7 The Visitor

CANON OF THE PLAIN GEM: The Constitution of the Mekholi race. A set of laws framed by the early mekholi and humans settlers of Andromeda. Written almost a thousand years after the foundation of first mekholi village in Hammada, its purpose is to acknowledge the inherent differences of mekholis from other species of Andromeda. The Canon is a set of laws recognizing the fundamental behavioral characteristics of the mekholi race. It recognizes all actions and thoughts as governing laws. To other thinking species, such as humans and Lexais, the Canon may sound like an exaltation of the mekholi people. To Kersians, and Akhmadians, the Canon is something to be feared and respected. For mekholis, the Canon is their way of life written in the Mother Tongue.

***

King Egher quickly detected Emmer's presence behind the door of his office. It opened automatically.

"Come in, my son."

Emmer made a ceremonial bow, and entered the office.

"Greetings, Father."

"Greetings. Please speak, my son. Is something bothering you?"

Emmer knew his father read his mind, although he himself can do it to his father, Egher does it spontaneously, without pain or trouble at all.

"It is about Hammada."

"Hammada." Egher echoed. He knew that Emmer will discover it, but he is not entirely aware of what Emmer plans to do. "Incidentally, have you prepared for the mission?"

"We will leave tomorrow."

Emperor Egher smiled enigmatically. "What about Hammada?"

"When did the tragedy happen?"

"Tragedy? What tragedy?"

"I recall grandfather Kowes said a giant meteor struck the planet. When did that happen?"

Egher took his Memory Staff, the staff associated with him as the Emperor of the Galaxy. Emmer saw his father look at the staff intently before speaking. When he spoke, the Emperor looked at the Memory Staff rather than Emmer.

"A year after you were formed." The Emperor became pensive. Emmer felt his father's loneliness and it puzzled him. Egher continued,

"There were no Star Sailors assigned there at that time because Emperor Kowes reorganized the Palace. That was also the first time Kersians were used in the Palace, in the Army and in the Courier Alliance. The Kersians replaced the robots who have served the Empire for thousands of years. I took the grand task of looking for and training Kersians, so the Star Sailor who manned the Sensor Satellite were robots, old, malfunctioning robots. In fairness to the robot Alivo, he did send a message, but it was delayed by a few minutes. By the time the new set of Star Sailors arrived there, the meteor already devastated the most populated part of Hammada. The impact was great enough, wobbling the planet, sending destructive masses of water on dry land. Powerful seismic waves leveled whole cities, killing so many humans that until today, the effect of destruction can be seen. Kowes tried geo-engineering, but the planet remained unstable. Its climate is too unpredictable."

"Were there any survivors?"

"Yes, but they could hardly live. I abandoned it. All of our memories about our original settlers in that planet was destroyed."

Egher's answer seemed short for Emmer. It is as if his father does not like the idea of talking about Hammada. But Hammada was the original mekholian planet.

"What made you lose interest in Hammada?"

His father was taken aback for moment. He realized the intensity of Emmer's interest in a planet that remained unproductive for hundreds of years. Obviously, his son's previous visit may have something to do with this.

"I have not given it much thought. Perhaps I am not too sentimental about our old Andromedan home planet. There are no Star Sailors there but if you are interested enough in reviving the planet, you have my permission. However, I am curious enough that something may have happened while you were in the planet. Would you care to tell me?"

Emmer expected that question. Just after they arrived from their mission, the Emperor did not bother asking the result. His father seemed confident that what he has done there is good enough.

"The planet is totally different from the Archive's data. We assumed that the meteor disaster was local until Xamai almost fell into a shallow cliff - a cliff where a city should have been. We traced the cliff and found out that it was too big. The area we discovered was probably the spot where the huge meteor fell. Anyway, we camped in the darkness when Xamai sensed somebody there. He was very protective of me, but I did not realize the violence of his reaction. That somebody turned out to be a human, a woman to be exact. The human was dying, when I saw Xamai lunged at her. But my voice stopped him from killing the intruder although he managed to hurt her bad."

"Did you get anything from her? Information?"

"From what I scanned in her memories, before she died, she was the last of the humans in the nearby cave. She tried to get to us. Xamai's assault aggravated her already weak condition. She was just near the mouth of a cave that we camped on for a day. We also got enough data for a Sensor satellite."

"What else did you gather?"

"We will return there after out visit to the sighted vehicle. But I fear that there are no more human life in Hammada so I took a sample of her body cells - skin cells."

"What do you plan to do with it?"

"I just thought that if the Deu Crystals can do much to us and to our servants, it can do much to these humans."

"There are lots of humans using the Deu Crystals, many of them are successful leaders of the Empire. I don't think that is too ambitious. Unless . . ."

Then Egher caught the glint of Emmer' eyes. Too many times in the past his son's thoughts surprised him, but this one is something he did not anticipate. It can't be. It must not be, but his son is thinking of something he was afraid to do before.

"The Leip Crystals. The Kersians benefitted from them, and they are now as intelligent as you made them to be. I thought we can have more beings closer to us," Emmer' voice faded, "and nearly as powerful."

"Continue."

"They can help us more."

"Did you assess the consequences of such a project?"

"I know. . ." Emmer nodded, then looked away. "They might try."

"They will try. They will surely try. Because of that, I cannot approve it yet. When you become the Emperor, then you may, although other mekholis will oppose you. The Empire is still in my hands. For the past five thousand years, our Empire experienced local troubles . . . wars, mostly by humans rebelling against their planetary leadership. Although no human ever attempted to challenge our supremacy, you may give the power and the freedom for them to think of it."

"But we are too . . ."

"Yes, we are." Egher snapped. He knows their weakness and he does not like to hear it. "That is the only thing that the subjects, whether Lexais, Kersians, Kersis, Akhmadian or humans do not know. It is our only weakness and they must not know it."

"I am sorry, father." Emmer replied, but he felt there is a need for clarifying some things. Things that seem inconsistent. Their only weakness can be known. "But isn't retrieving survivors of the wayward vehicle that may have come from Milky Way as dangerous as giving them the Leip Crystals? They could know our weakness."

"Not if you give the survivors the Leip Crystal. Their danger does not lie in taking the Crystals, but as empowered humans. It is their nature."

Emmer felt there is no more need to clarify things. He will learn later. Only patience can give answers to other questions.

"Thank you, father."

"Emmer, I want you to know that I support your ideas, and I trust you, it is just that there are things that you still do not know."

"I understand father."

Emmer stood up, took a bow and left the room.