Nikanatedanniell

Chapter 11 How to be a hero in 6 easy lessons

By the end of the first three weeks Nikki, Debby and Niel were settled into their new routines. The workweek aboard ship was the same as a Casároni calendar, four days on and one day off. There were six workweeks in one work month. Mornings were spent learning Maeta and Casarónian culture. During the afternoons, Debby studied with Srna. Sorrell and Nikki studied with Niel. It was their job to reinvent themselves and come up with a way to fulfill the famous prophecy. Since pacing helped both to think, Nikki got to know every blue and gray bit of the Banta quite well. The evenings were dinner with the crew, homework and free time.

Fifthday, the day off, was both Sunday and play day. There was an early morning worship service that started the day for the day crew and ended it for the night shift. Because worship was forbidden by Imperial order, everyone but a skeleton crew attended. This crew rotated every week to give all the opportunity. After this, Niel, Jessa and Liam took the girls to the game room to play and then to the Cafeteria for lunch. Afternoon free time was spent in their room, followed by dinner that usually included entertainment.

At first, Nikki tried to get Debby to talk about the deaths of their mothers, but the little girl would either clam up or change the subject. After three tries, Nikki decided that Debby would talk in her own time and stopped.

"We need a book titled, How to be a Hero in Six Easy Lessons," Nikki told Niel after she was finally able to read Danniell's prophesy without mispronouncing or looking up any words. She had mastered spoken Maeta so well that the only time she spoke English was when she was alone with Debby. Niel and Nikki were sitting in the dining room with books spread out on their favorite table. "With my luck, it would say 'refer to the Prophet Danniell'. Do not misunderstand me, the scriptures are wonderful, no matter which planet they come from, but where do we start? How do we get and keep attention? It does not say that in the scriptures."

"Well," Niel told her, "we do not have to make a plan. The Alliance has a battle plan already formed. All we have to do is arrive and give the word to start it."

"A battle plan sounds like guns and bombs," she frowned. "That does not seem right. After all, you are supposed to make peace and I am supposed to find people. And the prophesy does not say anything about a battle. It says we can use nature to fight but nothing about guns and bombs."

Niel was adamant, "the Alliance leaders have studied this for years. They have put a lot of thought and prayer into their plan. They believe the situation cannot be changed without some fighting. It has been war for way too long. We should go with their plan."

Nikki took a huge breath and replied, "I suppose it would not hurt to read this plan. It still does not feel right, but I probably should not dismiss it without reading it."

"I have a summary of it in my room. I will give it to you so you can read it this evening."

She read the summary several times. Each time the feeling of dread and revulsion grew greater. She tried to convince herself of the Alliance position. She reasoned that she was seeing Casarónian problems from an Earthling perspective that would not work. But that did not work; she couldn't shake the feeling that they were not supposed to use violence. When she felt she understood the matter clearly, she tried to dissuade Niel from his position. They were in the observation deck. Niel had turned the window into a screen so he could teach her about the planets in the Empire.

She tried to not sound irritated, but wasn't successful. "So it seems that the other planets have had more violent and longer lasting war than Casároni. In fact, most still have ongoing fighting. Is not 100 years enough? Do we really have to keep it going?"

Niel was surprised. "We are not going to keep it going. We are going to stop it."

"No," Nikki insisted, "if we follow the Alliance plan, we are going to bring it full circle to where it started. In the late 1800's, on Earth, a country called India was ruled by a country named England. India wanted self-rule. England wanted world rule. Many of the natives revolted and fought with guns, knives, and what have you. England tightened the hold it had. Then, a man named Gandhi used a different weapon and won. He used peace. He staged protests and strikes. People stopped cooperating with English rules. They did not fight but also did not do much of anything else. He spoke to the people, both Indian and English, many times telling them that peace was more powerful than force. And he was right. India gained and still has self-rule. He did not keep the fighting going, he stopped it."