Chapter 2: Atomic destruction

A single word can impart what was being reflected from the panel: 'Desolation'. The street we were observing, piece by piece, was cluttered with 'mounds' generally arranged one behind the other. Some stood apart while others lay right in the middle of the openings to the buildings. Imperceptibly, the camera zoomed closer and I soon understood that these 'mounds' had to be vehicles - vehicles that were somewhat similar in shape to flat-bottomed boats.

Around me, the astronauts were attending to their desks. From each sphere emerged a long tube that descended slowly towards the surface. When the end of the tube touched the ground, a little cloud of dust rose, and I realized that the vehicles too were covered in a thick blanket of dust, rendering them formless and unrecognizable. Of course, the sphere that hovered above the river had its tube in the water. My attention was now riveted on the panel, for the scene was quite fascinating - one had the exact impression of being in the street.

My attention was especially drawn to a darkened place in the entrance of a huge building. I could have sworn something moved...

I also felt there was a certain agitation among the astronauts. Abruptly, and with a series of jerks, the 'thing' emerged into the light. I was horrified by what I saw. As for my 'hostesses', apart from some utterances spoken more quickly, and a few exclamations in which emotion could be discerned, I must say that they didn't really seem surprised. However, what we were seeing so clearly on the panel was a horrible cockroach, about two meters long and 80 centimeters high.

The reader will certainly have seen, at one time or another, these nasty little insects we have on Earth, particularly in hot climates, living in cupboards and damp places.

You will agree that they are loathsome, but the biggest would be no more than five centimeters in length. Imagine then, one with the dimensions I have just described. It was truly an abomination.

The tube from the sphere began to retract, yet was still a meter from the ground when suddenly, the creature hurried forward to attack this thing which moved. Untrustingly, it stopped again, when from under the building, a veritable swarm of the creatures emerged, spilling one over the other. Just then, a ray of intense blue light beamed from the sphere and swept over the group, reducing it instantly to carbonized dust. A cloud of black smoke hid the entrance to the building from view.

My curiosity further aroused, I watched the other screens, but they indicated no problems. The sphere from the river was returning towards us, and the sphere on the hill retracted its tube, moved a little higher and lowered the tube again, along with a second cylinder above the sphere. I had guessed, of course, that the astronauts were collecting samples of soil, water and air. Being in Astral body, I couldn't ask Thao any questions; in any case, she seemed quite busy conferring with two of the 'hostesses. The spheres began climbing towards us and were soon ready to be 'reabsorbed' by our spacecraft.

When the operation was complete, Thao and the two astronauts mentioned took their places opposite their respective desks. Instantly, the images we received on the panel and screens changed completely.

I understood we were leaving when each one took her place. I observed that all the astronauts had a similar posture in their seats that intrigued me. I later learned that a force field restrained them exactly as a security harness would have restrained a stuntman on Earth.

The suns illuminated the planet through a reddish fog. We had left by then, and I assumed we were following the contour of the planet, at the same altitude. In fact, we could see a desert-like area passing by, dissected by dry riverbeds that sometimes crossed each other at right angles. It occurred to me they might be canals, or at least had been manmade.

The panel revealed images of a town apparently intact, then it disappeared and the screen went blank. The vessel had obviously gained speed in flying over the planet, as the images on the smaller screens, showing a lake or inland sea, flashed by quickly. Suddenly, several exclamations were heard and we immediately slowed down. The panel was turned on and presented a close-up of the lake. We stopped.

We could clearly see a portion of the coast and, beyond some large rocks by the lake, we could make out cube-like structures which I imagined to be habitations. As soon as we had stopped, the spheres began their operations again, just as they had earlier.

We received some excellent shots taken from one of the spheres that hovered above the beach at a height I judged to be 40 to 60 meters from the ground. Its tube extended right to the shore. Very clearly, it transmitted a scene of a group of human beings... Indeed, at first sight, they were identical to people found on Earth.

