Strangers From The Sky

Preface

A year had come and gone since Nokev returned back to the city of Shuka from the mountain range of Kerta. Over that period of time the Religious Council basically grilled him for information. No one had ever come back from outside the city limits unharmed, Nokev was the first. He didn't have answers for their questions and he was glad for that. The excitement and rumors wouldn't wouldn't die down for a while, Nokev learned to deal with people staring at him.

Nokev's wife, Norev, helped her husband reconstruct his technical journals and other notes over the previous year. She kept the majority of Nokev's writings safe from the council. Norev knew how important her husbands work was to him and wanted to help him as much as she could. She figured that if Nokev could turn a new leaf and learn to put her before his work again, she could help him out.

Norev was still angry with the council for not sending a search and rescue team out for her husband. As far as Norev was concerned, the council would have no part in her life. She didn't trust them anymore. If she ever would learn to trust the council again, it would take a long long time.

Chapter One

As the sun began to show its face and shine over the city of Shuka, Nokev was already hard at work in his reconstructed workshop. At the request of Norev, he had left their home early to begin his work. Today Nokev was working on a new locator system to help with flight analysis. Ever since his last trip to the stars, Nokev wanted to improve his emergency systems. He was determined to go up again and with that determination wanted everything to go smoothly.

Click. Click. The sounds of keys being pressed at a rapid speed filled the room. Nokev was standing at his computer console as he was configuring the guidance system. "Carry the two..." Nokev said to himself. "And that should do it." Click. Resting a hand next to the keyboard, Nokev checked the screen hoping everything checked out. He frowned as he noticed there was no change.

"Maybe if I..." he said as he pressed a few more keys.

Knock Knock

"It's open!" Nokev yelled across the room.

A young man, Nokev didn't recognize, entered the workshop. In his hand was a folded up yellow piece of paper.

"Are you Nokev?" The man asked.

Nokev nodded "That's the name, don't wear it out." He chuckled as he walked towards the man. "What can I do for you?"

The man held out a piece of paper. "I was told to deliver this message to you."

Nokev looked at the messenger "I usually don't accept messages from people I don't know, but since it is from the Council, I'll take it." He took the paper and started to open it.

"How?" The man started.

"Nokev smiled "How did I know?" He glanced to the paper and then back to the man. "When you're told to do something, it can only be a message from the council.

The messenger shook his head, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Here was someone that was telling him a concept he never thought of. Why didn't he see it earlier?

Nokev put his arm aound the man and continued to smile. "It'll take time but you'll learn kid." He rememberd how nieve he was before the age of twenty. Since then too many experiences with the council changed his outlook and he never went back to that nieve state. Nokev paused wondering if he should go into further detail about the council. He decided against it. "What's your name?"

"Orish" the man said.

Nokev took his arm from the man's shoulder and held up the paper. "Thanks for the message Orish, have a nice day." He continued to smile "You can show yourself to the door."

Orish nodded and left the room leaving Nokev to read the message in quiet. "What do we have here?" Nokev said. "Must be important if they sent a messenger to me." As he read the letter, confusion filled his face. Nokev exited his workshop in a quick pace and headed towards the council chambers.

Nokev's trip across town was typical. Everywhere he turned people stopped and stared. The townspeople were'nt afraid of him, but they certainly didn't feel comfortable around him. Nokev didn't care what others thought, he was an outstanding citizen who fought for his beliefs. If they couldn't handle or accept that, it was their loss. He was still determined to help usher in a new era for his people. It was just taking longer than he imagined.

As he approached the council chambers, Nokev wandered if anyone would be there. It was around lunchtime and he had been summoned for later that evening. At the steps sat a young girl, it was the daughter of Quoth, one of the council members. Nokev waved to the girl and she waved back like most of the children in Shuka did. They were not afraid of Nokev like their parents were. The children looked to Nokev as a visionary and a leader.

Nokev entered the Religous Council hall and approached the table at the back. Kerta was sitting at the table with a smile on her face.

"Nokev" she said "How are you doing?"

Nokev nodded "Kerta" he replied and held up the paper "Your message sounded urgent, even though I was suppose to come later. You didn't include any other explanation of why you wanted to see me." Nokev took a step closer to the table and set the note down. He made sure to keep eye contact with Kerta, determined not to show any weakness. "Why did you summon me?" Nokev asked.

