The Road Not Chosen by Joan Powers

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The Road Not Chosen (10/11)
by Joan Powers

"Hello? Anybody there?" Alonzo called out over the Dream Plane, his voice echoing back in a strange fashion. He'd made contact. Members of the guardian Terrains traversed through the walls of the chamber to greet him. One trilled towards him.

"Yes, I understand. I understand everything. I see how this area works and what it means to you." Alonzo was impatient, wanting to discuss more important issues.

Another Terrian approached him, and he examined the pilot's body at a closer range.

"I'm okay. I don't understand what you did but you healed me. I'm as good as new. I owe you," Alonzo assured them.

The creatures murmured amongst themselves.

"Um....I have to talk with you about something. Or better yet, let's Dream together." He and the Terrians crouched together. Alonzo created an image in his head of Walman and Morgan, driving in the Dunerail over the red vines which covered the passageway.

The Terrians responded in kind by showing Alonzo the men as they were at that very moment. The pilot gasped -- the men were mere shells. Their bodies were huddled on the ground in the fetal position, they were not conscious. "They're dying!"

The Terrians agreed. They conveyed to him that they didn't understand his distress. Surely this was why the men came to this area. All creatures that came to those passages were prepared for death.

He protested, "They didn't know. They're not ready to die."

The Terrians were having difficulty understanding why Alonzo was upset about the men dying. Dying was a natural part of the life cycle. The planet gave life, then it took it back. They did not question the natural order of things.

Alonzo was getting uptight, "Please, we need them back with us. Can you help us save their lives?"

They were reluctant to consider the idea.

"You saved my life and Devon's life. And Uly's --- what's so different about these men?"

"They did not obey our rules," was the best answer he could discern.

"But they didn't understand your rules -- you're not being fair," Alonzo's voice was growing louder.

He interpreted their reply as, "If they do not obey our rules, they will cause trouble for our planet. It is better this way."

"That's not fair! You don't know that. Sure, I can't make promises for their behavior but one of the unique features about humans is that we grow and learn from our experiences. Things rarely work the first go-around. We humans are persistent. We keep trying until we get things right. Can't you give them the chance to make it right?"

They murmured amongst themselves, then they expressed the same concerns as the other Terrians Alonzo had dreamt with. Humans confused them. Their lack of unity seemed utterly chaotic and doomed to failure.

The pilot sighed, this wasn't going as he planned. He'd never been able to answer this question to the satisfaction of any of the Terrians on this planet. But some one else's words were coming to mind. Alonzo, I need him. In fact I think we all do. When Bess said those words, he'd nodded to placate her but he hadn't truly believed what she said. He was getting an idea....

"You say our diversity makes us weak, it seems chaotic. But I argue that our strength is in our diversity -- in the fact that we aren't all alike. We're like this planet. It has different parts which function together as whole. We're like that too. Each part is different from the others, but they all work together to meet one goal. We work together, in spite of our differences. Each person's uniqueness makes them special, it allows them to serve certain functions --- like this planet. The sunstones, the spider tunnels, even these lakes, each have special features. They differ from one another yet they're all important because they serve different purposes for this planet. If one part is injured, the rest suffers. It will be like that for our group if we don't get those men back."

Their next question was crystal clear, "What goal does your group strive for?"

Alonzo paused, this was getting too complicated. In good consciousness he could state that their group was fully focused on surviving the rigors of G889 and on reaching New Pacifica in one piece. But that was about it. While their trek across the planet had brought them together as a team when needed, they weren't alike. They never would be. They still disagreed on many fundamental issues. He couldn't convey that to the Terrians in a way that would come off favorable for their case.

Instead, he tried another tact, "Why did you tell me about this place? If you weren't concerned about the welfare of our group, why did you go to all the trouble of showing this to me?"

They didn't reply.

He gulped, going for broke, "You wanna know what I think? I think we're more important to you than you're willing to admit, maybe even to yourselves. You could've let us all travel along that pass and die, instead you chose to tell me about it. You shared private information about your planet with me. You know there will be more of us, and that you need a bridge between the two species -- that's why you reached out to Uly in the first place. Now you've testing our group as a whole. Will we respect your guidelines or not?" He paused to take a breath. "You're right, we will set the tone for the others coming after us. You've already healed three of our group. Healing two more will only bring our group closer to yours. I can't make any promises for those coming after us, but I can tell you that people in our group will be more inclined to respect your wishes if you heal those men."

The group murmured amongst themselves.

"C'mon, give us a chance to prove ourselves to you. We both need each other."

Members of Eden Advance went through the motions of their normal morning routines. Coffee and food were prepared, yet not much was eaten. Once the dishes were cleaned and firewood was collected, most found themselves reluctant to stray far from camp. Many found excuses to hang around their tents. About mid morning, a small group had formed about the camp fire, for a coffee break.

"Man, the tension is killing me," Baines commented to Denner and Cameron.

"What do you expect, everyone's waiting for the Terrians to dramatically pop out of the ground with Walman and Morgan," Denner replied.

"Did the diggers actually say they were gonna save them?" Baines asked.

Cameron shrugged, "Not in so many words. But Alonzo felt that he'd convinced them. I guess they'll move when they want to."

"If they're gonna do something I wish they'd hurry up and do it. This is driving me nuts. Walman could be a pain sometimes but he was a good friend," Baines grumbled as he rose.

"I don't even want to think about losing them," Denner sadly responded.

Trying not to dwell on that possibility, Baines suggested, "Let's go scout for some game, at least it'll keep our minds off things." The other two agreed and stood to join him.

"Have some food, Bess," Yale offered a partially filled plate to the woman as he sat down beside her on a log. For most of the day, Bess had been posted before her tent; in that position she could best view most of the camp.

"I'm not hungry," she was exhausted.

"You need to eat. You'll need to be strong for Morgan -- to help him get better." Yale gently tried to convince her.

She started to pick at the food on the plate, figuring Yale had made a good point. Then she turned to face the tutor. Point blank - she asked, "Are they really gonna do this Yale? I wanna know the truth. I have to. If they said no....I'd rather know now."

"Alonzo's told us all the same thing. He felt they were seriously considering it. They didn't refuse his request."

Her voice started to crack, revealing the strain she'd been under during the past days. "Why are they playing these games with us? Don't they understand that we're talking about two men's lives?"

Yale tried to be as reassuring as possible, "I don't know Bess. They're a different species, we have to remember that. All we can do is pray that they will bring Morgan and Walman back to us."

For the first time in days, Bess began to lose her iron clad control. She started to break down, her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Yale. The waiting. Not knowing. I feel so helpless." Yale put his arm around her to hold her as she began to sob against his shoulder. "I don't know how I can go on without him. I don't know what I'm gonna do.."

"Shh...Don't talk. It's okay." He crooned as he held her. Sobs began to wrack her entire body. "Let it out. You need to." He held her as she cried.

"Yale! Bess!" True screamed as she ran towards them at full speed.

"Now is not a good time True," Yale sternly advised.

"But they're back! The Terrians brought back Morgan and Walman. Julia's taken them to the Med-Tent to examine them!"

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