And So, It Begins
by painebook
"Lieutenant Zanthar. Your child is a distraction to the ship's crew every single day."
Looking up from her monitoring station, Char smiled. "I believe all life is sacred. What the Universal Life Force does cannot be stopped. Coincidentally, I brought a child into His realm."
"You are the only crewmember who refused birth control."
"And there are some who wish they had a son like mine."
"We don't need to have that argument again. I'm thankful to have him, but he's becoming more of a problem." Captain Sendus, a fifty-year veteran of the Galaxy Warders, sighed audibly. "The crew either loves him or tolerates him. He is beginning his teen years and can be difficult."
"During the seventh cycle of our twenty-year mission to study the third planet in this system, Leeod came into being."
"I know." Despite himself, Sendus smiled. "I witnessed the birth, since you decided not to reveal who the father is."
"That was and still is my choice. Another argument we should not revisit, I think." The edges of her lips turned down. "What has he done this time?"
"I had to shut down the hydroponic farm. For the third time this month." Sendus sent a video of water gushing onto the deck. "I still don't know how he did it."
"Oh, my."
"You must get him under control. We need the food supplies. If he keeps interfering with the operation of the ship, I'll place him in stasis for the duration of the mission."
"He's just a boy. We have one year left on the assignment. I'm sure that I can keep Leeod gainfully occupied for that long." Char linked her screen to Sendus' to change the subject. "I have an update for you. Notice the status of the planet. If you look at the graphs on the monitor, you can see that the effects of the plague have diminished somewhat over the past two years. Unfortunately, more than half the population died. This could be the opportunity we've been waiting for. As the resident anthropologist, I believe it is time for me to visit the surface to observe firsthand what happened."
"Where do you recommend I send you?" Sendus pointed out the epicenter of the initial outbreak, a heavily populated region on the landmass. "To the eastern part where the plague began, or to the western part, the one most affected."
"I doubt I can pass for an easterner although you could. I don't have epicanthal folds." Char laughed at the captain's expression. "It's the eyes. I don't have the correct facial features. I should blend in nicely with the people of the large peninsula in the southern part, the one that looks like a boot.
Images of the indigenous population flashed across the screen. There was a distinct difference between those of the East and West.
"I agree." Sendus leaned back in his command chair, squinting at the images through dark almond-shaped eyes while running his hand through his jet-black hair. "Isn't it strange how this planet evolved along much the same lines as our home world?"
Bowing her head and placing her hand over her heart, Char closed her eyes. "I give thanks to the Universal Life Force every day that this is so."
"Just remember those people down below may look like you but do not believe as you do. They may hurt you if you expose such things to them." Sendus leaned forward, thrusting his face at the monitor. "Find out what they think, believe, how they've reacted to this malady. It will give us information to present for their possible admission to the Galaxy Community."
"You sound like an anthropologist yourself. With your permission, I will take my son along, as a way of adding to my cover story. We'll be fleeing the plague that killed my husband, seeking a safer place to live." Hiding her grin, she knew the captain would be glad to have the mischievous boy off the ship for a while. "I'm sure Leeod would love the chance to do some exploring."
Unable to stop the snort that escaped his lips, Sendus fought to maintain his composure. "We will all appreciate that. You can go, but not for long. I think no more than a week. We need your expertise to prepare the ship for our return to Prime, especially if your son keeps trying to destroy it."
"Where is he now?"
"In detention. Level six, third deck."
*****
Putting the finishing touches on the drawing, Leeod stepped back. Cocking his head to one side, he moved forward to add a few more strokes to his masterpiece. He didn't turn around when the detention shield dropped. "I know it's you, mother. Have you come to punish me?"
He felt her warm arms encircle his frame. The pressure built until he could barely take a breath.
"You know I would never hurt you."
"I know, but right now you're killing me. I need to be able to breathe." Smiling as the embrace turned into a back rub, Leeod relished the closeness to his mother. With no other children aboard, he only had Char to talk to, to play with. He deeply loved his mother. It surprised him when she let him go.
She stood there, arms crossed. "We need to have a little talk."
"I know I shouldn't have messed with the hydroponics, but I was only trying to help. The changes I made should have helped with pollination and germination. I didn't know it would flood the chamber."
"You need to present your proposals to me before acting on them."
"No one lets me do anything around here." Pointing at the drawing on the cell wall, he waved his brush around like a conductor's baton. "I could paint things like this everywhere, cheering up the place."
Mesmerized, Char could not stop gazing at the image. "That's us when you were just a baby. I'd just let my hair become curly then, in the style of the people below us. But why did you paint yourself in the nude, you little imp."
"I am depicting what you taught me about the Universal Life Force. 'We come into this existence naked, and naked we shall return.' But I still wonder why we are here, where we really come from." He put on his best pouting face, hands under his chin. Blinking his eyes, he smiled at his mother. "Please. Can you teach me more? I really want to know."
