Distant Reality Chapter Eight
GRID Traveler Trinity: Distant Reality
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 8
The answer to a question comes in two fold; an answer given and the truth contained within the answer. Also, the question asked comes in two fold; the actual truth and a truth hoped for.
Chapter 8
The mess hall was near empty. Sean picked out a table. They sat for a second before an ensign walked over.
“Good evening, Sir, ma’am. May I get you something?”
Loggar leaned back holding her stomach, “A sandwich, turkey and cheese?”
The ensign smiled, ‘This must be the Doctor?’
“One turkey and cheese sandwich, ma’am, and you, sir?”
“Clam Chowder, hot, please.”
The ensign nodded, walked away.
Loggar leaned forward, “You have waiters?”
“So to speak, it’s one of the many duties new ensigns and Non-commissioned Officers have to go through. A pay your dues thing.”
“Oh, I see. This is GRID wide?”
Sean nodded and Loggar frowned.
Loggar had never considered the use of lower ranks duty structure. “Did you have to go through that when you first joined?”
Sean nodded, “Yeah, hated it too. I mostly did the recreational areas, but it’s something you get used to. And when they pin that new strip or you get that shiny bar it makes a whole big difference.” Sean noted the frown on her face. “I don’t suppose exobiologists have to go through the same thing?”
“As a matter of fact, we do, except ours was doing research for the head staff, and carrying out the manual labor tasks. I guess it’s a thing that is done everywhere. You know, we did all the background work while everyone else up front basked in the glory.”
The ensign brought their order and left.
Sean ate his chowder as Loggar silently chewed her sandwich.
“Dr. Loggar, may I call you Kathy?”
Loggar almost choked on a halfway chewed bite. “Yes, please, I’m sorry. I never said you could?”
Sean smiled and slowly shook his head. She looked quite lovely in that instance – caught off guard and being speechless. One of the most vocal voices of GRID Command choking on a sandwich because she forgot to say it was okay to get friendly. He saw her blush and stammer and it pleased him.
Loggar smiled back and brushed a strand of hair that fell in front of her eyes. She knew she blushed. She just about cursed herself for such a simple silly mistake as to not have Sean call her by her first name. She was about to go into a slight panic fit when she realized that Sean’s smile was genuine. ‘I’ll be damn,’ she thought, ‘a real smile.’
Sean took a deep breath, “What are we going to find?”
Loggar paused. She wanted to be very careful about her wording. “Historical Alien life that has some commonality to prehistoric Earth.”
“Historical? As in the past? Nothing now, the present?”
Loggar nodded, “Historical, written history, in this case, electronic written history.” She wondered if he was going to ask, and it frightened her that she might answer him.
“I never really believed in Aliens. I figured with all this time out here we should have found some really good evidences or hints, or something and not just “eye-witnesses” from past records. It just smacked too much like science fiction.”
Loggar giggled, she was a little relieved that Sean took this approach to squish his curiosity. She was certain he knew that she specifically asked for him. “I remember reading books about far off lands and adventures. My favorite series was the STAR WARS™ saga . . .”
“Star wars?” Sean blurted out.
Loggar nodded, “I always wanted to be like Princess Leia. I read all three hundred and twelve books.
Sean beamed, “Han Solo was my favorite. I read them all, too. Han and Leia married and had kids. . .” His voice trailed off.
Both paused for a second, looking into each other eyes. The second went into two seconds, then three. Sean coughed lightly into his hand. “I have to ask.”
Loggar leaned forward, smiled and softly replied, “I know.”
“Me, why me? I’m just a commander of a GRID ship. I don’t, maybe I might now, believe in Aliens. I’ve gotten into trouble in the past but am good enough as a commander to walk away relatively clean.”
Loggar pursed her lips, “Sean?”
He smiled, “Yes, please call me Sean. It is only fair.”
She nodded. “May we leave and walk back to my room . . . or would you like to go to your room?”
Sean’s swallow made a soft audible sound. “Either one, but if you want “real” privacy, then we should go to mine.”
“Yours then.”
They both got up and walked out. The rumors would make the rounds again. All crew knew that a GRID ship didn’t travel on power alone, it traveled on gossip. And tonight the Johnson would travel far – some lucky person won the pool.
Robin stared at the equations on her CRT. They were the same equations that Dr. Loggar had worked on. Robin doubted Sean had anything to do with them. She looked at another page. Each page gave her a strange sensation. “Computer?”
“Yes, Captain Spaarin, How may I help you?”
“What do you know about the ‘Most High Goddess’ order?”
Robin tensed for the second or two it took the Computer to answer.
“The Most High Goddess was an organization that briefly had political influence in the then state of California on the planet Earth during the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Toward the middle half of the century the Most High, as it was popularly called, gained further political power. Most High controlled most of the Americas, the western hemisphere of the planet Earth. Even though the South Americas had mainly been stapled on Catholicism it still retained, underground and behind closed doors, a communistic culture steeped in some paganism. Ironically, Wicca was mainly a European product, but the Latin continent embraced Wicca and Paganism as a natural extension of the homegrown consolidated Catholicism. During official and highly visible celebration the usual parade of worshiped saints and idols made the rounds. But in the afterhours of normal life the real zealous forms of worship took place. Wicca was among the most popular – not in European style, but Wicca nonetheless.”
“Stop.” Robin said then slowly spoke; making sure her question was valid. “What is the current state of the Most High Goddess?”
