The Secret of Mars

“Hygone, is there any mention about wormholes that extend throughout the galaxy? Something perhaps the Librarians made?” Prince EJ asked, trying to understand how a message in the Helix Nebula was sent and received in a matter of hours. As with everything about the Librarians, the Ancients and FarCore, it defied logic and the known laws of physics.

“As you know, Young Prince, there is little recorded history of the Librarians,” Hygone replied. “They were long gone when we found their Windows of Universes and the abyss that connects them. Legend says that hundreds of millions of years ago when we had corporeal bodies, several of my people did travel through some of their tunnels to various galaxies, but they found nothing of interest. We had already reached a plateau in evolution where we had no need for material things and concentrated on preserving life everywhere. The more we evolved, the less we ventured outside this realm until we became unable to leave it. The Abyss became our only mode of transportation. Whatever Librarian technology we knew of, or we used in the beginning, has long been lost and forgotten.”

“Often in various human societies of old, the histories of the past were told as stories, mostly for children,” Medi stated. “Might you remember, Hygone, any stories told to you by your parents about Librarians, perhaps to scare you or make you behave?”

“No, none that I remember,” Hygone said.

“What about that book Mother used to read to you and Weenow all the time?” Barook asked. “The one about Leenaw the Librarian?”

“Leenaw?” laughed Hygone. “I forgot all about that story. I haven’t heard the Tale of Leenaw in what, a seventy million years? But Weenow might remember. That fable was his favorite story, not mine. My favorite story was about a Gajineon hornroberstic with ghwen fur.”

“Are you sure?” Barook asked. Worried about his brother, Barook had stayed in the area, delivering messages back and forth to Mary and the monarchs, Weenow and Hygone. There was such a change in him that EJ was not even sure this was the same Ancient. “You always seemed to have the Tale of Leenaw with you all the time.”

Hygone laughed. “I had it to keep it away from Weenow. All he ever wanted was to have mother or me read it to him. So I began to carry the book so he couldn’t find it. I wasn’t a very good older sister back then.”

“That explains why you never found the book,” Barook said.

“What book?” Hygone asked.

“When the Council condemned you to Europa, I wanted you to have something from home,” Barook replied. “I snuck the book into FarCore and hid it where you would find it one day.”

“You hid it where?” EJ asked, thinking it might hold some answers for them.

“On the Table of Orbs?” Barook said.

“We have taken Orbs from that table for many years,” EJ commented. “There has never been a book on it.”

“Did your mother ever tell you the story of JeffRa’s killing stones?” Hygone inquired drifting towards the table.

“How she and Father Terrance placed their stones on the table, and they disappeared, safely hidden for all time?” EJ asked.

“Yes,” Hygone replied. “The table keeps things hidden until they are needed or requested.”

“Like our amulets,” Medi added.

“Exactly, Your Majesty,” Barook answered. “The book never showed itself to Hygone because she never wanted it, or needed it.”

“Until now,” Hygone said. She stretched four of her arms out above the table. “I am Hygone, Ancient overseer of Europa. I am in need of the book my brother, Barook, placed on your table long ago. It is the Tale of Leenaw the Librarian. I am in need of it.” Within seconds everyone could see the surface of the table bubbling up and forming a box. As it solidified, a lid appeared. When the transformation was completed, Hygone lifted the lid to see the book lying inside. “Ask, and you shall receive.”

Medi and EJ hurried over to have a better look. “Can you read that writing?” Medi asked as she looked at the strange symbols and scratches on the pages.

“I should hope so,” Hygone smiled. “That is Ancient writing. I often write my thoughts down when in my cave so I don’t forget how to write and read the language.”

“What does it say?” EJ asked. For the next hour, Hygone read the children’s story about a Librarian named Leenaw and his adventures sailing across the galaxy of Urania, his quest for a lost portal. “While a cute story, I don’t think it has any information we need.”

