Foreign Planet: This Foreign Universe, #2

PART ONE

Chapter 1

It didn’t take long for all three hundred seventeen survivors to hear about Tashon’s ability or, to some, alleged ability, to see the fourth dimension around them. To see, as if from his own personal mind-drone, a view of what was going on around him from the Fourth, while also seeing the world the traditional way: with his eyes. Tashon wasn’t sure how the news spread so quickly. It seemed the human tendency to share news that was not one’s own hadn’t ended.

It had been one week since they sent Aleron and his monster back to the Fourth, but Tashon was still being pulled aside by those who had lost someone in the terror. Asking him if he could talk to their late husbands or brothers or girlfriends.

He was standing in the shade of a flowering tree. When they had first arrived, the trees had been adorned with large, yellow leaves. Those leaves now layered the ground and had been replaced by dark red flowers that roughly resembled the shape of a human heart. The veins that ran up and down just under the bark had turned into more of a pinkish-red. Thin clouds hovered in the sky, scattering the red rays of the rising sun into beams that shot off to the horizon.

Since Aleron’s eviction, the forest had come alive with small creatures. White worms wriggled in the soil near the base of the trees, some with two rear legs that allowed them stand and lift their bodies vertically into the air. Little six-legged, furry animals whose shape resembled that of a lizard. Dozens of insects, each similar, yet different than those found on Earth. And Tashon’s favorite: the moths.

Using his Fourth sight, he saw someone walking through the trees toward him. He watched the middle-aged woman step lightly, her hand brushing against each tree she passed. He also saw himself, from the side. The tree behind him casting his face in shadow. He now always saw himself in third person, while simultaneously seeing everything through his natural eyes. The first few days it had been dizzying, but he was getting used to it. And, as always, Laos, the man Tashon had killed, floated just above him in his fourth-dimensional form. A glowing gray that more often shone closer to a pure white than not, with a human form that was to Tashon what Tashon was to a two-dimensional rendering of a human. Laos did not haunt Tashon. He had grown to be more of a comforting presence.

The woman came into the peripheral of his human sight. He turned, smiling, and then nodded to her.

Chief Tashon. She smiled as she stopped at his side.

Tashon turned to face her. He quietly inhaled. Just Tashon, ma’am. How’re you doing, Mandolin?

She shrugged. I’m here.

Tashon smiled, knowing why she came to talk to him. She’d lost her entire family in the fight against the terrorists. She wanted to ask him if he’d seen anyone from her family in the Fourth. To perhaps receive a message of love or encouragement from the other side. Tashon wasn’t looking forward to disappointing her.

Have you seen.... she said, her eyes wet. Can you really see the dead?

Tashon shook his head. No, not like that. I mean, I can see the Fourth all around us, but I can’t call on the souls of the dead or anything like that. I’ve seen beings that look like people who’ve died, but only a few.

So when they died—when we die—it’s not over?

No, it’s not. A part of us is in the Fourth, but—

So, you’ve seen my family?

Tashon glanced away, catching a glimpse of Smith walking through the trees in the distance, a smokie at his side. He looked at the ground. I wish I had, ma’am, but no.

Tears filled the woman’s eyes. Her face tightened, and her eyes narrowed. How do you know they’re still alive then? Her voice got louder. If you haven’t seen them?

Tashon closed his eyes. Let his Fourth sight take center stage in his mind. Laos was there, as always. Tashon narrowed his sight in closer to him. Laos was the only constant companion Tashon had from the Fourth. He saw his sister, his parents and Evalee regularly. A handful of others, some he didn’t even recognize, would periodically pass by. But he had never been successful in searching out specific people. Tashon looked intently at Laos, and asked him if he’d seen Mandolin’s family. He hadn’t. Tashon opened his eyes.

Tashon turned back to her. He looked her in the eyes. I’ve seen enough... souls to know that this life isn’t it.

She nodded and stepped back. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a choked sob.

Tashon’s eyes filled with tears. He hated seeing others in so much pain and looking to him for some semblance of peace or closure, only to disappoint them. He moved to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She fell into him, wrapped her arms around him and freely wailed, snot and tears streaming down her face.

Tashon hugged her back, thought for a moment to say he was sorry, or that he understood. But would those words make her feel any more at peace?

