Chapter 5
Safe on Base
Flinging her arms around Eddy and Erica, Rose stammered, slightly, “This actually is Earth Base One.” Her eyes widened as realization and acceptance solidified in her mind’s eye. “Are we really here?” she asked, again looking out the spaceship windows at the island, clearly knowing the answer.
"Yep. Correct," said Eddy, in an exhausted whisper. "My body is still shaking, I need to do something physical, let's go back down to the cargo bay and hitch a ride to shore." He took a deep breath and walked to the door. Erica felt exactly the same, and she wanted fresh air, though she took a moment to look quickly around the flight deck and cement it into memory.
They all stopped at the door and waved to Captain Strong. Rose put on her backpack and picked up her two satchels full of technical gizmos, Eddy carried one of them for her.
Captain Strong, face beaming, waved her hand high. "Everyone is safe," she called to them. "All flight data has been duplicated and loaded in a communication torpedo, bound for Planet Pacifica, it arrives there in eighteen months. A pioneer ship will carry it aloft. Good luck, I will see you soon."
Erica walked three steps to the ladder and went down first. Eddy was above her, still carrying one of Rose's satchels. Rose was last on the ladder and carrying more than anyone else, yet Eddy hurried downward, to keep his fingers safely below her nimble quick feet. He jumped the last two rungs, landing next to Erica.
The huge doors completed their ponderous opening as Rose, Erica, and Eddy strode across the cargo bay to the deck's edge, half a meter above the water line. Sunlight and fresh ocean air drew them to the opening, Earth scent held them there.
"The cargo bay and the door are divided by another water wall," Rose observed, walking along the deck's edge, toward the partitioning water wall for a closer look.
"Chest deep water reaches all the way across their half of the open door," Erica observed. "I wonder if delfinians go through or over, there's no visible material in the water wall."
"It must be gravity powered," Eddy commented, following her gaze.
Spring had been about to jump through the water barrier when he spotted the humans coming down the ladder. He chuckled to himself and instead did his best to hide in a shadow, against the hull, near the open door. He tucked his dorsal fin up against the inside spaceship wall, motionless, waiting for a curious human to approach the water.
Orca power turned to action when Rose was only a few steps from the water wall. Spring surged from his hiding spot in an explosive jump, turned high in the air, landed, and then leaped through the water wall, into the ocean. He immediately rolled into some refreshing twists and stretches, while calling for the attention of all ocean people interested in seeing a monstrous delfinian spaceship.
Rose was spared a too great shock by noticing Spring a split second before he leaped. His acrobatic turn nonetheless drenched her. Eddy and Erica were howling with laughter as Spring surfaced in the ocean outside. He knew he hadn't planned his splash as soon as he saw Rose, dripping wet, soggy from head to toe.
Orca heroism helped Spring hold back his own laughter, he swam quietly and dutifully to the cargo bay door. Rose knelt and quickly removed her wet shoes, tying them to her backpack. Then she stepped onto Spring, standing sideways, her arm carrying the satchel toward Spring's tail, her free hand raised fingertip to dorsal-tip.
Spring carried Rose with dignified grace, he took her on a tour of the bay, including a brief speed-surge on a fairly big wave, at the surfing point shoulder, where deep ocean swells steepened but did not break. Rose was exhilarated by the giddy sensation of Mother Earth's power teasing her with a shoreward speed curl steep enough to thrill.
Eddy and Erica stood next to the water barrier watching Rose and Spring cross the bay. "That was funny," Erica said, still softly laughing. "Ocean People are fun."
Eddy was about to agree when the first of a long line of delfinians jumped through the water barrier and into the sea. The delfinians were three abreast, guns and other equipment was strapped to their backpacks. Each briefly glanced at the humans as they jumped into the ocean.
"They look like braves, marching fast," Erica commented, at the same moment one of the delfinians broke rank and joined them at the water wall, standing on his tail hand.
"We arranged this so you would see the scouts leave the ship," said the delfinian. "There are three thousand five hundred of us, our job is to guard Earth Base One. Captain Strong will patrol underwater until the Admiral tells her otherwise."