“On the contrary, Sweetheart,” Medi said. She could not believe she saw something the others did not. “The tunnels he travels through and the doorway into the tunnels. They’re not wormholes. They’re obelisks like the one on Mars.” She looked at the confused faces. “Sometimes I believe it is better not to be connected to the Orbs so one might have a more objective perspective. Like now. It is the story, Enok. Leenaw travels the universe collecting or hiding the obelisks so they do not fall into their enemy’s hands. There is one on the edge of space that is lost, and he goes there to find it, only to do battle with the enemy. His ship is disabled, and he crashes on a planet of blue and green. Unable to continue on his mission, he hides his starship under rock and dirt and programs the obelisk to destroy the enemy and itself. Don’t you see? It’s the ship on Mars. THAT’s Leenaw’s starship. The obelisk is the one he searched for.”

“Somewhat convincing, Your Majesty, but, as we all know, the obelisk still exists,” Hygone said, a note of interest in her voice. “It was not destroyed.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s not the one in the story,” Medi replied. “Maybe something malfunctioned, or Leenaw changed his mind. But I am sure it’s Leenaw’s missing structure.”

“But what became of Leenaw?” EJ asked. “The happenings in that story occurred millions of years ago.”

“And remember, Your Highness, the Council’s last remembrance of such an object being mentioned was a hundred and fifty million years ago,” Hygone added. “Chances are, the Mars’ obelisk is at least that old.”

“But the engineers on Mars dated the ship to be around nineteen million years old,” EJ stated. “That is a significant discrepancy between one hundred fifty million and nineteen million.”

“That it is, young prince,” Hygone sighed. “Another mystery in a bowl of unanswered questions.” She turned to her brother. “Is it still impossible to slip inanimate objects through the broken window?”

“It was last time I tried,” Barook answered. “But perhaps now that Mary and Weenow have completed more of the window it might be possible. Why do you ask?”

“As I said, Weenow was the one who loved and knew this story,” Hygone said. “It anyone can find any answers contained within the book, Weenow can. He used to spend weeks in the Ancient’s library digging out any mention of Leenaw and his adventures. I recall there were at least three other books about Leenow’s’ adventures. I never read them, but Weenow had them committed to heart. Perhaps there are more clues in one of them.”

“Something worth checking out,” EJ said, looking over at Barook.

Barook held out his hand. Hygone placed the lost book inside it. “I’ll take this to Weenow. Maybe the window repair has progressed enough that I can slip it through to him. I am sure he would be pleased to have it. And I’ll ask him what he remembers about the other books.” He bowed slightly. “I will take my leave for now.” Without another word, he slipped through the pane of glass and drifted over to the partially repaired Mars’ window.

“Hi there, Little Bro,” EJ said as Teelons poked his head up. “It is very nice to meet you. I am your big brother, Enok.” EJ slowly extended his finger toward the newborn, hoping not to startle him. To his joy, the newborn reached out and grabbed his brother’s finger, sealing a bond between the two. “Look, he grabbed my finger!”

Europa smiled, relishing in the meeting of the two brothers. EJ had still been an infant himself when Misso was born on Europa, and he did not remember those first encounters. “I think he likes his big brother.”

“Can he come out of the pouch yet?” EJ asked. He so much wanted to hold the small newborn.

“He should have been out a few days ago,” Kiijon replied. “Although Teelons shows signs of an adventurous spirit, he seems to prefer his pouch. Much like you at his age. It took us forever to get you to come out. Every time we’d remove you, you’d scream and throw a fit until placed back inside.”

“How did you finally get me to come out?” a curious EJ asked

“It was your cousin, TJ,” Europa said, smiling, remembering back to those early days on the ice moon. “TJ and you became friends the instant you two spotted each other. Since he was a few weeks older, he was already out of his pouch. Once he caught sight of you, he kept swimming over to Kiijon’s wing and pulling you out.”

“Did I not cry and want back in?” EJ asked.