He held her until she loosened her grip and pulled away, thanking him quietly as she walked away, leaving him to wonder why he’d been given this new vision. Was it a blessing? A curse? Or something that just happened, a one in a million chance? He sighed and leaned his shoulder against the nearest tree. Felt its rhythmic pulsing against his skin. The same beat that moved through each tree in the forest. Closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing to match the rhythm. If only he could turn off his view from the Fourth. Even when he slept, Laos and that higher plane were there, a presence he could never shake. He could tune it out, but never completely turn it off.

With a slow exhale, he stood straight and opened his eyes.

Rosa, he said with a smile. Always good to see you.

How are you? she asked as she leaned against a tree.

I’m good, ma’am. You?

Great, though I’m sure you haven’t seen Cosima?

Cosima. Rosa had broken the girl’s wrist after she attacked Tashon with a knife. But Cosima had ended up sacrificing herself to save others from Aleron’s shadow. Rosa had been hoping to talk to the girl through Tashon, but Cosima’s fourth-dimensional essence had not been found.

Tashon shook his head. I’m sure she’s out there, though. Like the others.

Yeah. Is Laos still following you around?

I think he always will be.

Must make pissing difficult.

Tashon snickered. He closes his eyes and turns around.

How nice of him.

You’d think he’d do more to haunt me. Or at least annoy me. I did kill him.

From the Fourth, Laos reached out and told Tashon yet again that he had forgiven him. Again, a slight shiver ran down Tashon’s spine as his eyes grew wet. He didn’t understand the kindness of Laos, even though Laos had explained that Tashon had been doing what he needed to save those on the Ship of Nations. Tashon knew it was true, and he had mostly forgiven himself. But the fact that he’d taken a human life sill weighed on him, keeping him awake some nights.

Did you see Smith come this way? Rosa’s question brought him back to the present. We’re having another discussion about moving forward.

I’m sure he’s meditating with the trees again. I’ll go get him.

Rosa nodded and walked back to the shelter of the grounded Ship of Nations. Another discussion about moving forward. Tashon walked slowly, in no hurry to interrupt Smith’s meditation, or to join in yet another meeting to argue about all the things that could go wrong, and all the safeguards that should be put in place. They wanted all the details ironed out and written in stone as soon as possible, as if they couldn’t change and adapt them as humanity grew and expanded on Aethera.

Tashon stopped walking. Ahead, Smith sat cross-legged, his back against a tree, eyes closed. A smokie sat a few feet away, at the base of a tree. It stared down at a broken branch that lay amid the drying leaves. The head broke apart from the body, stretched into a line of black, wrapped around the branch and lifted it gently into the air. Tashon watched as the branch floated off the ground and stopped at its broken counterpart that stuck out of the tree. The line of smoke twisted and spun gracefully around the branch. When it pulled away, the branch was whole. The smoke returned to the shape of a head, and floated back to join its motionless body. In the last week, Tashon had seen a smokie fix branches and trees half a dozen times, but it still filled him with wonder. A part of him even hoped the engineers would never figure out how the smokies worked. He liked seeing them as fantastic creatures that could not exist anywhere else.

He turned his attention to Smith and moved to wake him from his meditation.

Chapter 2

The trees had become Smith’s therapists. A few times a day, when the losses he’d suffered threatened to drag him into the earth, he walked away from the ship and the survivors and the incessant discussing. Find a tree—any tree—as long as he couldn’t see the ship. He’d sit in the dirt or the crumbling leaves and lean his head against the bark.

The bark, unlike the first time he did this, remained hard. He thought it was because, somehow, the trees could tell that he was okay, that there were no intruders in his mind. Then, eyes closed, he let his thoughts go back to his favorite memories of those he’d lost. His first date with Evalee. Singing with Fritz. Jonstin telling Smith his horrid childhood, telling Smith how much he respected him. Sylvia, bringing strength and hope to the survivors after the crash. Evalee, the night before she died. Wide-eyed with excitement for the adventure to come.

Then he would remind himself that those people were gone from this dimension. But that Tashon had seen their souls in the fourth dimension. Gone, but not gone. But damn, he wished Evalee were with him. At times he wished the tree would suck the back of his head into its bark again, let him drift away into the fake memories of Evalee.

But no.

He would open his eyes, see the trees towering above him. Feel the soft earth beneath. Breathe in the fresh air, stare into the sky. Remind himself of the beauty of Aethera. Stand, stretch and give his son a hug.

