Ancient Astronauts

The Wisdom of an Old Friend

"You know I will help you in every way I can," Ty wheezed.

Hans was concerned, his friend seemed to worsen by the day. He came to talk about everything with the one man he trusted in the whole world, but something told him he wouldn't find concrete answers here. He wasn't here for that. What he needed was clarity, and no one did that better than the woman he loved and the man he fought beside for half a decade.

"I'm afraid that the state of my health precludes any sort of grand heroism," the old man chuckled, "but I will offer you wisdom as it seems to be something I have gained, where you are still the headstrong straightforward chap I fought alongside in the War."

"A dummy meathead," Hans grinned.

"No!" Ty's hand was on his forearm, "There is a difference, Hans, between knowledge, understanding, cleverness, and wisdom."

Hans turned to him, "What is that difference?"

"Hmm," Ty hummed to himself, "Before I explain it to you, share a cigar with me. Miriam Martin was kind enough to bring me a box. It seems James is so fond of the things that he brought enough to hold over until luxuries like tobacco can be grown. With some to spare it seems!"

A frown reached Hans' lips for a split second. For one thing, he never liked the idea of certain people being afforded luxuries that others were not, especially in a new world where every day was a fight for survival at the start. For another, he'd never taken James Martin to be the generous type. In the end, Hans shrugged it off. James Martin may be a royal asshole, but Miriam Martin was said to be as kind as she was simple. And hadn't he taken extra for his pregnant girlfriend?

He took two cigars from the box, cut them, lit them up and handed one to Ty. Then he sat back in the wicker chair and gazed out over the Volba River. A cool breeze whisked off the river and ruffled his lightly trimmed blond hair. He still wore it long, finding he liked it that way. More so, Aly seemed to like it as well.

"I could give you a whole rundown, definition by definition, explanation by explanation of the four core virtues of the mind..." Ty said, puffing on his cigar, enjoying the warm, smooth flavor of good tobacco. How the Martins had managed to get so many to a new planet without them going stale was something Ty had asked about. Miriam had just said something about flash preserving organic goods.

"We have a while, but much to talk about. Let's keep it simple for now."

"Very well," Ty said in his cracked, aging voice. Surprisingly, the tobacco seemed to ease his symptoms instead of making them worse. The doctors still hadn't figured out what was wrong with him. Mostly because he waved them away every time they tried to check him.

"It's like this, Hans. Knowledge is hard facts. You know for a fact that Alyonna is a beautiful woman, and you can list out any number of objective reasons why. From her hair to her toes to elements of her personality, that woman of yours is beautiful."

Hans nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Understanding is built upon knowledge. It is an active process of discovering how the facts work together. Going back to Alyonna as an example: every day you understand more about how her looks, personality, heart, and mind work together to create the complete picture."

Hans nodded again, drawing on his cigar, paying attention, and thinking deeply about what Ty was saying.

"Cleverness is how you get her in bed."

Hans choked on his cigar smoke. His deep throaty laugh scared some water birds from their nests along the bank. They took flight, disappearing into the gloom with loud screeches of protest.