Settling down on the bunkbed, Char ran her fingers through Leeod's hair. "We've been over this many times, but I'll explain it to you again. The living force, bless His existence, is everywhere in the universe. He does not try to run things. He simply lets things be. We are because we are."
"But why doesn't He make things better? Like down below. There are so many wars, so many deaths from disease, such inequity in the lives of the creatures who live there." Leeod scrunched up his face. "Why can't He just fix it all?"
"That's not how it works. He acts through us. We decide to do good or to do evil. He allows us that decisive power." She had a faraway look in her eyes as she continued. "That is what makes us great and prepares us to meet Him."
"Do the people below feel the same way?"
"Some have similar beliefs, but they haven't been exposed to the One yet. They are close in many aspects, though, so it won't be hard for you to learn their ways before we go down there."
"I get to go with you to the surface?" Jumping up, Leeod began to bounce around the room like a tayon beam in a room full of mirrors. "When? How long will we be gone? What must I bring? Can we go now?"
"Calm down, my frantic little one." She laughed as Leeod slid to a stop, still literally shaking with excitement. "We will go to the surface in the cloaked shuttle after the culture and language implants are complete. We need to fit in with the natives."
Grabbing his mother's hand, Leeod dragged her into the corridor. "Let's get started."
*****
Scanning the area, Char determined there were no people nearby. The shuttle settled down in a copse of trees, far from any houses.
She donned a brown dress, cut low in the front. Her slightly curly long hair touched the shawl that hung around her shoulders. Smiling, she began laughing at Leeod tugging the tunic that barely covered the top of his breeches.
"Mother, you look beautiful." Leeod stared at her for a full thirty seconds. "Someday, I'll paint you just as I see you now."
"Right now, we have to go to work." Her grin grew broader as she put a floppy hat on his head. "Now you look perfect. This is your first mission. Let's get going so we have all day to explore."
Exiting the hatch, they began the long walk to the nearest big city.
Leeod glanced over his shoulder at the landing spot. Even though he knew where the ship rested, he could see nothing.
Two hours later, Char and Leeod stood in front of a large stone structure in the center of the city. Staring up at the brown building, they barely noticed the people passing them in the courtyard.
"This is the Palazzo Pitti. The leaders of the city live here. They recently purchased the building and are adding to it constantly." Using the recording device sewn into her bodice, Char set about capturing the images. "They do it because they can, to show their wealth. The rich have it all here, while the poor struggle to get by."
A voice boomed behind them. "And what concern of that is yours?" A guard with a nine-foot long pike pushed them both with the haft of the weapon. "The Medici rule this city, not the people. Move along, peasants, before I use this to skewer you."
Pretending to stumble, Char grabbed Leeod's arm, pulling him away from the irate soldier. "Beg pardon, sir. We were just heading for the church to pray and ask for assistance."
"Then be on your way, and don't let me see you here again."
They made their way to the central house of worship not far away. Even Char seemed impressed. She whispered its name. "The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower."
Looking up in awe at the massive dome, Leeod asked his mother, "How can such a primitive society make such beautiful buildings?"
"They have many great thinkers here. They simply have a backward society." She put a hand on Leeod's shoulder. "This is where they communicate with their god. In many ways, their beliefs are similar to ours."
"I think it needs a lantern." Images filling his head, he imagined what could be. "Something to show light, leading people to Him."
They went into the church. Char pointed to the statuary lining the interior walls. "The artists Banco, Quercia and Donatello decorated the church with their sculptures and paintings, all to honor their supreme being." Bowing her head briefly, she realized where she was. She genuflected to cover her mistake. Her right hand moved up and down, then side to side. "This is the sign of the cross, like our hand over the heart."
"I could do as well or better, don't you think, mother?"
"Try to make the sign, then."
"No. I mean the artwork." Staring at the fresco on the wall, he pointed. "I could paint some as pretty."
"Yes. I believe you could. They are beautiful, aren't they?"
Leeod grabbed his mother's hand. "Can we stay for a while? I would very much like to explore more. I want to see what other art works are there."
The communicator buzzing against her skin caused Char to jump. "We can't do that right now. We must go out of the city, back toward where the ship is hidden." She gripped Leeod's shoulder tightly, guiding him away from the cathedral.
Noticing the worried look on his mother's face, Leeod picked up the pace. "What's wrong, mother?"
"Captain Sendus would not risk contacting me unless there is a crisis." She began to run once they left the outskirts of town. "We must hurry."
Breathing hard from the long jog back to the hidden ship, Leeod collapsed onto the deck. He lay there panting as Char applied power to the communications array. The screen came to life and Sendus appeared.
Leeod knew from the look on his face that it was not good. He slowed his breathing to better hear the exchange.