Footsteps approached.

He stood, turned and then smiled. Tashon, he said. Good morning.

It is. Tashon smiled and pointed his thumb toward the ship. Rosa’s looking for you. Everyone’s supposed to be talking about what we’re doing next.

Smith nodded and the two walked side by side through the trees, the leaves crunching under their feet. A white worm lifted its body off the ground and then skittered away.

You talked to Abe? Smith asked.

About what?

The role he wants to play in everything.

Tashon shook his head.

He wants to explore. Document everything he finds. Useful. Interesting. Beautiful. Smith paused. And dangerous.

You don’t want him to?

Smith laughed. No, I do. I’m excited for him. When he told me, he was so happy. Just happy. Like I haven’t seen since Ev died.

And?

Smith was silent for a moment. Imagined Evalee’s soul in the Fourth following Abe through the adventures he would soon have.

And nothing, Smith said. Just good to see is all. Surprised he hasn’t said anything to you.

I’m sure he will.

The ship came into view and Smith sighed. A lot had been done to clean it out and make comfortable living quarters for all the survivors. To turn it into a home. But, to Smith, it all felt like a temporary façade. The illusion of a home. But perhaps it was just the absence of Evalee that made him think that way.

How’s Evalee? he asked Tashon.

The boy smiled. Good. Keeping an eye on Abe, I think.

You see her?

No.

Then how do you know?

She’s not watching you. Where else would she be?

Smith nodded and smiled. They walked into the clearing just outside the ship, a soft breeze scattering leaves here and there. Most of the adult survivors sat in a half circle of crates and logs, chatting or simply enjoying the real air and sunshine. With all that had gone wrong, everyone still agreed that it felt good to breath fresh, natural air after so many years of recycled oxygen. At the front of the half circle were three chairs. Johann sat in one of them. In the second, a woman named Theresa. She had helped Tashon after Cosima attacked him. In the past week, she had protested nearly every policy Johann tried to put in place.

The third chair was for Smith. He slapped Tashon’s shoulder, walked through the crowd and took his seat. He nodded to Theresa and Johann, the latter slowly running a wooden comb through his beard. With a cough and a nod, Johann pocketed the comb and stood up.

Before we get to questions from everyone, we’ve finalized the group of explorers. Of those who will see what resources they can find, as well as what dangers they can protect us from.

And with that, five people emerged from the airlock to join Johann. Winona, a young bald girl with dark skin and piercing blue eyes. Abe stood next to her. Then stood Galvin, the man who would be their leader. He stood a head taller than even Smith and had large biceps and protruding pectorals. He held hands with his wife, Astrid. They had lost all three of their children when the Ship of Nations went down. Last was the oldest of the group. Ballas. He was bald on top but let his white hair grow long on the sides. Despite his age, he was extremely limber and agile. Plus, he had spent most of his life researching and writing about alien life in all its potential forms, from bacteria to intelligent species. Out of any human still alive on Aethera, he was the most qualified to explore and record what they found. On the Ship of Nations, he had been in charge of analyzing videos sent to them by the colonies.

These five, Johann said as he spread an arm out wide, will leave within the next few weeks, once we’ve all decided where they’ll go first. Wish them all good luck before then.

The crowd clapped briefly, and silence returned.

Now, that is all I have for today. I believe Theresa had some things to bring up.

Theresa stood up and thanked Johann. She cleared her throat. So, at this time, Smith, Johann and I have been acting as your interim leaders. Unless there are any objections, I move that we vote to make our positions permanent.

She waited. Smith briefly considered objecting, only to withdraw himself from leadership. But he knew he could do good in the position, so he said nothing.

Great, Theresa said. Anyone opposed to doing it right now by raising hands?

I am, Smith said.

Theresa turned to him, an obvious look of annoyance on her face.

I agree with Smith, Johann said. The anonymity of ballot voting is crucial. It prevents unnecessary divides from splitting up friends, families.

But shouldn’t friends and families be able to share their opinions and ideas and votes without fear of rejection or hatred? Theresa asked.

Of course, Smith said. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Remember when everyone’s votes were released to the public back on Earth? In California, I think.

Theresa huffed but had no response. No doubt she knew that the state had fallen into chaos the week following the release of votes. Friend fighting friend, son torching father’s car. Each violently blaming the other for the terrible state of the nation.

