Once comfortably reestablished in the Haalis, the relaxation room previously described, Thao began her strange recital.

'Michel, 1 350 000 years ago precisely, on the planet Bakaratini of the constellation Centaur, a decision was made by the leaders of that planet, following numerous conferences and reconnaissance expeditions, to send inhabited vessels to the planets Mars and Earth.

'There was a very simple reason for this: their planet was cooling down internally and would become uninhabitable within 500 years. They thought, with good reason, that it was preferable to evacuate their people to a younger planet of the same category...'

'What do you mean by 'the same category'?'

'I will explain later, to do so now would be premature. Going back to these people, I must tell you that these beings were human - very intelligent and highly evolved. A black race, they had thick lips, flattened noses and frizzy hair - resembling, in these ways, the blacks now living on Earth.

'These people had inhabited the planet Bakaratini for 8 000 000 years, in cohabitation with a yellow-coloured race.

'To be precise, this was what you call on Earth, the Chinese race and they had inhabited Bakaratini for about 400 years prior to the blacks. The two races witnessed numerous revolutions during their time on the planet. We tried to provide relief, assistance and guidance but, in spite of our intervention, wars broke out periodically. These, along with the natural disasters occurring on the planet, served to thin the ranks in both races.

'Finally, a nuclear war broke out on such a grand scale that the entire planet was plunged into darkness and temperatures fell to minus 40 of your degrees Celsius. Not only did atomic radiation destroy the population, but cold and lack of food accomplished the rest.

'It is a recorded fact that a mere 150 black people and 85 yellow people survived the catastrophe, from a population of seven billion black and four billion yellow humans. A register of survivors was taken just before they began to reproduce and when they had stopped killing each other.'

'What do you mean 'killing each other'?'

'Let me explain the whole situation to you and you'll be able to understand better.

'First of all, it is important to explain that those who remained were not, as you might expect, the leaders, well protected in specially equipped shelters.
'The survivors, comprising three groups of blacks and five groups of yellows, had come, some from private shelters and others from large public shelters. Of course, at the time of the war, there were many more than 235 people in shelters: indeed it is believed there were over 800 000 in all. Following months of confinement in the darkness and intense cold, they were eventually able to risk going outside.

'The blacks ventured out first, finding almost no trees, no plants and no animals to speak of, on their continent. It was a group, isolated from their shelter in the mountains, who first knew cannibalism. Because of the lack of food, when the weakest died, they were eaten; then, in order to eat, they had to kill each other - and that was the worst catastrophe on their planet.

'Another group, near the ocean, managed to survive by eating the only living things left on the planet, which were not too contaminated, that is, the mollusks, some fish and crustaceans. They still had unpolluted drinking water thanks to very ingenious installations enabling them to obtain water from incredible depths.

'Of course, many of these people still died, as a result of lethal radiation on the planet and from eating fish which were filled with radioactivity.

'Much the same course of events occurred in the yellows' territory; so that, as I have said, 150 blacks and 85 yellows remained, then finally, deaths resulting from the war ceased and reproduction began again.

'All of this occurred, in spite of all the warnings they had received. It should be said that before this almost total decimation, both the black race and the yellow race had attained a very high level of technological advance. The people lived in great comfort. They worked in factories, private and government enterprises, offices - just as happens now on your planet.

'They had a strong devotion to money which, to some, meant power and to others, wiser, it meant wellbeing. They worked on average 12 hours per week.

'On Bakaratini a week comprises six days of 21 hours each. They tended to the material rather than the spiritual side of their existence. At the same time, they allowed themselves to be duped and led in circles by a structure of politicians and bureaucrats, exactly as is happening now on Earth. Leaders fool the masses with empty words and, motivated by greed or pride, they 'lead' entire nations towards their downfall.

'Gradually, these two great races began to envy each other and, as there is only one step from envy to hate, eventually they hated each other so much and so completely that the catastrophe occurred. Both possessing very sophisticated arms, they achieved their mutual destruction.

'Our historical records show, then, that 235 survived the disaster, six of them being children. These statistics were recorded five years afterwards, and their survival is attributed to cannibalism and certain marine life.

'They reproduced - not always 'successfully' as it was not uncommon for babies to be born with horribly misshapen heads or ugly weeping sores. They had to endure all the effects of atomic radiation on human beings.

'One hundred and fifty years later, there were 190 000 blacks - men, women and children, and 85 000 yellows. I speak to you of this 150-year period because this was when both races began to reestablish and when we were able to help them materially.'

'What do you mean?'