Kerta stood from her chair. "I had a feeling you would come earlier than planned." She picked up a metalic objerct off the floor and placed it on the table. "We have no further need of this and return it back to your care." Kerta slid the box towards Nokev. It made a slight screeching sound as it moved across the stone table.

Nokev looked to the box. "My flight recorder." Picking it up, he allowed a smile to form on his face.

The flight recorder looked almost exactly like it did the day Nokev came back to the city over a year earlier. Pieces of moss and other small debris were still attached to the box reminding Nokev of his two year journey back to Shuka.

"You're dismissed" Kerta said. She exited the council chambers and did not look back. Inside, Kerta didn't mind Nokev's dream of visiting other worlds. She was curious about the unknown but grew to respect the city laws that clouded everyone's judgment.

As Nokev watched his friend go, he hugged the flight recorder tightly. It would help him continue his determined quest to explore the unknown parts of the Comeki Star System. He left the hall in a happy determined pace.

Chapter Two

Norev was almost finished with her preperations of lunch. She hoped her husband wouldn't be late. Norev had some news to tell him that was going to knock his socks off. When she heard the door open, Norev ran into the main living area.

Nokev walked in the house still smiling from his excitment. When he saw Norev, his smile increased. "Look!" He said referring to the flight recorder in his hands. "Kerta gave it back." Nokev paused to see how his wife would respond.

It was no secret that Norev didn't appreciate Kerta as a member of the ruling party for the planet. She still blamed Kerta for the death of her father, and that blame wasn't about to go away. "Really" she said "And what did you promise her this time to get it back?"

Nokev's smile dropped, she had a vaid point. The council never did anything out of the kindness of their hearts. They must be up to something. He thought. "Nothing... at least not yet."

Norev nodded "Just be careful when they do." She decided to change the subject. "You'll never guess what I heard at the market today." The excitement came into her voice like rushing water. Norev didn't give her husband the opporunity to guess at her joy. "Outsiders are coming to the city!"

"Strangers from the sky?" Nokev asked. It had been a few years since the Shuka people had visitors from other worlds. He didn't believe it, she must of heard wrong or had incorrect information. "You must be mistaken."

Norev shook her head "I heard it from Quoths' aid, and Quoth told him." She smiled "It's true!"

Nokev scratched his head "When do they land?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"And when were they going to tell me about it?" Nokev asked more to himself than his wife. He shook his head knowing deep inside the council, as a whole, wouldn't of told him anytime soon. It was comforting to have friends like Quoth on his side. Nokev walked over to a small table in the center of the room and set the recorder down gently.

"You better not scratch that table." Norev teased "I might have to kick you out again."

Nokev laughed "Yeah, Kerta would love that I'm sure." He paused as a wonderful smell trickled in from the kitchen. "What smells so good?"

"Lunch" Norev said.

Nokev smiled "Oh? What did you make today?" He started to walk towards the kitchen.

Norev followed her husband "Your favorite, Curo Root Pie." She was so happy for everything taking place. People were visiting soon and she had her husband back, what else could she want. Life was pure bliss.

* * *

Lunch passed by rather quickly and Nokev was once again at his shop working on the Shuka Two rocket. He invited Norev to join him, but she declined the offer as usual. She didn't want to get in the way or be a burdon upon Nokev's work. Nokev knew his wife's concerns and knew she had no reasn to feel the way she did, but let it go. As long as he didn't ignore her like before. She would come before his work no matter what.

Nokev stood next to the rocket and gazed at its hull plating. She was twice the size of the Shuka One rocket and a little more powerful. Nokev had a lot to think about during his two years in the wilderness. During that time several new ideas came to him on how to improve his invention.

The design for the Shuka Two rocket was similar to his previous one. Nokev added a second backup engine as well as reinforced the hull so he wouldn't have the same problems as before. He still didn't know why the main cabin on the Shuka One started to decompress and endanger his life, but Nokev hoped the flight recorder would give some insight to the disaster.

A computer next to the rocket made a few beeping noises. Nokev walked over to the main terminal and looked at the screen. In big green letters the words download complete appeared.

"That was quick" Nokev said. As he checked the readers flight log, he understood why it finished so early. "It's blank..." Nokev ran through a few more search algorithms and recover options but had no success. There was nothing to recover, the flight recorder itself had been purged of all data. Whatever the council did to the recorder, they did a thorough job of it.

Nokev was basically back to where he had begun, except for the knowledge that the council still had certain information he didn't. Nokev hit his fist on the table. The council had control, they would always have control no matter what he did.