"I am Erica, and this is Eddy. What is your name?"
"Spirit Reef, Captain of the Delfinian Scouts," the delfinian introduced himself proudly, and then pointed toward two arriving orcas. "Will they carry you to the shore?"
"Spring must have told the ocean people we needed two rides," said Eddy, looking again at the stream of passing scouts, a thoughtful expression was on his face. "They carry many different types of weapons," he mused.
"Very observant," Spirit responded, "you are right. Some groups carry parts for larger weapons to be assembled later, these will replace the overly powerful spaceship weapons. Delfinian Scouts will defend the island against attacks from the sea."
"I didn't know delfinians had an army and fighting weapons like these," Erica said, watching the still passing line of scouts leaping into the sea.
"We have so far avoided situations where they are needed," Spirit replied. "Nuclear war over scraps left behind after global climate collapse and corporate pollution is a special case. Delfinians have no choice here, our duty is to protect this beautiful planet from the capitalist ravages of economic savages."
"You see the problem perfectly," Erica commented. "My people have not always been environmental angels, still, we have never understood those seeking to own and dominate the planet which freely supports our life."
One of the two recently arrived orcas swam close to Erica, Eddy, and Spirit. It quietly watched the scouts jumping through the wall and into the ocean. "We are here to take you to shore," the orca said after watching for a moment. "Spring told us you would like a ride. The Admiral is waiting for you."
"Will you take me to shore?" Erica asked as she stepped onto the waiting orca.
"The orca chuckled, "First tell me why only a few drops of water follow the delfinians through the wall and into the sea."
"We were wondering the same thing," Erica said as she raised her fingers to the orca's dorsal fin. "Delfinians have many astounding technologies on their spaceship."
"Good luck, Spirit," Eddy called out as he too slipped out of his shoes and stepped onto a waiting orca. "Please give our thanks to all the scouts."
Eddy and Erica rode to shore side-by-side. Pioneer cruisers were leaving the delfinian ship and climbing into space as they climbed off the orcas and waded to the beach. Rose stood waiting with Glafco and Rima, who were beaming with smiles so wide they couldn't be missed.
"So why are you two smiling like cheshire cats?" Eddy asked Glafco and Rima, after everyone had been introduced.
"Glafco and I were together a lot on Planet Pacifica," Rima said, blushing slightly.
"Yep," Glafco added enthusiastically. "We have decided to become married, here on planet Earth. We're going to hurry and do it now, before next we go who knows where."
Glafco ran out of words and grinned. He popped Eddy's shoulder a swacking slap. "And you already did it," he hooted, slapping Eddy's shoulder again. "Buddy! You came back married to Erica Brave Moon. Amazing!" He paused, touching Eddy's shirt and feeling the cloth, pensively, then he turned and gave Erica a warm welcoming hug before stepping back and looking at them both with an appreciative eye.
"What's the story behind your clothes?" He asked. "You look like people from the future." He reached and touched Eddy's shirt again, feeling the supple cloth between his fingers, "I felt the cloth harden when I slapped you on the shoulder. Are your clothes some kind of armor?"
"Be careful about touching him too quickly," Rose warned Glafco. "Lest Brave Moon smite you with her black lightning."
Glafco jumped back in mock alarm, then he bent forward, peering at Erica, "You would smite me with black lightning?" he asked, eyes wide and questioning. "What's black lightning?"
"I wouldn't do it on purpose, Erica said, giggling at both Glafco and the thought of smiting anything. "This is all new to us, Eddy and I were not given instructions or told what to do."
"Okay." Rose interjected. "Let's focus here. Job number one; Eddy and Erica, please open the Admiral's dome."
"But how did you know about that?" Rima asked incredulously. "We haven't yet spoken about it, that's what we were going to tell you about. Will and Leslie Berrigan are at their wit's end, they can't find a door into the dome."
"Let's talk as we walk," Rose suggested. "Lead us to the the Admiral's dome." Each told their stories as they walked across the beach and onto the path leading into the trees, toward the new foam-stone headquarters building, which they all stopped to admire when they reached it.