We had a very close view. In the middle of the panel appeared the face of a woman of uncertain age. She had brown skin, with long black hair that fell to her breasts. As we could see on another screen, she was quite naked. Only her face appeared to be deformed - she was Mongoloid.

When I saw her, I didn't realize she was deformed, I simply assumed we had to contend with a race of humans only slightly different from our own - as science fiction writers like to describe them - all twisted, with big ears or such like. Still, we had other shots and, in this group, the men and women seemed to resemble the Polynesian race. It was, however, obvious that more than half of these people were either deformed or eaten away by what appeared to be leprosy.

They were looking towards the sphere and gesticulating, appearing to be greatly agitated. Many more were emerging from the cubic constructions which proved to be their habitations, and on which I will elaborate a little.

These structures closely resembled the 'blockhaus' of the Second World War, to which had been added very thick chimneys (installed, I supposed, for the ventilation of the buildings) which only seemed to rise about one meter above the ground. These blockhaus were all built with the same orientation and the people emerging from them, did so by openings on the sides which were in shadow...

Without warning, I felt myself drawn backwards away from the panel. Rapidly, I passed through several partitions until I found myself once again, in the cabin where my physical being lay stretched out on the bunk, just as I had left it.

Instantly, everything was completely black. How well I remember the unpleasant sensation that followed! My limbs felt like lead and when I tried to move them, it was as if I was paralyzed. I could not understand what prevented me from moving. I must confess I panicked a little and wished with all my heart that I might leave my physical body again, but I couldn't do that either.

I don't know how much time elapsed before the cabin gradually became suffused with the most restful blue-green light. Finally Thao entered, wearing a different suit.

'I am sorry to have made you wait, Michel, but just as your physical body recalled you, it was impossible for me to come and help you.'

'Don't apologies, I understand perfectly,' I interrupted, 'but I believe I have a problem - I can't move. I'm sure something in me is disconnected.'
She smiled and put her hand just beside mine, undoubtedly operating a control mechanism, and immediately I was freed.

'Again, a thousand apologies, Michel. I should have pointed out to you the spot where the control cell for the security harness is found. All the seats, beds or bunks are equipped with them, and they are automatically activated if occupied, as soon as there is the least possibility of danger.

'When the vessel arrives in a dangerous area, the three security computers cause the closing of the force fields, to use their proper name. When the danger has passed they automatically release them.

'At the same time, if we do want to be released in a zone deemed dangerous, or even if we simply want to change position, we have only to pass a hand or just a finger in front of the cell and the force field is immediately neutralized. When we return to our seats, we will be automatically restrained again.

'Now, I'm going to ask you to go and change - I'll show you where. In the room, you will see an open trunk where you can put your clothes -in fact, all that you are wearing apart from the glasses. You'll find a suit there, which you are to put on before meeting me back here.'

Thao bent down and taking my hand, she helped me up. I was really quite stiff. I went into the small room she had pointed out, undressed completely and put on the suit, which fitted me perfectly. This was surprising, given that, in spite of my 178 centimeters in height, I was a dwarf compared with my hostesses.

A short time later, back in the cabin, Thao handed me something in the form of a bracelet, which was actually a pair of enormous glasses.

A little like motorcycle goggles, they were strongly tinted. At her request, I put them on, but to do so, I was obliged to remove my own glasses, as they would have been crushed by this larger pair. They fitted exactly into the shape of my eye sockets.

'A last precaution,' she said.

Lifting her hand towards the partition, she in some way released a certain mechanism, for the intense light reappeared and I felt the intensity in spite of the strong glasses. I was again aware of the current of cool air.

The lights went out. The air current could no longer be felt, but Thao did not move, appearing to be waiting for something. Eventually a voice was heard and she removed my large tinted glasses. I replaced them with my own and she asked that I follow her. We took the same route as when I followed her in Astral body, and we found ourselves again, in the command room.

