Chapter 65:
Setting the pieces
Constantine:
We got the news from Nahndor, that the order is on its way, together with a warehouse. Today, we are at Rodger’s hotel again. This time, we are in his cinema, and watching some of the old classics.
Except, for Daniel, they are all futuristic. I cringe, when I see the style of 400 years ago. I wasn’t born back then, and am glad that I wasn’t. All that neon blue gets on the nerves.
“Since when have you had 3D?” Daniel asks. We don’t wear glasses, rather, headsets. That way, we can really see the 3D effects.
“Since Atlantis,” Rodger says. Daniel lets out a breath.
“I still can’t believe how advanced you all were, when we were living in caves,” he says. I turn to Rodger.
“How did Earth reset to having a megafauna, and to not having any major cities?” I ask him. As someone who is older, and is on the Cosmic Security Council, he must know these things.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Rodger says, as he takes off his headset. “We had to crush Atlantis, and force all the humans who were occupying planets out. We nearly didn’t let them keep Earth, but calmer heads prevailed.”
“Are there any movies about that time?” Daniel asks. The movie we are watching right now might be futuristic for him, but I can see that he doesn’t understand the references. I really should stress on him to spent more time with the integration websites.
“There are a couple, but they are mostly pure Cosmic propaganda,” Rodger says, and I nod.
“Yes, humans are made out to be like petty children in them. Ones who had a hammer, and were ready to wreck the entire Cosmos with it,” I make a pause, mulling over my words. “I am certain that there were these kinds of people, back then. But also, that there were people out there, who believed that the expansion was unnecessary.”
“And now, you humans are expanding again,” Rodger says. Daniel turns to stare at him.
“We are overcrowding our planet,” he tells him. “Some countries tried to curb their population, but that is not exactly humane, you must agree.”
“It is not, true,” Rodger says, and then takes the remote. He switches through his movie library, and then stops at a movie that I have watched back in school.
“Do we really have to show him this? It is as full of propaganda as the rest of its kind,” I say, but Rodger shakes his head.
“It also has real footage of Atlantis. Daniel needs to see what Earth was capable of. I do believe, that you are yet to reach the same highs, as before,” Rodger puts on his headset again, and we begin to watch the movie.
It is not a movie about the wars. Rather, it is from a time, when Atlantis was content with remaining on Earth, and trading with the other planets in peace. Then, just as we are halfway through, Daniel takes the remote, and pauses the movie.
“Did you see that?” He asks. I shake my head.
“See what?” I ask him.
“There! Just like what Antony used, before he got in the car,” Daniel gets up, and goes to the screen. He shows us a shadow figure encased in dust in the bottom-left corner.
“The technology was known on Earth?” I ask. Daniel removes his headset, so he can look me in the eyes.
“Do you see? It is all connected. The proof we need, to prove that we are not dealing with dead people. Are these videos authentic? Have they been proven as such?” Daniel asks.
“More than once, no matter what your average citizen of the Cosmos would want to believe,” Rodger says. “Atlantis’s progress is a bitter pill to swallow for many of us still.”
Daniel bows his head, as Rodger slithers to him. The older Naga places his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, as soon as he reaches him.
“Hey, it is all ok,” he says, as Daniel looks up to him. “You weren’t there, back then. If you were, you’d be one of those that were against the colonization. I am sure of that.”
“We get people speaking against us because they think we are disturbing the dead,” Daniel says, as he points at the video. “How many Naga even see this each year? And not one saw the suit?”
“This is something shown in the schools, during history class. When it comes to Atlantis, most of the Naga in Ursula 590 only pay attention, when it comes to the lesson about its defeat,” Rodger says. I nod at that.
“Yet, you all accepted me,” Daniel says, as he looks between Rodger and me. I stand from my seat, and slither towards the two men.
“Earth is not the only planet, that waged war in the Cosmos,” I say. “Some of the planets, who had the bloodiest wars in the past, are now the best of trading partners.”
“When you have so many long-lived races, ones that have a couple of centuries to put things in perspective, then you will find that peace is something that will always grow back up. Like a weed,” Rodger says.
“I wish it was the same on Earth. There are feuds, that last for thousands of years there,” Daniel murmurs. I guess that, I never thought about how his home planet affected him. It must weigh heavily on him, to see such a peaceful world in the Ursula Solar System, when there are still wars on Earth being waged, even at this very moment.
“Well, here you also have them. Then, the generation that started the fight dies off, and the new one learns about it from documentaries,” Rodger chuckles at that, as if it is a grand joke. “The most that someone from the Cosmos can hope to live is 1,000 years.”
“Because they mixed in with the humans,” Daniel says, his shoulders slumping even more. “We drove off the original inhabitants of a world so vast, we shouldn’t have been able to visit each planet.”
“Yes, well, you know: teleports,” Rodger says. Daniel blinks. I can see the gears in his brain moving.