Scott waved from the far end of the new pioneer headquarters, where he was discussing construction with a work crew of submarine sailors. He noticed Eddy's bandolier, and what he saw to be Erica's matching belt. Scott finished his discussion about work to be done and joined the group of new arrivals.
Rose pointed to the building's beautiful curved roof. "What's that shimmering dome on top of the building?" She asked, winking to Erica, indicating she already knew the answer to her own question.
"Through the roof," Scott corrected her. "The thing is inside, it's sticking through the roof." He smiled broadly to Erica and Rose, "I'm Scott," he said reaching to shake their hands. They returned his smile, shook his hand, and told him their names.
"The dome is inside the new building?" asked Eddy in surprise.
"Right next to the Admiral's desk, which has become Will and Leslie's workbench," Glafco answered. "Do you guys really think you can open it?"
"Keep moving, children," Rose admonished, making a clucking sound like a mother hen. "We have a world to save. Remember?" She pretended to wipe sweat from her brow as she moved them along toward the building.
They were six who walked into the new headquarters. The central area had a high arching ceiling of woven bamboo strips inside and bamboo reinforced foam-stone outside. The Admiral's desk was in the center of the main oval room, which Eddy guessed at fifteen meters across, in the long direction, perhaps twelve meters in the narrow direction. An egg shaped dome the size of an extra large office was a few steps from Admiral Castro's desk. Shimmering energy made its invisibly thin walls seem almost alive.
Will and Leslie looked up from the tangle of wires and gadgets they were using for their experiments at trying to open the dome. Both their faces lit up when they spotted Rose carrying her familiar satchels and backpack. Each had worked with her on stubborn technical problems in the past, they were visibly excited to see her joining them on a frustrating job.
"What's the ladder for?" Rose asked, setting her satchels and backpack on the Admirals desk, amongst a pile of tools, drawings and hastily scribbled notes.
"I climbed up to see where the dome passes through the roof," Scott answered. "The cut is smooth as glass. You can see the bamboo reinforcement inside the foam-stone. It's neat. And rainproof... so far."
Scott took the ladder down and moved it to where no one would trip over it. The Admiral, walking in the front door, stopped to help Scott guide one end of the ladder. He and Scott then walked together toward the dome, listening to Rose.
"Eddy and Erica opened another one just like it on Planet Pacifica," she said. "Both domes are copies of the original, which is being studied on Melodia. Notice my unopened tool bags on the Admiral's desk; don't touch anything until pioneer base power is connected to those grey metal panels outside. Are you ready to give it a try?" she asked, turning to Erica and Eddy, waving them closer to the glistening dome wall.
Eddy and Erica stood before the dome as they had done on Planet Pacifica, holding hands, studying the wall in front of them. Scott and the Admiral edged closer to watch. Eddy moved his eyes from the dome to glance at his belt. He tapped the disc he was fairly certain would allow them to walk through the dome's energy field. Eddy saw the Admiral out of the corner of his eye as he glanced from the dome to his bandolier. He reached reflexively and caught his hand, pulling him through the wall with them.
Rippling rainbow waves fluttered over the wall, spreading outward from their entry. The waves passed over the top of the dome and then began rebounding from the floor and each other. A similar pattern clung to the Admiral and persisted over his entire body as he moved to the dome center.
"Are you okay, Admiral?" Eddy asked anxiously, watching the rainbow patterns gradually subside from his skin and clothes.
"Look at his clothes," Erica gasped. "They've become like ours."
"Wow," Eddy breathed in admiration. "Look at you; Senior Admiral from the far distant future. Am I ever glad you are here."
"What?" Said the Admiral.
"Look at his clothes," Eddy called to the others outside the dome, beckoning them to enter. "The Admiral's been inducted," he announced. "Erica and I need the Admiral, er... Inocente."
"Inducted into what?" Scott asked, as he admiringly felt the Admiral's sleeve, now made of melodian fabric.