One of the older astronauts (I say older but perhaps I should instead say 'more serious' as they all appeared to be about the same age) signaled briefly to Thao who took me to a seat in front of the panel and asked that I stay there. She quickly rejoined her colleague and I realized they were very busy.
As for me, I began checking whether I could in fact free myself from the force field. As soon as I sat down, I was effectively plastered to my seat - a feeling I did not like at all.

Moving my hand slightly, I found I was immediately liberated for as long as my hand remained in front of the cell.

The panel relayed an image of about 500 people standing on the shore and quite near the 'blockhaus'. Thanks to the close-ups possible with our cameras, we had an excellent view of these people, who were quite naked, from the oldest down to the youngest. Again, I could see many of them were either deformed or sporting ugly wounds. They were all gesturing towards the spheres taking sand and soil samples, but no one approached. The strongest looking men were holding what appeared to be machetes or sabers. They seemed to be watching something.

I felt pressure on my shoulder and turned round, surprised. It was Thao. She smiled at me and I clearly remember appreciating, for the first time, the beauty and nobility of her face.

I have already mentioned her hair, which was long and silky, golden-blond in color, which fell to her shoulders and framed a face that was perfectly oval in shape. She had a large, slightly protruding forehead.

Her blue-mauve eyes and long curled lashes would have been the envy of many women on our planet. Her eyebrows curved upwards, similar to the wings of a seagull, adding a unique charm. Under her eyes, which sparkled and sometimes teased, was her nose, well-proportioned and slightly flat at the bottom, which accentuated a sensual mouth. When she smiled, she revealed perfect teeth - so perfect, one could believe they were false. (This would have surprised me.) The chin, well-shaped but slightly angular, suggested a willful determination that was somewhat masculine, but this did not detract from its charm. A faint shadow of hair above her upper lip could have spoiled this perfect face, were it not blond.

'I see you already know how to free yourself from the force field, Michel.'

I was about to reply, when an almost general exclamation made us turn our eyes to the panel.

The people on the beach were surging back en masse towards the habitations and dived inside in one big rush, while a line of men had been formed armed with sabers or picks, facing the most incredible 'thing' I could ever have imagined.

A group of red ants, each the size of a cow, were rushing from behind the rocks onto the beach. They moved quicker than horses in gallop.

The armed men kept glancing behind, as if to compare the speed at which the people scrambled to safety, with the advance of the ants. Already, the latter were near - too near...

The men faced them bravely as, with only a second's hesitation, the first beast attacked. We could distinguish the mandibles clearly - each the size of a man's arm. At first, the creature feigned, enabling the man to strike with his saber, but he slashed only air. Immediately, the mandibles encircled his waist, severing him cleanly in two. Another pair of ants helped the first to shred him, while the rest launched their assault on the fleeing combatants, gaining rapidly on them - too rapidly...

From the sphere, an electric-blue beam of unbearable intensity shot out, just as the ants were upon the men. The creatures were struck dead, one after the other, with amazing precision and effectiveness. Curls of smoke rose from the burnt flesh of the animals strewn over the ground, their enormous legs convulsing in a last spasm.

The beam continued its devastation among the ants, instantly and systematically annihilating the giant insects. They must have known instinctively that they could not match this almost supernatural force and fled in retreat.

Everything had happened so quickly. Thao was still at my side, her face reflecting disgust and sadness, rather than anger.

Another glance at the panel revealed a new scene - of the sphere pursuing the ants in their hasty retreat, not only with the camera, but also with the deadly beam. The rest of the swarm, which I estimated to comprise six or seven hundred, were being decimated. Not one was left alive.

The sphere returned to its earlier position above the beach and produced a special tool with which it combed through the carcasses. I could see one of the astronauts seated at her desk, talking into her computer. This prompted me to ask Thao if she was supervising the work being carried out.

'At the moment, yes, for this work was not originally scheduled. We are taking samples of these creatures, pieces of lung in particular, in order to analyze them. We think that certain types of radiation have produced this mutant form of creature. In fact, ants do not have lungs but the only logical explanation for their sudden gigantism is...'

