window?” Kiijon asked.

“I do not know,” Hygone confessed.

Suddenly, there, once more, was Barook’s head poking through the window. “Since the window is broke it has no power. I can bring it here, but we will need to tie it to something, or it will float away into the Expanse. It will take me several hours to maneuver it up here. Have rope ready and a place to anchor it to.” Then he was gone again.

“Guess that means he’s going to get the window,” Jazee smiled.

“What in the heck are we going to anchor it to?” a concerned Kiijon asked, as he looked around the area.