“The Most High Goddess is practiced by an obscure minority of individuals still living on Earth. There is also data, which suppose some off world locations practicing . . .”
Wrong answer, Robin thought, definitely the wrong answer.
Sean walked over to the tap and filled Loggar’s glass and his with a red substance. “I hope you like this.”
Loggar took the glass and sniffed at the edge. “Sangria, Earth, 2212, Poluv Brothers.”
“Right! And I thought you were just a beer drinker.”
Loggar sipped at the red liquid. “I am, but I find time to drink other things besides beer and ale.”
Sean took a swallow from his glass and sat on the opposite side of the couch.
“May I.” Loggar said kicking off her shoes and leaning back.
“By all means, get completely comfortable.” He took another swallow.
Loggar looked around and noted Sean’s taste in décor. Sean liked early 19th century Japan. It wasn’t surprising. Most Men in GRID Command had this thing about early Japan. It had something to do with being a warrior and samurai she guessed. She noted the plain dark wood lines throughout the room, mostly vertical with a few horizontal beams placed in logically assumed places. Very pleasing to the eye, she told herself, very pleasing. She also noted the various swords on the wall and a collection of a handful of guns. Sean like weapons she decided. She wondered if he could use any of them but decided he had to. He seemed to be the type of man who would display what he was most comfortable with. She would ask him later about his collection. “Sean, why you?”
“Yes, I’m one of many in the GRID.”
“What we discovered on the planet is one reason why you had been asked for.” Loggar moved closer to Sean. “Why I asked for you.” She inched closer.
Sean slipped off his shoes and inched toward the center of the couch. “You know, I didn’t know anything about you until Robin, I mean Captain Spaarin told me you asked for me . . .”
Loggar nodded, encouraging Sean to continue.
“. . . You have a lot of clout, you’re brilliant, which I just really found out, and you’re different.”
“Different.” Loggar laughed out loud. She drained her glass. “May I?” She indicated toward Sean’s near full glass.
He drained it and handed it to her.
Loggar walked both over to the tap. She walked like a woman trying to be sexy, but not drunk. The dress felt restrictive. She wanted to remove it. “Computer, more of that nice wine.”
“Yes, Dr. Loggar.”
Sean watched her with a growing arousal. He looked at the way the dress clung to her body, the way her calves were shaped, the way her hair flowed down her shoulders. Sean realized he was falling for the Doctor. The consequences were no doubt going to be severe.
“Here, Sean.”
Sean took the glass and drank. He noted Loggar’s chest rising and falling rapidly. He wondered what her breast really looked like. Her nipples pressed against the fabric. He shifted hoping that his arousal was not too revealing.
Loggar sat a hands breadth away. “Yes, I’m a lot of things and different is one of them.”
“I believe you, Kathy.”
She smiled.
Sean liked that.
“Sean, what we found on the planet was fantastic. It opens up another type of speculation about the origins of the Human species.”
Sean leaned slightly toward her. “Not that we were placed here by Alien spin?”
“No, not exactly, but it will show that we have a common lineage and. . . ”
Sean sat straight, “Lineage?”
Kathy looked wide-eyed and nodded. ‘Damn the moment had been blown.’ She looked at Sean to see how astute he was.
Sean’s face played an interesting range of emotions and thoughts. “Kathy, I am not an Alien. Nor do I believe in ‘em. I’ll just have to see the proof. But that still doesn’t answer my question.”
Kathy laughed softly. “Such a bright man.” She leaned into Sean’s ear. “I want you to believe, I want you to see, I want you to know, trust me when I say you have to see for yourself.”
Sean turned his head toward Kathy’s voice and found her lips. He kissed them with a feeling he thought no other woman could draw out. She returned the kiss.
He didn’t know what Kathy was feeling at this moment – he didn’t care, but he knew one thing. A thing that was surely dangerous if not done right. Sean was falling in love.
Robin glanced into the CRT. It all came together. GRID Command placing her in charge, which she believed was orchestrated from another influential source, Dr. Loggar asking for Sean for unknown reasons, and Dr. Loggar’s equation. Robin shuddered. This was the future she said. This is an advanced ship, with a collimation of Earth’s technical genius. The Human species colonized hundreds of planets, soon to be thousands of planets, but this thing, this thing on the screen. Robin looked for the hundredth time. She knew what it meant. She herself was from the Most High Goddess, but the surprising part to learn was Dr. Loggar was also from the order. An order that has been able to maintain secrecy and hide its influence for a long time. Not overt secrecy, but able to maintain a very low profile in everyday walks of life. And that was hard in GRID society.
“Computer, display the planet we’re going to.”
The image replaced the equations and notes. “Computer, a close-up of the excavation site.”
“That image has not yet been supplied, Captain Spaarin.”
No matter, she thought, it just doesn’t matter now. She read in the report of possible ‘Wicca-like’ symbols. She read the speculative answer that the civilization that once lived on the planet had possibly practiced a form of witchcraft, but that was only speculation. It’s always speculation when you deal with the archaeological records of the past. But, Dr. Loggar is of the Most High Goddess. Then she thought of Sean. He was going to get involved. My God! Oh, Sean I am so sorry, forgive me.
“Computer, where is Dr. Loggar?”
“Dr. Loggar is currently in Cmdr. Blakemore’s quarters. Shall I call her?”
Oh dear no! “No, never mind.” Oh Sean, forgive me. You are about to become something you thought I made you. You are about to become a pawn.