Thao stopped short. The camera was relaying a picture of the men now reemerging form their shelters, gesticulating wildly at the sphere. They were holding their arms open-wide and prostrating themselves on the ground. They repeated this pattern.

'Can they see this vessel?' I asked.

'No. We are at an altitude of 40 000 meters, and, further, there are presently three layers of cloud between the planet and us. On the other hand, they can see our satellite and I think it is to that they are addressing these gestures of gratitude.'

'Perhaps they take the sphere to be a God which has saved them from ruin?'

'It's quite possible.'

'Can you tell me what is happening? Who are these people?'

'It would take too long to explain to you, Michel, especially now with so much activity in the vessel, but I can satisfy your curiosity by explaining briefly.
'These people are, in a way, the descendants of certain ancestors of people existing still on your planet. In fact, a group of their ancestors peopled a continent on the planet Earth about 250 000 of your Earth years ago. Here, they possessed a civilization which was very advanced but, having raised enormous political barriers between themselves, they finally destroyed themselves, 150 years ago, with the atom.'

'Do you mean - a total nuclear war?'

'Yes, brought about by chain reaction. We come, from time to time, to take samples in order to study the degree of radiation still existing in various regions. Sometimes too, just as a few moments ago, we help them.'

'But they must take you to be God himself after what you did just now!'

Thao smiled and nodded her head. 'Ah yes, that's certainly true, Michel. They take us to be gods, exactly as, on your planet, certain of your ancestors also took us to be gods. Still, they talk of us...

I must have shown complete surprise, as Thao threw me a look of amusement.

'I told you a moment ago that my explanation is somewhat premature. We'll have plenty of time to talk of this again. Besides, that's why you are with us.'

With that, she excused herself and resumed her place in front of a 'screen-desk'. The images were changing rapidly on the panel. The sphere was on its way up and we had a view of a whole section of the continent, on which, I noticed in places, patches of green and brown. The sphere took its place again within the vessel and we departed.

We flew over the planet at a breathtaking speed and I allowed myself to be imprisoned in my armchair by the force field.

On the screen were images of the waters of an immense ocean. We could distinguish an island, which 'grew' rapidly.

It seemed to be a very low island although, for me, the problems of estimating dimensions were very real.

The entire procedure, already described, was repeated. We stopped above the coast and, this time, four spheres left the spacecraft and descended to the island. On the panel I could see a beach which the camera was scanning.

On the water's edge lay what looked like thick slabs, around which were gathered naked men - the same kind we had seen earlier. They didn't appear to have noticed the sphere and I assumed that this time, it was at a much higher altitude, in spite of the ever-closing images we were receiving.

On the panel, we could now see the men carrying one of the slabs into the waves. It floated, as if made of cork. The men hoisted themselves up on to it, grabbed large oars that they handled skillfully and the boat took to the open sea. When they were a good distance from the shore, they threw out fishing lines and, to my surprise, almost immediately, pulled up fish of what seemed a respectable size.

It was quite fascinating to see how these men were surviving, and to be capable of helping them, as if we were gods.

I had released myself from the force field, wanting to go and study the other screens that were receiving different images. Just as I was about to venture from my seat, I received an order, without hearing a sound: 'Stay where you are, Michel.' I was stupefied. It was as if the voice was inside my head. I turned my head in Thao's direction and she was smiling at me. I decided to try something, and thought as hard as I could, 'Telepathy is great, isn't it Thao?'

'Of course,' she replied in the same manner.

'It's wonderful! Can you tell me what the temperature is down there at the moment?'

She checked the data at her desk. 'Twenty-eight of your degrees Celsius. By day, the average temperature is thirty-eight degrees.'

I said to myself if I was deaf and mute, I could communicate with Thao quite as easily as I can with the spoken word.

'Exactly, my dear.'

I looked at Thao with some surprise. I had been making a personal reflection and yet she had intercepted my thoughts. I was a little put out by this.
She gave me a wide smile. 'Don't worry, Michel. I was merely being playful and I ask that you forgive me.