“No. You only wanted to be with TJ,” Europa said. “In fact, you did not cry until we took TJ away. Then you both wailed.”

“You two became inseparable,” Kiijon added. “We finally had to put you in the same bedroom so we could get some sleep at night.”

“How I wish he were here now,” a sorrowful EJ stated. “Even after we came to Earth I remember we remained inseparable. Where I went he went, and vice versa. It was not until we went off to college to study different things that we began to separate. Over the years, that separation grew longer until we only saw each other several times a year. I wish I had made more time for him. I miss him so much.”

“As do we all,” Europa said.

“Subree and her team were able to decipher some of the writing on the ancient scroll she found,” EJ stated, changing the subject to the reason for his visit. “It appears to be a retelling of Hygone’s storybook, the adventures of a young alien looking for a missing portal.”

“So there’s no new news in the scroll?” Jazee asked.

“On the contrary,” EJ smiled. “It appears to be a more detailed account of the story. One of Subree’s colleagues believes that the children’s’ books were written from the telling on the scroll, a way to pass the information down the line of Oonocks.”

“But I don’t remember ever hearing of a Leenaw or a quest for a lost obelisk,” Kiijon said.

“No, you would not have, Dattwa,” EJ said. “Curious as to why this story was lost, Subree went and talked with her clan’s kiiwon, Glliinew. Since a clan’s kiiwon is the keeper of ancient truths, Subree hoped she would know something.”

“Was she any help?” Europa asked.

“Surprisingly, yes,” EJ smiled. “Glliinew told Subree a story her grandfather told her. It was about some ancient scrolls containing stories of life beyond our ice shield and places filled with twinkling lights, unimaginable colors and many unusual and strange life forms. Since we Oonocks did not believe another world existed outside of Europa, the thought of traveling through space was an unrealistic concept to us. The stories were thought to be strange, absurd, utterly ridiculous and not worthy of being shared, so the scrolls were abandoned. He instructed her never to forget the stories written in the scrolls and that she must pass their existence on to her replacement; and they, in turn, were to pass it on to their replacement, and so forth. He said that on the day the stories were ever truly forgotten, the Oonock civilization would be no more. He said the world outside our ice shield was our future.”

“But how did an Oonock, who had no concept of outer space, even know of such things?” Europa asked. “It does not make sense.”

“No, it does not, Mattwa,” EJ agreed. “And since the scroll is believed to be over fifty million years old, Subree presumes no Oonock transcribed it.”

“Then who?”

“Who indeed,” Kiijon smiled, peeking inside his pouch to check on his son, now peacefully asleep. He reached over and grabbed a handful of tubree worms and popped them in his mouth, eagerly chomping them into bits. “The delight of Oonock fatherhood. You think it was a Librarian, don’t you?”

“There is no other explanation,” EJ stated, a huge smile on his face. “Who else would know about space travel, starships, stellar portals and also have access to the secured world of Europa? I cannot think of anyone else but a Librarian.”

“So the Ancients’ belief that the Librarians died out millions of years ago was wrong,” Jazee commented.

“They thought that because no living Ancient or Oonock had seen one,” EJ replied. “At least not that they knew of. Perhaps they walked amongst our ancestors without them knowing who they were. Much like us. If you were to ask a human on Earth about us, they would say we did not exist much before twenty-five years ago. Yet we have been on Earth for over six thousand years and walked amongst humans many times. Just because you do not see something does not mean it does not exist.”

“The Librarians had access to FarCore and could have easily entered Europa through the Window of Universes,” Jazee said.

“Again I ask, why?” Europa asked.

“To prepare our ancestors for what lay outside their ice shield,” EJ hypothesized. “To watch the expressions on their faces. Maybe just for the heck of it or an experiment. Who knows?”

“You said the scrolls contained a more detailed account of the Leenaw’s travels,” Kiijon stated. “What details?”