The Admiral's clothing style had also changed dramatically. His uniform had become elegant. The loose fit and stylish cut appeared expensive beyond reckoning. Erica watched the last of the rainbow ripples fade from the Admiral's shirt, she was reminded of work clothes casually worn by Guatemalan Indians, clothes so costly in other countries they hang in museum displays and are rarely worn.
Rose, business as usual, walked to the computer station and reached to push the power button with the tip of one finger, as she had done in the dome outside the science lab on Planet Pacifica. "There's a note on this one," she said, pulling it from the computer case. "Inocente is instructed to walk through the dome wall while in contact with Eddy and Brave Moon."
"Well. I've already done that," Admiral Castro chuckled, feeling his new clothes with his hands. "What do we do next?"
"That's all the note says," Rose answered.
"Really? That's all?" Erica was clearly hoping for more, she was disappointed to see Rose shake her head indicating there was no more to the note.
"And that's too bad," Eddy said, turning to the Admiral. "You don't know anymore about this than we do."
"Oh but I do," the Admiral smiled, pretending a very wise wink. "Star Song told me about this quite some time ago, though we hadn't met Erica yet. We have been selected as contact humans for Melodia."
"What are contact humans?" Scott asked, eyeing their clothes.
"Erica, Eddy, and I are Earth's ambassadors to Melodia."
"Shouldn't Humans have chosen us?" Erica asked.
"I wondered about that very same question," replied the Admiral. "You must remember, we were in the midst of a battle for our lives, there was precious little time. Star Song told me that Humanity was in too much turmoil. He said we could appoint new ambassadors when people quit fighting and decided to have fun instead."
Rose chose that moment to push the computer station power button. As before, a floor-to-ceiling map of Earth appeared on one side and a door appeared on the other. "We are now able to exit the regular door and plug pioneer power into the outside boxes," she said. "Which one in that tangled mess is the power cord?"
"I'll show you," Will volunteered, leading Rose out the dome door.
Scott dodged around Rose and Will as they walked out the newly activated door, which he had been examining. "What is that buckle on your belt?" He asked Erica. "It matches the medals on Eddy's shoulder strap."
"You are right! I hadn't noticed it before," Erica said, looking at the belt around her waist. She put one hand on the buckle and felt unseen energy ripple up her backbone. Her eyes twinkled and she began to dance slowly around them, chanting her ancient song.
"NO!" Eddy yelled. He grabbed Erica's shoulders and steered her out of the dome, and then out of the building itself, to the front yard.
Everyone followed close behind, excitedly wondering what was what. Mathew attempted to walk in the door as everyone else burst out of it. Scott grabbed Mathew's arm and pulled him along with the group, then the two of them crashed into Eddy, who had stopped to watch Erica.
She danced slowly around them, chanting her ancient song. Then she reached for Eddy's hand and pulled him from the central group, they stepped two meters away from everyone else. Erica tapped her belt buckle with one hand and then raised both her hands high, lifting Eddy's. A net of crackling black lightning ballooned above them as he raised his free hand to match hers. The rising net of black lightning sizzled and crackled as it expanded to become the inside of Star Song's spaceship. A holographic image hesitated for a split second, and then collapsed into a single bolt of black lightning between Erica and Eddy. Their bodies sagged and rebounded under tremendous weight, thunder rolled inward, quieting to nothing in an inside out echo.
Eddy was relieved that the black lightning truly didn't hurt. Erica let go of his hand and bowed to her new companions. "Now we are all up to speed on this together," she said. "No fair to ask us how or why. You saw with your own eyes. Scott noticed what even I hadn't noticed, my buckle is something like Eddy's discs. We are linked by melodian technology and don't have a manual. The huge dome we glimpsed above us was Star Song's spaceship. He said we are charged by its power."
Erica paused, thinking about all that Star Song had said, it was a lot, too much to try and remember all at once. She outwardly announced her inward realization with another graceful bow. "End of report," she said.
"Excellent timing," said the Admiral, still admiring his new clothes. The USE President is scheduled to call at any moment. I wonder if I will be able to talk with him from the new, er... Admiral's Office." His eyes twinkled with mirth as he led the way back inside the new building.