'Normally, I only read your thoughts when you ask me a question. I just wanted to demonstrate what is possible in this domain; I won't do it again.'

I returned her smile and redirected my attention to the panel. There I could see a sphere on the beach, very close to a group of men who didn't seem to notice it. This sphere was removing sand samples from a spot about ten meters from the group. By telepathy, I asked Thao why these people were unable to see the machine.

'It's night,' she answered.

'Night? But how is it that we can see things so clearly?'

'Special cameras, Michel - something like your infrareds.'

Now I better understood why the images received were less 'luminous' than on our preceding stops. However, the close-ups were excellent. Just then, on the panel, we had a shot of a face apparently that of a female. It was really horrible. The poor creature had an enormous gash where her left eye should have been. Her mouth was positioned to the right of her face and appeared as a tiny little opening in the middle of her jaw, around which were lips that seemed fused together. On the top of her head, a single tuft of hair hung pitifully.

We could now see her breasts, and very pretty they would have been, if one of them hadn't had a purulent wound on the side.

'With breasts like that she must be young?' I asked.

'The computer puts the age at 19 years.'

'Radiation?'

'Of course.'

Other people appeared, some of whom were perfectly normal looking. There were males among them, with an athletic build, who looked to be in their twenties.

'What is the age of the oldest? Do you know?'

'At present, we have no record of anyone older than 38 years, and a year on this planet is 295 days of 27 hours. Now, if you look at the screen, you can see a close-up of the genital area of that handsome and athletic young man. As you will note, the genitals are totally atrophied. We've already worked out, from previous expeditions, that there are very few men actually capable of procreation - and yet, there are great numbers of children. It's the survival instinct of all races to reproduce as soon as possible. Thus, the obvious solution would be that the males capable of reproduction are 'studs'. This man must be one of them, I think.'

Indeed, the camera was showing a man of about 30 years perhaps, possessing physical attributes certainly capable of producing offspring.

We were also able to see many children coming and going around small fires on which food was cooking.

The men and women seated around the fireplaces were taking cooked pieces and sharing them with the children. The fires seemed like wood fires, but I couldn't be sure. They were fuelled by something shaped rather like stones.

Behind the fires, slabs similar to the boats seen earlier, were piled and assembled so as to form shelters that looked quite comfortable.

In the camera's field of vision, no trees could be seen - perhaps they did exist, because I had noticed green patches earlier as we flew over the continent.

From between two huts, some little black pigs appeared, pursued by three furious yellow dogs, only to disappear rapidly behind another hut. I was dumbfounded and couldn't help but wonder if I really was looking down on another planet. These humans looked like me - or rather, like Polynesians - and here were dogs and pigs. It was all more and more surprising...

The sphere began to return, as did the other spheres no doubt, that were being monitored by screens I couldn't easily see from my position. The operation 'return to ship' was initiated, and all the spheres 'reabsorbed' without incident, the same as before.

I assumed we were about to leave again and so installed myself comfortably in my seat, allowing the force field to restrain me thus.

Some moments later, the suns of the planet appeared, two in number, then everything dwindled rapidly, just as it had done when we left Earth. After a time, which seemed quite short, the force field was neutralized and I understood that I was free to get out of my seat. This was a good feeling. I noticed Thao heading towards me accompanied by two of the 'oldest', if I can say so, of her companions. I remained standing beside my seat before the three astronauts.

In order to look at Thao, I was already obliged to raise my head, but when she introduced me, in French, to the 'elder' of them, I felt even smaller. The latter was easily a head taller than Thao.

I was completely astonished when she, Biastra, spoke to me correctly, although slowly, in French. She placed her right hand on my shoulder, saying,
'I am delighted to have you on board, Michel. I hope that all is well with you and that it continues to be so. May I present Latoli, the second-in-charge of our spacecraft, myself being what you would call 'Commander-in-Chief of the Alatora.'

Turning to Latoli, she spoke a few words in her own language and Latoli too, placed her hand on my shoulder. With a warm smile, she repeated my name several times slowly, as would someone who had difficulty pronouncing a new language.