“The scroll may describe how the Librarians navigated and how Uncle Jeanip and the others accidentally sailed away,” EJ said, taking a piece of craybin out of his wing. “Subree sent this:

“After bringing up his star map, (word unknown) he picked a position to sail to. Reaching through the map, he touched his destination and was whisked across the darkness.”

“So, if Jeanip somehow discovered the maps and someone put their hand inside, they could have accidentally engaged the navigation system?” Kiijon stated.

“That is what I think,” EJ replied.

“Does that scroll possibly suggest how to get them back?”

“Not yet,” EJ sorrowfully replied. “Have Latrill or Staybo found a way to return a message to Uncle Jeanip?”

“They have more-or-less determined the route the message took,” Kiijon answered. “But they have not been able to identify how to get a message into the wormhole. If we try to send it without the benefits of the network, Jeanip will not receive it in our grandchildren’s children’s grandchildren’s lifetime.”

“That long?” EJ asked, seeing the disappointed look on his mother’s face. “I should get going. It is my turn to cook dinner tonight. Steak and corn on the grill. But if you would like, I can stay and have Evening Meal with you.”

Europa swam forward and kissed her son’s cheek. “No, your place is with Medi. I am fine. You go and enjoy your family. Thank you for bringing Subree’s report.”

“Anytime, Mattwa,” EJ replied, giving her an encouraging smile. “We WILL find a way to bring them home. Dattwa, if you have no further need of me, Ospree and I will take our leave.

“Give Medi a kiss for us,” Kiijon said.

“No reply yet?” Jeanip asked, walking onto the bridge. If there was a Communications Room, they had not been able to discover it. But how could they? Like the bridge, the rooms were empty except for an occasional desk or chair. Since simplicity was the design of the starship, he knew that on those desks were instruments, controls, switches. But to what? Without some kind of manual or diagram, he dared not touch the alien instruments.

“No, Your Majesty,” Latrill said. “No reply yet.”

“You are sure Mars received our broadcast?” Jeanip asked.

“Anew said that is what the console showed,” Latrill replied.

“It is possible they have no way to send a reply back,” Quigbee suggested. “Or the corridor we used only goes one way.”

“Without tapping into the technology this ship has, a message would take centuries to reach us,” Latrill said.

“I do not have centuries to wait,” Jeanip softly said, a comment meant for himself. He had maybe three, four centuries left, and the thought of dying out in space did not appeal to him. The idea of never seeing his mate or sons again was almost unbearable. But, being the disciplined soldier that he was, he did not let his feelings be known to the others. “Keep me posted. Do you know where Swaybuk and Anew are?”

“They are investigating that Recreation Room we found yesterday,” Latrill replied. “Swaybuk said there were several symbols there that Anew thought represented books. They’re hoping it might have a small library and perhaps a manual might be amongst the books.”

“I fear that is unlikely,” Jeanip stated. “If there is a manual, it would be here on the bridge, not in some damn library.” He paused for a moment, staring out the window at the nebula. It was kind of spooky having a huge eye watching you all the time. “Whose turn to cook tonight?”

“Afraid it’s yours, Sire.”

“I was afraid of that,” Jeanip said. “Let Swaybuk and Anew know that night meal is at eighteen hundred hours.”

Weenow told Barook everything he remembered about the Leenaw books while he and Mary repaired the window. It helped make the time go by faster. But the going was still slow. And there seemed to be no additional information in the stories Weenow remembered.

But there was some good news. They discovered that if Barook placed The Tale of Leenaw the Librarian back on the Table of Orbs inside Europa’s FarCore, Weenow could request it in Mar’s FarCore. Ask, and you shall receive, as Mary was always saying. He tried requesting the additional books from the Ancient’s homeworld, but they did not appear. Apparently, since the other books were not inside any FarCore, Weenow could not request them too.