Knock Knock

"Yes!" Nokev yelled with anger in his voice. He wasn't expecting any visitors and didn't want any. At least no at that time.

The door opened. A man in his late forties entered. He had dark hair with eyes to match. His skin was sun beaten as though he had been for a long walk, a common practice for many of the Shuka society. As he entered, the man walked right up to Nokev and held out a piece of paper. "I heard your wife told you the news of tomorrows events."

Nokev took the paper allowing his anger to subside for a moment. "Yes Quoth, she did. Thanks to you I have a rare opportunity on my hands." Nokev looked to the piece of paper. On it was a scribbled diagram of the city and a nearby hillside just outside the city limits. "What do we have here?" He asked with curiosity.

Quoth pointed to the hillside on the drawing. "This is where the strangers from the sky are suppose to be landing. They will travel to the council chambers that evening." He paused and pointing to an area near the hillside continued. "Here is where you will meet up with them. Ask for a man by the name of Nova and bring him back here to your workshop." Quoth drew an imaginary line from the hillside to the city limits. "This is the path the other members of their team will take. You must take an alternative route, the council must not get word that you met with any of their representatives."

Nokev nodded his head and studied the map carefully determining another path to take. "I understand."

Quoth smiled "Good. Nova has expertise in your field of study, he should be able to help you get Shuka Two to proper order." Quoth pulled out a bag full of coins and handed it to Nokev. "Here is some money for extra supplies if you need them."

Nokev accepted the bag and considered its weight. "It must of taken you months to save this much." He didn't dare count how much was in the bag. Nokev didn't feel right taking his friend's money. "I can't accept this." He held the money out in front to give it back to Quoth.

Quoth put his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, can't do that. It's yours. I insist you take it." He smiled "You'll need it more than I do." As far as he was concerned the money hadn't been his in the first place, it belong to the people.

Nokev continued to hold the bag out to his friend. "What about your family?"

Quoth took a step backward towards the door and shook his head. "The council will provide sufficiently for my needs." He turned around and walked to the door. "The strangers will be here for two days. You must get Nova back to the ship by sundown on that second day or they will lift off without him."

"Okay" Nokev agreed. "Anything else?"

Quoth opened the door and turned his head towards Nokev "Yes. Find time to give him a tour of the city, especially the center fountain." He paused "I promise. You won't regret it." He exited the workshop closing the door behind him.

Nokev folded the piece of paper up and put it in his pocket. He planned on getting home early that night, the next few days were sure to be exciting.

Chapter Three

The next morning, Nokev got up bright and early. He was very anxious for that evening to come when he would meet the Strangers from the Sky.

As he was preparing for the day, Norev woke up.

"What time is it?" She asked with a yawn.

Nokev finished tying his shoes and walked over to the bed "It's almose 4:30" He said.

"A.M.?" Norev asked.

Nokev chucked, "Yes".

Norev turned over and buried her face deep in the pillows. "Try not to make too much noise." She said while falling back asleep. It was her first day off in a long time and she wanted to take full advantage of it.

As Nokev walked downstairs he could only wonder at what would happen that day. Nokev wondered why Quoth suggested that he take the visitor to the center fountain. To Nokev's knowledge there was nothing of importance or of worth at the center fountain, just a large bowl full of running water. He decided to check it out before the strangers came.

* * *

In the main hall Kerta sat in session with the other members of the Religious Council. They were nearing completion of the usual morning meeting.

"Everything looks in order." Kerta said "The Strangers from the Sky will be here this evening." She paused, looked down at a piece of paper and read it to herself.

There was silence in the chambers for about ten minutes.

"Is something wrong?" A member of the council asked. Everyone's attention was on Kerta waiting for her to respond.

Kerta folded the piece of paper and put it in her pocket. "No, just a note from one of my aids." She said "Nothing to worry about." Kerta picked up another piece of paper and read through it. "The people of Dakish want to negotiate trade with our government."

"What kind of trade?" Another member asked.

Kerta shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure." She looked to a man sitting at the end of the table. "Quoth, you're the liason between our people and those not of our kind, what do the Dakish people have to offer?"

Quoth searched through a few papers until stopping at the one he needed. "THey are heavily into medical research." He paused while skimming a few more pages. "Looks like medicine is their largest advancement in the past fifty or so years."