Her hand remained on my shoulder and a feeling of wellbeing, a definite fluid sensation, passed through my body.

I was so obviously overcome by this, that the three of them began to laugh. Reading my thoughts, Thao reassured me.

'Michel, Latoli possesses a special gift, although not rare among our people. What you have been able to experience, is a fluid which is magnetic and beneficial, and which emanated from her.'

'It's wonderful!' I exclaimed. 'Please compliment her on my behalf1.' I then addressed the two astronauts. 'Thank you for your welcome, but I must confess I am absolutely astounded by what is happening to me. It really is the most incredible adventure for an Earthling such as me. Although I have always believed in the possibility that other planets might be inhabited by human-like beings, I'm still having a hard time convincing myself that this is not a fantastic dream.

'I had often discussed things such as telepathy, extraterrestrials and what we call 'flying saucers' with friends on Earth, but they were just words and grand phrases uttered in ignorance. Now I have the proof of what I had suspected for so long regarding the existence of parallel universes, the duality of our beings, and other unexplained occurrences. To experience all that I have in these last few hours is so exciting it takes my breath away.

Latoli, admiring my monologue, uttered an exclamation, in words I didn't understand but which Thao immediately translated for me.

'Latoli understands your state of mind perfectly well, Michel.' 'As do I,' added Biastra.

'How could she have understood what I said?'

'She has 'dipped' telepathically into your mind while you were speaking. As you must realize, telepathy is not hindered by language barriers.'

My astonishment amused them and perpetual smiles played on their lips. Biastra addressed me.

'Michel, I am going to introduce you to the rest of the crew, if you will kindly follow me.' She guided me, by the shoulder, to the furthest desk, where three astronauts were monitoring the instruments. I hadn't yet approached these desks and, even in Astral body, I had not paid any attention to the read-out of these computers. The glance I now gave them immobilized me completely. The numerals before my eyes were in Arabic! I know the reader will be as surprised as I was, but it was fact. The 1s, 2s, 3s 4s etc. appearing on the monitors, were the same numerals that occur on Earth.

Biastra noticed my astonishment. 'It is true, isn't it Michel, for you there is one surprise after another. Don't think we are having fun at your expense, as we totally understand your wonder. All will fall into place in good time. For the moment please allow me to introduce Naola.'

The first of the astronauts rose and turned towards me. She placed her hand on my shoulder, as Biastra and Latoli had done. It occurred to me that this gesture must correspond to our handshake. Naola addressed me in her own language and then she, too, repeated my name three times, as if she wanted to commit it to memory forever. She was about the same size as Thao.

The same ceremony followed each time I was introduced, and thus I officially made the acquaintance of all the members of the crew. There was a striking resemblance between them. Their hair, for example, varied only in length and shade, which ranged from a dark copper to a light golden-blond. Some had longer or broader noses than others, but all had eyes of a colour which tended towards light rather than dark, and all had very neat, well-shaped ears.

Latoli, Biastra and Thao invited me to sit down in one of the comfortable seats.

When we were all comfortably installed, Biastra moved her hand in a particular way near the armrest of her seat and-I saw coming towards us, floating in the air - four round trays. Each carried a container of yellowish liquid and a bowl of something whitish with a consistency similar to fairy-floss but in granulated form. Flat 'tongs' served as forks. The trays came to rest on the arms of our seats.

I was quite intrigued. Thao suggested, if I wished to partake of this refreshment, I might like to follow her lead. She sipped from her 'glass' and I did likewise, finding it quite a pleasant-tasting drink, similar to a water-honey mixture. My companions used the 'tongs' to eat the mixture in the bowls. Following their example, I tasted for the first time what we, on Earth, called 'manna'. Similar to bread, it is however, extremely light and without any particular flavor. I had eaten only half the amount in my bowl when already, I felt satisfied, which surprised me considering the consistency of this food. I finished my drink and, although I couldn't say I'd dined in fine style, I experienced a sense of wellbeing and was neither hungry nor thirsty.