'Just a few hours ago, you saw our spacecraft stop above the planet Aremo X3 and take samples of soil, water and air, did you not?' I nodded. 'Then,' Thao resumed, 'you watched as we quite easily annihilated a mass of giant ants as they attacked the inhabitants of a village.'

'Indeed.'

'In that particular case, we helped those people by intervening directly. You saw that they were living in a semi-wild state?'

'Yes, but what happened on that planet?'

'Atomic war, my friend. Always and eternally the same story.

'Don't forget Michel that the universe is a gigantic atom and everything is affected by that. Your body is composed of atoms. My point is, in all galaxies, each time a planet is inhabited, at a certain stage in its evolution, the atom is discovered or rediscovered.

'Of course, the scientists who discover it are very soon aware that the disintegration of the atom can be a formidable weapon, and, at one moment or another, the leaders want to use it; just as a child with a box of matches is driven to set fire to a bale of straw in order to see what will happen.

'But, coming back to the planet Bakaratini, 150 years after the nuclear holocaust, we wanted to help these people.

'Their immediate need was food. Still they were subsisting essentially from products of the sea, resorting occasionally to cannibalism to satisfy their omnivorous yearnings. They needed vegetables and a source of meat. Vegetables, fruit trees, grains, animals - all that was edible had disappeared from the planet.

'There remained just enough inedible plants and bushes to replenish the oxygen in the atmosphere.

'At the same time, an insect, resembling in some ways your praying mantis, had survived and, as a result of spontaneous mutation caused by the atomic radiation, had evolved to gigantic proportions. It grew to about eight meters in height and had become extremely dangerous to the people. In addition, this insect, having no natural predator, reproduced rapidly.

'We flew over the planet locating the whereabouts of these insects. This was a relatively easy task thanks to technology that has been at our disposal since time immemorial. When we detected the insects, we destroyed them so that, in a short time, we had exterminated them.

'Next, we had to reintroduce livestock, plants and trees on the planet according to the species known to have adapted climatically in specific regions before the catastrophe. This too, was relatively easy...'

'It must have taken years for such a task!'

A large smile lit up Thao's face. 'It took just two days - two 21-hour days.'

Faced with my incredulity, Thao burst into laughter. She, or he, laughed so heartily that I joined in, still wondering however, if the truth was being stretched somewhat.

How could I know? What I was hearing was so fantastic! Perhaps I was hallucinating; perhaps I had been drugged; perhaps I would soon 'wake up' in my very own bed? 'No, Michel,' interrupted Thao, reading my thoughts. 'I wish you would stop doubting in this way. Telepathy itself should be enough to convince you.'

As she uttered this sentence, it struck me that, even in the best-planned hoax, it would hardly be possible to bring together so many supernatural elements. Thao was able to read my mind like an open book, and proved it over and over again. Latoli, simply by placing her hand on me, had produced such an extraordinary feeling of wellbeing, I must acknowledge the evidence. I was well and truly experiencing an extra-extraordinary adventure.

'Perfect,' Thao agreed aloud. 'May I continue?'

'Please do,' I encouraged.

'So, we helped these people materially; but, as so often when we intervene, we did not allow our presence to be known and there are several reasons for that.

'The first is security. The second reason is a psychological one; if we had made these people aware of our existence and if they had realized we were there in order to help them, they would passively have allowed themselves to be helped and would have felt sorry for themselves. This would adversely affect their will to survive. As you say on Earth: 'God helps those who help themselves.'

'The third and last reason is the main one. Universal Law is well-established and is as strictly enforced as that which controls the planets revolutions around their suns. If you make a mistake, you pay the penalty - immediately, in ten years time, or in ten centuries time, but errors must be paid for. Thus, from time to time we are permitted, or even advised, to offer a helping hand but we are formally forbidden to 'serve the meal on a plate'.

'Thus, in two days, we repopulated their planet with several pairs of animals and reestablished numerous plants so that eventually the people could raise the animals and cultivate the plants and trees. They had to start from scratch and we guided their progress, either by dream or telepathy. At times we did it by means of 'a voice coming from the heavens'; that is to say, the 'voice' came from our spacecraft but, to them, it came from 'heaven'.'

'They must have taken you to be gods!'

'Exactly so, and it is in this way that legends and religions are established; but, in cases as urgent as that one was, the end justified the means.

'Finally, after several centuries, the planet was almost as it had been before the nuclear holocaust. All the same, in some places, deserts had been definitely established. In other spots less affected, the flora and fauna were easily developed.