Six curious pairs of eyes watched from a semicircle gathered behind the Admiral. They all watched as Rose, Leslie, and Will tested, measured, and attached wire after wire to President Bushleeg's prized war station.
The Admiral had seen the war station, before his retirement to Luna. He knew with absolute certainty Star Song was involved the moment he saw it, that's why he had mentioned to Will and Leslie Berrigan that they should forget trying to open it. "Wait and see what happens next," he had told them.
He sighed when he looked at the workbench his desk had become. 'I should have known that mentioning advanced melodian technology would ignite a manic scientific frenzy,' he thought, actually chuckling aloud.
Eddy glanced at him with questioning eyes.
The Admiral then whispered a quick question no one but Eddy heard, "Are you able to walk through the dome wall again?"
"Yep," Eddy said, pointing to the third disc down on his chest. "I'm wearing a melodian war sash, he added quickly, for the Admiral's information.
"Captain Strong told me," he replied, speaking with his regular voice, still softly chuckling.
"What's up?" Eddy asked, grinning at the look in Inocente's twinkling eyes.
"First, think of things President Bushleeg should be aware of." The Admiral moved closer to Eddy and lowered his voice still further. To Eddy's disappointment, he was, interrupted by a shout from Will Berrigan.
"Inocente! Look at this!" Will cried, pointing at the roof. "Look at what we just powered up."
The top of the dome opened to a view of space more powerfully magnified than any telescope on Earth. Rose made a few key strokes on the computer and the view grew wider, as if they had moved away from the first view, closer to home. Rose did a few more key strokes and the view transformed into an almost microscopically detailed view of a metallic surface.
"I'm not making this up as I go," Rose said from the computer station. "The instructions are on my screen." She then made one quick key stroke and said, "Wah Láh." The delfinian battle platform, halfway between Earth and Moon, also floated as a three dimensional hologram, filling the peak of the shimmering dome.
"Well, well," the Admiral said, delight sparking in his eyes. "It appears we have a very up-to-date space fleet command center."
"Inocente," said Will. "Some of us should step outside to make more room in here for your teleconference with the USE President. Technical workers could use some extra space, too. Rose and Rima should stay inside the dome and run the computer and communication equipment. The rest can help Leslie and I finish projects outside and pick up the scattered tools."
Eddy and Erica found themselves first out the door, with the Admiral steering them halfway around the dome. They stood outside the Earth wall map, from the outside it appeared as swirling fog. Scott, Mathew, Glafco, and Leslie stopped to look at it, too, on their way to set up a permanent shop area, near the power plugs, furthest around the dome from the Admirals desk.
I wonder what the telescopic part on top looks like from the roof?" Scott mused aloud. His arms were filled with a load of loose tools from the Admiral's desk.
They all turned when Kevin and Leona wedged open the back door and carried in a long folding table, which Scott followed to its destination, where he unloaded his pile of tools as soon as the table was standing upright. Glafco was right behind him with Rose's backpack. The phone rang as he set it on the table.
"Here we go," said the Admiral, turning and striding purposefully in the door. "Rose, inform the fleet I want them on full readiness alert. Rima, patch me in with President Bushleeg and tell me when the fleet is battle ready."
He walked to the library area and ran his hands over the books, heart pounding, waiting for the connection to be made.
"Wait!" Erica cried, dashing into the dome through the door. "The braves are facing HUNTA at the Continental Divide. Remember the braves on the ground."
Inocente smiled and tapped his head with one finger. He was about to tell her something when President Bushleeg appeared on a screen, in the center of the wall map.
Rose made some quick keyboard strokes and the large teleconference screen shifted toward the North Pole, exposing more important global areas on the map. Then she abruptly stood, snapped a finger point to the Admiral, and moved her pointed finger over her lips, signaling for quiet.
The president's expression on the videoconference screen didn't change as Erica's last warning call echoed through the dome, "President Bushleeg is a TV zombi!"