'Perhaps you would have preferred a French dish, Michel?' asked Thao, a smile twitching on her lips.

I merely smiled, but Biastra snorted.

Just then, a signal drew our attention to the panel. In the centre, and in close-up, appeared the head of a woman, resembling my hostesses. She spoke rapidly. My companions turned slightly in their seats to better attend to what was being said. Naola, at her desk, entered into a dialogue with the figure on the screen, just as our television interviewers do on Earth. Imperceptibly, the shot changed from the close-up to a wide angle, revealing a dozen women each in front of a desk.

Thao took me by the shoulder and guided me over to Naola, installing me in a seat in front of one of the screens. She took a seat next to me and addressed the people on the monitor. She spoke for some time, rapidly, in her melodious voice, turning frequently towards me. From all evidence, I was the main topic of conversation.

When she had finished, the woman reappeared in close-up, responding in several brief sentences. To my great surprise, her eyes fixed on me and she smiled. 'Hello Michel, we wish you a safe arrival on Thiaoouba.'

She waited for my reply. When I had overcome my surprise, I expressed warm thanks. This, in turn, elicited exclamations and numerous comments from her companions, appearing again in a wide-angle shot on the screen.

'Did they understand?' I asked Thao.

'Telepathically yes, but they are delighted to hear someone from another planet speak his own language. For most of them, this is quite a rare experience.'

Excusing herself, Thao readdressed the screen and, what I assumed was a technical conversation, ensued, including Biastra. Eventually, after a smile in my direction and a 'see you soon', the picture was cut.

I say 'cut' because the screen did not simply become blank; rather, the image was replaced by a beautiful, soft color - a mixture of green and indigo blue - which produced a sense of contentment. It gradually faded after a minute or so.

Turning to Thao, I asked what it had all meant - had we rendezvoused with another spacecraft and what was this Thiaba or Thiaoula..?

'Thiaoouba, Michel, is the name we have given to our planet, just as you call yours 'Earth'. Our intergalactic base has been in touch with us, as we will be arriving in Thiaoouba in 16 of your Earth hours and 35 minutes.' This she had checked with a glance at the nearest computer.

'Those people then, are technicians on your planet?'

'Yes, as I just said, at our intergalactic base.'

'This base monitors our spacecraft continually and if we were in trouble for technical or human reasons, in eighty one per cent of cases, they would be able to control our safe return to port.'

This did not particularly surprise me as I had realized I was dealing with a superior race, whose technological possibilities were beyond my comprehension. What did occur to me was that, not only this spacecraft, but also the intergalactic base appeared to be manned by only women. An all female team such as this would be quite exceptional on Earth.

I wondered if Thiaoouba was populated only by women...like space Amazons. I smiled at the image. I have always preferred the company of women rather than men: it was quite a pleasant thought..!

My question to Thao was direct. 'Are you from a planet solely populated by women?'

She looked at me with apparent surprise, then her face lit up with amusement. I was a little concerned. Had I said something stupid? She took me by the shoulder and asked that I follow her. We left the control room and immediately entered a smaller room (called the Haalis) which had quite a relaxing ambience. Thao explained that we would not be interrupted in the room, since the occupants acquired, by their presence, the right to absolute privacy.

She invited me to choose one of the many seats that furnished the room.

Some were like beds, some like armchairs, others resembled hammocks, while others again, were like high stools with adjustable backs. I would have been difficult to please if one of them did not suit my requirements.

Once settled comfortably in a kind of armchair with Thao facing me, I watched, as her face became serious again. She started to speak.

'Michel, there are no women aboard this spacecraft...'

If she had told me that I wasn't on a spaceship but rather, in the Australian desert, I would have more readily believed her. Seeing the expression of disbelief on my face, she added, 'neither are there any men. ' At this, my confusion was absolute.

'But,' I faltered, 'you are - what? Just robots?'

'No, I think you misunderstand. In a word, Michel, we are hermaphrodites. You know, of course, what an hermaphrodite is?'