At his first rest period, Weenow read his book from cover to cover three times. It was on the third read that he noticed two pages were stuck together. He had never noticed that before, probably because the story line had proceeded without interruption. He tried separating the two pages, but they were tightly stuck together. Then he remembered he had eaten a gandergee while reading the book long ago. He must have dripped some of the insides onto the pages, making them stick. Using the small knife Mary and he used to prick their fingers for the blood needed, he carefully sliced through the gandergee and pulled the two pages apart. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw only three or four words were lost. Everything else was intact on the hidden pages.

“Brother,” Weenow shouted, as he raced to the Window of Universes, the book in his hand. “I found something important,” Weenow said, showing Barook the pages. “These two pages were stuck together. I didn’t read them before.”

Barook drew closer and read the pages. A look of excitement soon covered his face also. “Does that say what I think it does?”

“It sure does. It gives the code to summon a Librarian.”

“The two pages were stuck together,” an elated EJ told his parents. “It tells how Leenaw summoned another Librarian.” He saw the doubt on his parent’s faces. “Earon can stand before the obelisk on Mars and summon a Librarian. He can tell us how to bring Swaybuk and the others home.”

“Do you think they still exist?” Europa asked, afraid to believe they might have found a way to get her loved ones back.

“There’s only one way to know,” Kiijon said with a big smile. “Jazee, send an emergency message to Earon immediately. Tell him what we found. Ask him to stand before the obelisk and say the words.”

“Right away, Sire,” Jazee replied, rushing from the room.

“By the look on your face, I believe you had no luck?” Jeanip asked.

“Anew is sure there are some books in the room,” Swaybuk said. “And while probably innocent, we didn’t want to touch anything without your permission.”

“Anew, are you able to sense anything about the books?” Earon asked.

“No, Jeanip,” Anew replied. “For some reason, I can sense nothing in that room.” She looked around. “In here, and throughout the ship, I can sense much, almost as if it were whispering to me. But not in that room. That is why I am completely unwilling to trust my judgment when inside.”

“I wonder why that room is different,” Quigbee stated, taking a helping of potatoes and passing it on. “You would think a library would be safe enough.”

“Perhaps it is, and that is why Anew cannot sense anything,” Soojay commented. “Think of it. If this starship runs on mental thoughts like I believe that it does, you would need a place of peace to retreat to, a place where there are no voices, no feelings or thoughts. And what better place than a library to have this happen. A crew member or the Captain could go inside and have silence, enjoy a good read, or a quiet nap.”

“Makes sense,” Swaybuk agreed. “Unfortunately, the silence of that room does not help Anew solve the problem of how we can get home.”

“If you cannot sense anything there, how do you know there are books hidden somewhere inside?” Jeanip asked, passing the dish of pink vegetables.

“I was able to determine in another room what the sign for a book is,” Anew replied. “I saw this same symbol numerous times in that room.”

“You said you saw this symbol in other rooms?” Jeanip asked

“Yes, mostly in the crew’s quarters, and in here,” Anew answered. She rose from the table and walked over to what was the cooking element. She reached to the side and ran her hand over the wall, revealing a symbol of a book. “See, it is here also. It is a book describing the operations of the kitchen.”

“Anew, have you seen this symbol on the bridge?” a hopeful Jeanip asked, hoping the answer would be yes and they had found the manual.

“No, this symbol appears nowhere on the bridge,” Anew stated. “I have looked for it many times.”

“Wait a minute,’ Soojay said, suddenly getting an idea. “You told me you saw this symbol in the crew’s quarters. Did you ever see it in the Captain’s quarters?”

“Yes, it is next to the sleeping platform,” Anew stated.

The four males looked at each other. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” an excited Soojay asked.

“That the captain would not have kept his manual on the bridge, where anyone could read it,” Jeanip answered. “But in his room, where it would be safe.” The four males jumped up from their seats and ran towards the Captain’s room, leaving Anew all alone. Swaybuk suddenly poked his head around the corner. “Come on, Anew. We need your expertise.”

“But I’m hungry,” she said, not wanting to leave her plate of food.

“I promise it will be here when we come back,” Swaybuk replied, smiling.