Okay, she said. We’ll organize the vote for later this week.

Smith stood up. And if you want to put a name in of someone else you think should be among the leaders, you are welcome to.

Right. Theresa sat down, giving Smith a look that seemed to scream, Why would you say something like that?

Okay, Smith said. I know we’re all concerned about food and water. Food won’t be a problem. Plenty of biotech seeds survived the crash, and we have enough room for a sizeable farm.

What about water? someone asked from the crowd.

Engineer Dousten has more on that, Smith said.

A young woman slowly made her way to the front. Her engineer’s uniform was torn on one shoulder and covered in dried blood. She wore it proudly.

We need to start rationing water, she said with a high-pitched voice that seemed a bit too cheery for the words coming out of her mouth. Less than half the ship’s water tanks survived the crash, and with the farm, we need to make this water last as long as possible.

What’s the ration? a man asked.

Each person will vary, depending on age and daily tasks that they are required to complete, she said and smiled, as if talking about the beautiful sky. Those tasked with more physical labor will require more, and so on. But approximately sixty ounces a day, give or take ten.

Smith heard the grumblings of the crowd, but knew no one would protest. It was what had to be done, and Smith trusted them to be civil about it. But what if the water ran dry before a solution was found? He pushed the thought aside.

You mentioned a possible solution, Smith said.

Right. Wells. We believe there are underground rivers. First, we need to find them, and then start digging. We need volunteers. Come find me, or any other engineer, and we’ll get you to work.

She smiled, and then walked back to her seat.

That’s all we have for today, Johann said without standing. Does anyone have anything they want to bring forward?

Rosa rose from her seat on a log, walked to the center of the clearing, and stood at an angle to meet eyes with the tribunal and the crowd simultaneously.

I—no, we—need a spiritual guide. A teacher. We need some purpose higher than ourselves.

No one spoke.

Theresa shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Smith smiled, a gut feeling telling him what Rosa was going to say.

I move that Chief Tashon be appointed our spiritual guide, she said.

Chapter 3

Tashon stood, eyes on the ground to avoid the stares from the crowd. Why would Rosa suggest that he be the spiritual leader? That he be the one to give humanity a higher purpose? He could see beyond the veil of reality, of course. Knew, in a way no one else did, that death did not end life indefinitely.

But what about that knowledge gave him the ability to lead a church? It gave him no knowledge of a higher purpose for himself, let alone anyone else. The most it could do was bring some sense of comfort to those still living. It did not give him the knowledge to guide others on a spiritual journey.

Voices erupted from the crowd. Some cheered the idea. Others denounced it, saying it went against what Humans for Humanity had stood for.

Quiet, Johann called. Okay. This, uh, motion from Rosa was not brought to us beforehand. Tashon? Do you want to add to this?

Tashon took a deep breath and locked eyes with Smith.

With a fake smile, Smith shrugged back.

Tashon shook his head.

Smith stood up. Rosa, have you discussed this with Tashon?

No, she said, But had I, he would have refused.

Tashon silently agreed with her. But why, of all people, was Rosa the one to try to make him some sort of prophet?

Then we can’t vote on it if he doesn’t want the job.

I know. I just... he... we’ve never... I’ll talk to him.

Usually, Tashon would love spending time with the old ninja woman, but he was not looking forward to his next talk with Rosa.

Okay. Smith sat down.

Johann dismissed everyone.

Rosa walked straight to Tashon.

He considered making a break for it, but knew she’d corner him eventually. He gave her a half-hearted wave as she neared.

Chief Tashon, she said, a hint of regret in her voice. I should have talked to you first.

Yeah. He patted the log next to him and Rosa sat down.

But this... what you’ve seen, what you can see has never happened before. We can’t let it fade away or disappear.

Sometimes I wish it would, he thought.

Why? he asked.

She laughed softly. This changes the way we see, she said and spread an arm out wide. Everything. Life. Death. After death.

But how does that give us any higher purpose?

She clicked her tongue and looked to the sky. It gives us hope. Is having hope, real hope, not something higher, something better?

Tashon moved his head, something between a shake and a nod. He had felt more hope, more peace, than he had in his entire life. But he could actually see those who had died, their souls. How could others feel that hope if they didn’t see what he saw? It suddenly occurred to him that Rosa never questioned what he said he saw in the Fourth. Smith even seemed doubtful at times. But Rosa? She had taken everything he said as fact.

