I, Propitiator: "Chapter 17"

Chapter 17

Love changes you. It takes what was old and rebuilds it into something beautiful.

Gabriela sent a transmission to the Prime I, saying:

::: this is Ensign Gabriela Alora at the Sol System Space Station, we wish to inform you that there are currently four Terrans on the A.R.S. Victory. At the present moment, Commander Avner is attempting to help them realize that they are actually Ies. If you have any orders concerning this new development, someone will be standing by waiting for them. :::

While she was waiting for a response to come back, Mom sat on the edge of her bed listening to Cassandra rant about how Mom was clearly lying to her and this was all some cover-up for some government operation which Mom was apparently part of. Mom didn’t really know how to reason with this level of senselessness, so she kept quiet, not giving much answer to anything my crazy aunt said in attempt to cope with the obscurity of the situation.

“So let me get this straight, you’re an I and I’m an I and we’re supposed to be protecting the planet from monsters like the 15s that want to take over and eat our brains out. If we don’t protect Terra we’ll all lose because the Prime I will have no reason to live anymore and without him we’ll fall too?”

A look of bewilderment covered my face since Cheyenne’s statement sounded more outrageous than almost anything else anyone had tried to tell me before. So in an attempt to clarify, my answer was, “No, you are a Terran who can become an I. The Arashad Regime wants to conquer Terra Lapsa, yet because the Prime I loves this planet, we are called to defend it from aliens like the 15s.”

Cheyenne raised an eyebrow while saying, “Didn’t I just say that?”

“Not exactly, you went off and made it sound like the planet was going to be taken over by zombies.”

“Zombies, crazy glowing aliens, what’s the difference?”

“Zombies don’t exist, crazy aliens do.”

“Crazy aliens like you?”

“You’re one too…”

“I don’t have to believe I am one.”

“But that statement implies that you know in your heart that you are.”

Cheyenne became frustrated, “Yeah? Well I don’t want to be one! Life was simpler when the most stressful thing in my life was arguing with my sister! I don’t want to defend the universe! I won’t be happy that way.”

Cheyenne was at an impasse and the words to help her cross this obstacle eluded me. So we just sat there for a while, both of us uncertain of what to say to the other.

Brooke tugged on the hem of David’s shirt as she asked, “Please David, make sense of this for me. What you have said seems to be true, but I can’t make sense of it. I want to believe, but I just don’t know how to.”

David got down on one knee, placed his hands on her shoulders and said, “My dear Brooke, you can logically approach this and spend nearly your whole life reasoning it one way and then another, eventually come to the right conclusion,  and believe when you are eighty years old and laying on your deathbed. However, you can look at the love given by the Prime I, Oliver and me to you and realize that unless what we have said is true, there would be no way we could do all of this. Please, realize that sometimes, things are so strong they defy what our limited logic can comprehend and they reach a point that states that nothing will separate us from love itself. It is this kind of love that restores to us all that has been lost and can transform you to believe in what has been made known to you.”

Brooke twirled her black hair through her little fingers. How could one so young understand, unless they trusted love? Then David was compelled to simply hug her. A single tear trickled down her face as she said, “Help me belief!”

She rested her head on David’s shoulders and as the tear reached his skin, the connection that transforms Terran-like Ies into actualized Ies was made. Suddenly, everything that they had discussed started to make sense, she realized how much truth was behind every word that had been spoken and overwhelmed by love’s restoring power and Brooke once again felt like she understood David.

Oliver took Tamara over to Kanda’s room and chimed the door. Kanda came to open it then, Greeting them with a warm hello. Oliver then explained, “ Tamara, this is Kanda, my girlfriend from the other side of the world. She doesn’t speak any English, what you just heard was I telepathy translating for you.”

“Tamara Stood there confused for a brief moment, but then she seemed to catch on quickly as she then said, “Nice to meet you Kanda. How did you meet Oliver?”

“He rescued me from Zurui and then as a result of that, love overcame me.”

Tamara cooed, “Aww! That’s so sweet.”

Oliver looked down at the floor, not really embarrassed by it, but more that he didn’t understand why girls used the word “aww” as often as they did. He had just started to use the word “cute” in his vocabulary, but “aww” was still beyond him. Perhaps this is the result of spending so much time in books and with other Ies, not among Terrans. Oliver suspects that the term “aww” was a Terran development to place false pity on everything under the sun. For all my brother’s logical reasoning, this one does not make sense to me. Anyhow, Kanda offered, “Would you guys like to come in?”

In my own personal analysis, it seems to me that Kanda offered this more because she wanted to spend more time with Oliver, but at the same time, you could tell that she was trying to hospitable to Tamara at the same time. Tamara looked to Oliver, so Oliver answered, “Alright, but we may be pressed for time.”

They walked over to her sitting area, which was a common variant in ship quarters over houses on Terra because it was effectually a living room in the sense that it gave them a place to read, rest, and otherwise socialize with guests. However, it would be pre-emptive to say everyone had one of these because we’re always pressed for space given that the enemy is often forcing us to take on more members among our ranks. Anyways, Oliver then stated, “My cousin Tamara has recently become an actualized I. Do you have anything you wish to impart to her?”

Kanda clasped her hands together, as if thinking deeply, then said, “No matter what anyone tells you, always choose a route that imitates the Prime I, or else the enemy can gain a foothold over you and it may seem like things are irredeemable.”

Oliver tilted his head as if trying to figure out for himself why she chose those exact words. Tamara nodded, as she did her best to understand what every piece of what Kanda had just said. It was to her a multi-layered piece of advice, as you could loosely interpret it one way, you could then take a different angle and reach a different truth. Yet there was one thing in there that Tamara found particularly interesting, ‘Oliver, why does she say irredeemable? Is there such a thing?’

Oliver looked at Kanda, and then he said telepathically back to Tamara, ‘She said seem because though nothing is beyond the reach of the Prime I, some reject him when he comes for them and others are so lost they forget he is listening. It is as if the person in such a situation has lost sight of the truth and is struggling beyond what they should be.’

However, Oliver carefully had designed this telepathic conversation so that Kanda could overhear what he said. Perhaps Oliver felt Kanda was going through something but Kanda simply marked as Oliver being honest with her.  They spent some time talking about other basic matters, helping Tamara make sense of what was really happening in the universe, until the comm. panel chimed. “Oliver, this is David, are you there?”

“Oliver raised an eyebrow wondering how David had known that he was over in Kanda’s room, but then he just reached the panel and said, “Yes, what is it?”

“Gabriela wants to talk to you, she sent a transmission which was received at the control room, please go there ASAP.”

“Alright, is that all?”

“Yes, over and out.”

Oliver stood there relatively uncertain why David was trying to sound all military-like when he didn’t know the first thing about how to speak to a commanding officer. However, Oliver shrugged it off and said, “Tamara, please stay here with Kanda, my place is in the control room for the time being.”

Tamara nodded as Oliver darted out the door and headed over to the control room. Upon his arrival Oliver realized why David had acted so strange: Zurui was standing with an energy staff to his head.