Chapter 65:
Setting the pieces
Constantine:
We got the news from Nahndor, that the order is on its way, together with a warehouse. Today, we are at Rodger’s hotel again. This time, we are in his cinema, and watching some of the old classics.
Except, for Daniel, they are all futuristic. I cringe, when I see the style of 400 years ago. I wasn’t born back then, and am glad that I wasn’t. All that neon blue gets on the nerves.
“Since when have you had 3D?” Daniel asks. We don’t wear glasses, rather, headsets. That way, we can really see the 3D effects.
“Since Atlantis,” Rodger says. Daniel lets out a breath.
“I still can’t believe how advanced you all were, when we were living in caves,” he says. I turn to Rodger.
“How did Earth reset to having a megafauna, and to not having any major cities?” I ask him. As someone who is older, and is on the Cosmic Security Council, he must know these things.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Rodger says, as he takes off his headset. “We had to crush Atlantis, and force all the humans who were occupying planets out. We nearly didn’t let them keep Earth, but calmer heads prevailed.”
“Are there any movies about that time?” Daniel asks. The movie we are watching right now might be futuristic for him, but I can see that he doesn’t understand the references. I really should stress on him to spent more time with the integration websites.
“There are a couple, but they are mostly pure Cosmic propaganda,” Rodger says, and I nod.
“Yes, humans are made out to be like petty children in them. Ones who had a hammer, and were ready to wreck the entire Cosmos with it,” I make a pause, mulling over my words. “I am certain that there were these kinds of people, back then. But also, that there were people out there, who believed that the expansion was unnecessary.”
“And now, you humans are expanding again,” Rodger says. Daniel turns to stare at him.
“We are overcrowding our planet,” he tells him. “Some countries tried to curb their population, but that is not exactly humane, you must agree.”
“It is not, true,” Rodger says, and then takes the remote. He switches through his movie library, and then stops at a movie that I have watched back in school.
“Do we really have to show him this? It is as full of propaganda as the rest of its kind,” I say, but Rodger shakes his head.
“It also has real footage of Atlantis. Daniel needs to see what Earth was capable of. I do believe, that you are yet to reach the same highs, as before,” Rodger puts on his headset again, and we begin to watch the movie.
It is not a movie about the wars. Rather, it is from a time, when Atlantis was content with remaining on Earth, and trading with the other planets in peace. Then, just as we are halfway through, Daniel takes the remote, and pauses the movie.
“Did you see that?” He asks. I shake my head.
“See what?” I ask him.
“There! Just like what Antony used, before he got in the car,” Daniel gets up, and goes to the screen. He shows us a shadow figure encased in dust in the bottom-left corner.
“The technology was known on Earth?” I ask. Daniel removes his headset, so he can look me in the eyes.
“Do you see? It is all connected. The proof we need, to prove that we are not dealing with dead people. Are these videos authentic? Have they been proven as such?” Daniel asks.
“More than once, no matter what your average citizen of the Cosmos would want to believe,” Rodger says. “Atlantis’s progress is a bitter pill to swallow for many of us still.”
Daniel bows his head, as Rodger slithers to him. The older Naga places his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, as soon as he reaches him.
“Hey, it is all ok,” he says, as Daniel looks up to him. “You weren’t there, back then. If you were, you’d be one of those that were against the colonization. I am sure of that.”
“We get people speaking against us because they think we are disturbing the dead,” Daniel says, as he points at the video. “How many Naga even see this each year? And not one saw the suit?”
“This is something shown in the schools, during history class. When it comes to Atlantis, most of the Naga in Ursula 590 only pay attention, when it comes to the lesson about its defeat,” Rodger says. I nod at that.
“Yet, you all accepted me,” Daniel says, as he looks between Rodger and me. I stand from my seat, and slither towards the two men.
“Earth is not the only planet, that waged war in the Cosmos,” I say. “Some of the planets, who had the bloodiest wars in the past, are now the best of trading partners.”
“When you have so many long-lived races, ones that have a couple of centuries to put things in perspective, then you will find that peace is something that will always grow back up. Like a weed,” Rodger says.
“I wish it was the same on Earth. There are feuds, that last for thousands of years there,” Daniel murmurs. I guess that, I never thought about how his home planet affected him. It must weigh heavily on him, to see such a peaceful world in the Ursula Solar System, when there are still wars on Earth being waged, even at this very moment.
“Well, here you also have them. Then, the generation that started the fight dies off, and the new one learns about it from documentaries,” Rodger chuckles at that, as if it is a grand joke. “The most that someone from the Cosmos can hope to live is 1,000 years.”
“Because they mixed in with the humans,” Daniel says, his shoulders slumping even more. “We drove off the original inhabitants of a world so vast, we shouldn’t have been able to visit each planet.”
“Yes, well, you know: teleports,” Rodger says. Daniel blinks. I can see the gears in his brain moving.