Kerta nodded "We could use some medical supplies. After the quake of 2149, our town hasn't had sufficient time to rebuild our supply stock." She picked up a pen prepared to sign the doument. "All in favor of trading agriculture for medical supplies with the people of Dakish, say Aye."

The vote was unanimous. Kerta signed the petition and set the paper aside. "That's all there is on the agenda for today. We are dismissed until after lunch." Picking up a small stone, she hit it gently on the table three times. The other council members left the room. Kerta took the note out of her pocket and read it again. She stood from her chair and exited the hall.

Kerta walked away from the hall in a quick determined pace. She was headed towards the center fountain. As she approached the fountain, Kerta saw Nokev staring at the water in the deep bowl. "Did you send this message?" She asked holding up the piece of paper.

Nokev nodded. "Yeah, I needed to talk with you."

Kerta approached the fountain and looked at the water, following Nokev's gaze. The water was almost clear as day. There was a slight green coloration from the stone that made up the fountain, but it was beautiful. Kerta looked from the water and held up her hands slightly. "What do you want to discuss?"

Nokev smiled "I understand we have visitors coming."

"How do you know that?" Kerta asked. She hated it when Nokev would find out about things that only the council members were to have knowledge of

This was not the first time he had received word of something happening inside the city.

Nokev continued to smile. "I have my sources" he looked at Kerta's reflection in the water. "Why are they coming?"

Kerta shook her head "You don't need to be concerned with that." She remembered the last time strangers came from the heavens, Nokev was among the first to greet them.

Nokev knew what his friend was thinking. "It was wrong of me to take technology from those people, even if it was a trade."

Kerta nodded "Yes. Because of your actions, this city was almost destroyed."

Nokev was shocked "I was cleared on that charge. You even said that I was forgiven." He stared into Kerta's eyes, not knowing what to expect. "I guess I was wrong."

Kerta walked away from the fountain and came back. She was trying to remain as calm as possible. Pointing a finger at Nokev, she allowed the anger out a bit. "Yes, you were wrong." She said "You tried to use and harness something you didn't understand. And because of it the quakes lasted for six days!" She paused, "Believe me, if it were up to me you would be locked up."

"You don't mean that." Nokev said "If so, you would have made good on that threat. You are on my side." He continued, "You just haven't realized it yet."

Kerta shook her head "But you used something you didn't understand!"

Nokev held up a finger. "Yes, but now I have harnessed that energy and I know how to control it." He stared at Kerta not willing to back down. Nokev had allowed the council to walk all over him one to many times. "I would like to meet with one of their representatives."

Kerta shook her head "That's out of the question." She said "We don't..." Kerta paused, she should of seen this before. "You are already meeting with someone aren't you?"

Nokev shook his head "Don't be absurd." He said lying through his teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kerta nodded "Yes you do. You already have arrangements made, don't you." She accused "Who gave you the information?" Her voice raised with anger.

Nokev remained silent, he wasn't about to give out that information. Kerta would have Quoth's head literally. Nokev couldn't explain why he brought up the whole subject of wanting to meet with a representative from the alien delegation. Was it because he wanted to be caught red handed? Was he tired of doing things behind the backs of the Religous Council? Nokev didn't have answers to any of his questions, and if he was going to meet with the Stranger from the Sky, he wasn't going to continue with this conversation.

Looking back down at the water, Nokev attempted to change the topic. "Has this fountain always been this color?"

Kerta shot Nokev a confused look and that look grew to disappointment. She realized he wasn't about to give any information to her. For the time being, she would let it go. But one day, soon, she was determined to understand what was going on in his mind. Kerta allowed a sigh of frustration, if it came down to torture she was prepared to venture down that road. Yes a good friend would probably die by her hand, but the safety of the city had to come first.

Beep Beep.

Kerta pulled out a small device. "We'll continue this discussion later." She said, "I'm needed elsewhere."

Nokev nodded "Ah the busy life of a council leader." He didn't look up from the water, "We'll talk later." Nokev watched his friend go. He still wished she would understand what he was trying to do for his people.

As Nokev turned his attention back to the fountain he noticed that the water changed colors slightly. Instead of a light green, the water was now a mix between blue and green. It was beautiful, more beautiful than he had seen in a long time. The last time Nokev saw anything remotly similar was when he was on his two year journey back to the city.

Nokev smiled, he would have to bring his wife to the fountain and show her. Nokev left the center fountain determined to return later. After all, he was going to be showing a stranger around the city.

Chapter Four