“If I must,” the Ancient grumbled, stuffing another big mouthful of potatoes in her mouth. As an Ancient, she seldom ate, but she had a craving for potatoes. She was so thankful that Soojay and Quigbee were able to program the food processor to produce something quite similar to the real thing. If she were going to have to spend millennia out there, she’d at least have potatoes to eat.

When she entered the Captain’s quarters, she saw everyone was eagerly awaiting her. “Where is the sign, Anew?”

“Over here beside this painting,” Anew said. The four males strained their eyes, but all they could see was a smudge on the wall. They watched in amazement as Anew walked over and touched the smudge, making it turn into a book symbol.

“How do you see those things?” Quigbee asked. “It was just a smudge.”

“Can’t you see the symbols?” Anew asked, looking around the room and seeing several others. “They’re everywhere.”

“We can discuss our eyesight later,” Jeanip stated. “Anew, can you retrieve the book?”

“If you would like me to,” Anew said.

“Yes, please.”

Everyone held their breath as Anew reached out her finger and tapped the book symbol two times, then paused, and tapped another three times. The symbol rose up, becoming a knob. Anew turned the new knob to the right and pulled to reveal a drawer. She reached inside and withdrew a book, handing it to Jeanip. The monarch excitedly opened the cover and thumbed through the pages, a disappointed look soon covering his face. He gave the book back to Anew.

“Unless there’s something else you need to do, this book is useless,” Jeanip said, trying to stifle the anger growing inside him. “The pages are blank.”

Thinking perhaps Anew could see something they did not, Swaybuk asked, “Anew, can you see anything on the pages?”

The Ancient opened the book and turned the pages. “No, Swaybuk, they are blank like Jeanip said.”

“They can’t be,” Soojay said, reaching out and grabbing the book from Anew. He stared at the blank pages. “I want to see diagrams and schematics,” he shouted, throwing the book down onto the floor, his last hope to see his mate and sons yanked away.

Swaybuk walked over and looked at the book. He smiled and said,” Soojay, what did you want to see in this book?”

“Not now,” Soojay said, his anger still bubbling.

“I need for you to tell me what you wanted to see,” Swaybuk said, turning the book so the soldier could see the pages. To his disbelief, Soojay saw a schematic of the captain’s chair faintly appear on the page.

“I said I wanted to see some diagrams and schematics,” Soojay repeated, as he saw the diagram filling in, becoming more apparent. He rose from the bed and took a step forward, a smile starting to stretch across his face. “I want diagrams that will show us how to fly this damn ship home.” Soojay took the book from Swaybuk and thumbed over three pages to reveal the navigational display. “Just like this.” He turned the book for all to see.

“Unbelievable,” Jeanip said. “Just like the kitchen. And the way we sent the message. Just ask, and it shall be granted.”

“Could it be that simple?” Quigbee asked.

“Yes,” Swaybuk replied. “There are no controls in this ship because the Librarians did not need them. They operated by words or sounds. Perhaps even thoughts. This ship works just like FarCore does.”

“Do you think words can fly this ship back home?” Soojay asked.

“Yes. I think you still need a general knowledge of what to do, but I believe this ship is run and operates on requests.”

“So if I ask for a bowl of schrimdo from Europa, one will appear?” Quigbee asked.

“I don’t think it works like that,” Jeanip said, now understanding too. “It can’t make something out of nothing. But it can fly this ship, launch a speeder, and send a communique. Anything that is nonorganic.”

“Except for the kitchen,” Anew said, remembering her dinner that waited for her.

“Except for the kitchen,” Swaybuk agreed. “Somewhere where I believe we should return to and enjoy our meal.”

The five marooned crew returned to the kitchen, where Soojay anxiously looked through the book. “Can you understand how to run the ship?” Jeanip asked.

“I believe so, Sire,” Soojay smiled. “There are a few things I might have to figure out, but the concept of transportation is an easy one. I think, Lady and Gentlemen, we are going home.”