I nodded, quite dumbfounded, and then asked, 'Is your whole planet inhabited only by hermaphrodites?'

'Yes.'

'And yet your face and mannerisms are more feminine than masculine.'

'Indeed, it might appear so, but believe me when I tell you that we are not women, but hermaphrodites. Our race has always been this way.'

'I must confess, this is all very confusing. I'm going to find it difficult to think of you as 'he' rather than the 'she' I have done since I've been among you.'

'You have nothing to imagine, my dear. We are simply what we are: human beings from another planet living in a world different from yours. I can understand you would like to define us as one sex or the other, for you think as an Earthling and a Frenchman. Perhaps, for once, you could make use of the neuter gender of English and think of us as 'it'.'

I smiled at this suggestion but continued to feel disoriented. Only moments ago, I had believed myself to be among Amazons.

'But how can reproduction of your race occur?' I asked. 'Can an hermaphrodite reproduce?'

'Of course we can, exactly as you do on Earth; the only difference being that we genuinely control the births - but that is another story. In good time, you will understand, but now we should rejoin the others.'

We returned to the control post, and I found myself looking at these astronauts with new eyes. Looking at the chin of one, I found it to be more masculine than it had seemed earlier. Another's nose was decidedly masculine, and the hairstyles of some were now more manly. It occurred to me that we really do see people as we think they are and not as they are.

In order to feel less embarrassed among them, I created a rule for myself: I had taken them to be women, as to me they were more like females than males: thus I would continue to think of them as women and we'd see how that worked.

From where I was, I could follow, on the central panel, the movement of stars as we proceeded on our way. Sometimes they appeared enormous and blinding as we passed by a little too closely - a few million kilometers from them. At times too, we noticed planets of strange colors. I remember one was of an emerald green, so pure I was stunned. It resembled an enormous jewel.

Thao approached and I took advantage of the opportunity to ask her about a band of light that had appeared at the base of the screen. This light was composed of what looked like millions of tiny explosions.

'These are caused by our anti-matter guns, as you would call them on Earth, and are, in fact, explosions. At the speed at which we travel, the most minuscule of meteorites would shatter this spacecraft were we to hit it. So, we make use of specific rooms to store certain forms of dust under enormous pressure, and this is fed into our anti-matter guns. Our vessel could be considered to be a cosmotron, firing streams of accelerated particles that disintegrate the most microscopic of errant bodies in space, for great distances ahead and to the sides of our spacecraft. This is what allows us to attain speeds that we can. Around our vessel, we create our own magnetic field...'

'Oh please, not so fast. As you know Thao, I have no scientific background and if you speak of cosmotrons and accelerated particles, you are going to lose me. I understand the principle, which is certainly very interesting, but I'm not good on technical terms. Can you tell me instead, why the planets on the screen are colored the way they are?'

'Sometimes because of their atmospheres and sometimes because of the gases which surround them. Do you see a multicolored point with a tail, at the right of the screen?' The 'thing' was approaching at high speed. Second by second we were better able to admire it.

It seemed to explode constantly and change form, its colors indescribably rich. I looked at Thao.

'It's a comet,' she said. 'It completes a revolution around its sun in approximately 55 of your Earth years.'

'How far are we from it?'

She glanced at the computer: '4 150 000 kilometers.'

'Thao,' I said, 'How is it you use the numerals of Arabic? And when you speak of “kilometers”, are you translating for me, or do you actually use this measure?'

'No. We count in Kato and Taki. We use the numerals that you recognize as Arabic, for the simple reason that it is our own system - one which we took to Earth.'

'What? Please explain further.'

'Michel, we have several hours before arriving at Thiaoouba. This is probably the best time to start 'educating' you seriously on certain matters. If you don't mind, we'll go back to the Haalis, where we were before.'

I followed Thao, my curiosity stronger than ever.

Also see:

Sample Chapters of "Thiaoouba Prophecy" (First Three Chapters)

Table of Contents

Chapter 2: Atomic destruction