Tashon lifted his gaze to hers. Why do you believe me, Rosa?

We all saw the beast that took Aleron and the others. It came from the Fourth. If something that purely evil and dark lives there, it only makes sense that the opposite would live there too. And everything in between.

An idea crept into Tashon’s mind. Do you think the beast used to be a human?

Rosa inhaled. Who knows? Maybe the Fourth contains the souls of all species, intelligent or not. Even ones we don’t know about.

Or the ones that are buried in the red mountain caves.

Exactly, Rosa said. But, if so, the beast must have been awful in its life in the Third, too.

You think?

I don’t think our souls would change their nature. It doesn’t make sense.

Tashon nodded, silently acknowledging her logic. It made sense and explained why most of the souls he had seen in the Fourth were varying shades of gray. Most weren’t completely good or evil, but somewhere in between.

The wind picked up. A small twister of leaves twirled around a few feet away.

Look, Rosa, I like talking like this, about this. But that doesn’t mean I’d make a good spiritual guide.

Maybe, she said. Just see what more you can learn about the Fourth. And then tell people about it. I think most people believe you, at least a part of them does.

Right.

I’ll talk to you later.

Rosa stood and strode off, leaving Tashon alone. Or, almost alone.

Laos reached out to Tashon from the Fourth. The man floated outside Tashon’s physical sphere. But words floated as waves from Laos to Tashon’s mind.

She’s not wrong, Chief.

Tashon stood and walked into the trees, toward the Red Mountains, while Laos’s words continued to swim in his thoughts.

Hope can save lives. Save souls. Aleron had lost his hope. Hope in himself. In humanity. He saw that absence of hope in me and the others. Filled the absence with purpose. Direction. Anger.

As Tashon walked, the trees became denser around him. From the left, a smokie appeared and walked by his side. When he had been on top of the ship, thinking of how he could throw himself off, was it hope that had stopped him?

No. It was seeing the beast speeding through the trees. He didn’t jump because he needed to warn the other survivors.

"I was there that night. Laos’s words came again. When you almost jumped."

Tashon paused for a moment, then kept walking. Had Laos somehow stopped him from ending his own life?

No, I don’t have that kind of power. Don’t think anyone here does.

Tashon let out a breath. He was glad he hadn’t jumped, and glad to know it had been his decision. He didn’t like the idea of unseen beings controlling his actions. Fate, destiny, whatever one might call it, did not seem to exist. And Tashon found that to be one of the most comforting discoveries he could have made. Tashon stopped and leaned against a tree, smiling as a handful of moths danced through the leaves above him.

They were about the size of his hand, and the tips of their pointed wings ranged from white to green to orange. The rest of their bodies were a soft gray.

The moths had shown up minutes after the beast was sent away.

Tashon loved the moths.

He sat down and watched as they fluttered in and out of the leaves. After a few moments enjoying watching them in the Third, he closed his eyes and put a small piece of cloth in each ear, dulling his awareness of the third dimension. After a few deep breaths, all he could see was the fourth dimension. Laos was next to him, glowing more brightly than the last time Tashon had looked at him with his Fourth sight alone. Behind Laos, in the distance, was a city of buildings that may have been the same one in which Tashon first saw the souls of his dad, mom and sister. But he didn’t know for sure.

The moths that had been in the forest fluttered around him, aglow with all the mesmerizing colors of the Fourth. They existed simultaneously in the third and fourth dimensions, the only such creatures Tashon had discovered. He could sit in the Fourth for hours, watching them dive and dance through the colorful wind of that higher plane.

Eventually, the moths flew off and Tashon pulled his attention back to the Third just as Abe and Ballas, the old navigator, walked up to him.

Abe, Ballas, Tashon said. What are you doing out here?

We wanted to go to the caves. Found something I want the old man to look at.

Ballas smiled, not bothered that Abe had called him old.

What did you find? Tashon asked.

Abe smiled. Why don’t you come with us?

Tashon thought for a moment, remembered what he and Rosa had talked about. Perhaps if he went to the catacombs, he could see Aethera’s past inhabitants in the Fourth. Let’s go, he said.

Chapter 4

Abe had been hoping Tashon would go with them to the caves. Though he had been in there by himself, he always felt safer with