"Lieutenant, scanners detected a Giniutien battle cruiser entering the solar system an hour ago. They are blocking deep-space transmissions in the sub-space range, so contacting Prime is out of the question. It wouldn't do us any good, help can't get here in time. Our ship will be under attack in less than ten minutes." He smiled weakly at her image. "We're a survey vessel. We have no weapons."
"How can that be? I thought the Giniutien were eradicated at the end of the Cythic Wars." Char turned to look at her son. "They'll kill everyone onboard, then destroy the people on this planet. They are nasty barbarians who have no mercy."
"There's nothing we can do to stop them." Sendus placed his hand on his chest. "We must prepare to become one with the Universal Life Force."
"His will be done." Char closed her eyes, putting her own hand over her heart.
"Take your ship and escape." Sendus spoke rapidly. "Use the cloaking device to hide from the Giniutien. Once you set a course for Prime, you can go into stasis."
"There is but a single stasis tube." She looked down at her son. "One of us will not survive the trip home."
"You must decide who lives or dies."
Bowing her head, Char's brain raced to find an answer. She jerked upright as it came to her. "I have a plan. Even though I cannot save you, I can save the planet. You can't fight against them; any resistance is futile. Your only option is to die before the Giniutien can torture and kill you."
"I won't go down without a fight." Sendus' eyes hardened.
"It is best for one to enter the Universal Life Force with as little trauma as possible. You should freely choose to join, rather than be murdered. It is right to do so." Char stopped the tears that threatened to flow down her face. "Captain, I promise I will avenge all your deaths and save this planet if you follow my plan. If you are captured, they will get information from you about the cloaking device. I can't let that happen. You must end your corporeal existence for this to work. It is His will that I am here, now, in this place. If I had not come to the surface, we would all die on the ship. Then the Giniutien would make this planet devoid of all human life in a few days. I believe I can save millions living in this world." And I can save my only son from certain death.
"Tell me what you have in mind."
Listening from the floor of the spacecraft, Leeod felt shock as his mother talked about her impending death.
"For the plan to work, I must end my life now." Sendus activated the self-destruct sequence. "I have ten seconds. We will meet again in the Force."
Cutting the link to the mothership, Char gathered her son in her arms, squeezing him tightly against her chest.
"You must stay. Keep your identity hidden." Char wiped the tears from Leeod's face. "This is the only way. I'm sacrificing myself so this world can be safe with you in it. You can provide them with knowledge to help them grow as a species."
"I don't want to live without you." Leeod grasped his mother's hand so hard her fingers turned white. "Mother, you have such a sad smile. I'm not afraid. I can die too."
"I know you can, but I won't let you. This way, at least you have a chance. And the four hundred million souls who live here will continue to exist." Char brushed his hair from his eyes. "You know the culture and the language. Fit in with them. Live or die according to His wishes, bless His name."
"I promise to do all I can to help these people. I will live as you would have me do." Leeod hugged Char tightly, then turned away. "I love you, mother."
"Goodbye, my son. Remember this; our life is made by the death of others. Do His will." Closing the hatch, she lifted off in silence.
"Goodbye, Mother." His voice cracked as he chanted the mantra of passing. "We will meet again in the Force."
The cloaking device worked to perfection as Char went to hyper speed. The Giniutien battle cruiser lay directly in her path.
*****
Standing as still as a statue, Leeod kept looking up into the heavens. When the sky lit up in a brief, brilliant flash he allowed himself to cry. In a stupor, he began walking back toward the city.
A voice rang out of the darkness. "Child, why are you here and where did you come from? And what are you doing outside the city walls at this time of night?"
Leeod shook his head to clear it. He turned to see a soldier standing in the shadows, holding a shielded lantern that cast a dim glow onto the road. "I don't know. It's as if I just woke from a dream. I'm not sure why I'm here at all."
The guard made the sign of the cross and backed away from the small youth. He loosened his sword in its scabbard. Holding the lamp high, he peered into the shadows. "You are alone?"
"I am."
Not identifying any threat, the guard relaxed a bit. He stared at the figure in the road. "Short in stature, wiry but muscled, you look strong enough. I know of a family in need of many a servant. They might take you in. Are you a good worker?" The guard motioned for the boy to follow him. "The master of the house, Andrea del Verrocchio, is an artist and wealthy man. He's looking for an apprentice. If you cannot paint, he owns many hectares of land that need tending."
Scrunching his brow, Leeod concentrated on the guard's words. "I can draw, and I know about growing things. If my artistry is not good enough, at least I can work the land." I also have visions of things I cannot explain to any of you. My mind is filled with dreams that I can't push away. Perhaps in time.... "I would very much like to work for this benefactor."
Stopping before the gates of Florence, the guard turned to look at the boy. "What can I tell him about you?"
"My mother is dead, as is my father. I lost my memories, my childhood. I know two things for certain." He closed his eyes, recalling the map containing the names of nearby towns. "My name is Leonardo. I come from Vinci."