'One hundred and fifty thousand years later, the civilization was highly successful but, this time, not only technologically: happily the people had learned their lesson and had also evolved to a high psychic and spiritual level. This occurred in both races and the blacks and the yellows had developed strong bonds of friendship.

'Thus, peace reigned on the planet, for the legends remained quite clear; many of them recorded in writing, so that future generations would know exactly what had provoked the nuclear catastrophe and what its consequences had been.

'As I said earlier, the people knew that their planet was going to become uninhabitable within 500 years. Knowing there were other planets, inhabited and inhabitable, in the galaxy, they mounted one of the most serious exploratory expeditions.

'Eventually, they penetrated your solar system, first visiting Mars which was known to be inhabitable and which, at that time in fact was inhabited.

'The human beings on Mars had no technology but, by contrast, they were spiritually, highly evolved. They were very small people measuring in height between 120 centimeters and 150 centimeters, and of Mongoloid type. They lived in tribes, in huts of stone.

'The fauna on Mars was scarce. There was a kind of dwarf goat, some very large hare-like creatures, several species of rat, and the largest animal resembled a buffalo but had a head like a tapir. There were also some birds and three species of snakes, one of which was quite venomous. The flora was also poor, trees attaining no more than four meters in height. They had too, an edible grass that you might compare with buckwheat.

'The Bakaratinians conducted their research, realizing soon that Mars was also cooling down at a rate which indicated that it would no longer be inhabitable in four to five thousand years. In terms of its flora and fauna, it was barely rich enough to sustain those already living there, let alone cope with an emigrant mass from Bakaratini. Besides, the planet did not appeal to them.

'Thus, the two spacecraft headed for Earth. The first landing took place where Australia is now found. At that time, it should be explained that Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia were all part of the one continent. A strait existed, about 300 kilometers wide, exactly where Thailand is now found.

'In those times, Australia possessed a great inland sea fed by several large rivers, so that diverse and interesting flora and fauna flourished there. All things considered, the astronauts chose this country as their first immigration base.

'I must say, to be more precise, that the black race chose Australia and the yellow people established themselves where Burma is now - here too, was a land rich in wildlife. Bases were quickly set up on the coast, on the Bay of Bengal, while the black people constructed their first base on the shores of the Inland Sea in Australia. Later, further bases were established where New Guinea is presently located.

'Their spacecraft were capable of super-light speeds and took approximately 50 of your Earth years to bring 3 600 000 black people and the same number of the yellow race, to Earth. This bears witness to the perfect understanding and excellent association between two races determined to survive on a new planet and exist in peace. By common agreement, the aged and infirmed remained in Bakaratini.

'The Bakaratinians had explored all of the planet Earth before establishing their bases, and were absolutely persuaded that no human life existed before their arrival. Often they thought they had located a humanoid form of life, but on closer inspection, realized they had made contact with a species of large apes.

'Gravity on Earth was stronger than on their planet and it was quite uncomfortable initially, for the two races, but eventually they adapted very well.

'In building their towns and factories, they were fortunate to import from Bakaratini, certain materials which were very light and, at the same time, very strong.

'I have not yet explained that, at that time, Australia was on the equator. Earth rotated on a different axis - taking 30 hours and 12 minutes to complete a rotation, and achieved a revolution around its sun in 280 such days. The equatorial climate was not as you will find it today. It was much more humid than now, for the Earth's atmosphere has changed.

'Herds of huge zebras roamed the country, in company with enormous edible birds, referred to as 'dodos', very large jaguars, and another bird measuring almost four meters in height, which you have called Dinornis. In certain rivers, there were crocodiles up to 15 meters in length and snakes 25 to 30 meters long. They, at times, nourished themselves on the new arrivals.

'Most of the flora and fauna on Earth was totally different from that on Bakaratini - both from a nutritional and ecological point of view. Numerous experimental farms were established in an Endeavour to acclimatize plants such as sunflower, maize, wheat, sorghum, tapioca and others.

'These plants either didn't exist on Earth or else existed in such a primitive state that they couldn't be consumed. The goat and the kangaroo were both imported, for the immigrants were quite partial to these, consuming them in great numbers on their planet. They were particularly keen to raise kangaroos on Earth, experiencing enormous difficulties however, in acclimatizing them. One of the main problems was food. On Bakaratini, the kangaroo fed on a fine, hardy grass called arilu, which was totally unknown on Earth. Each time the Bakaratinians tried to grow it, it died, attacked always by millions of microscopic fungi. So it happened that the kangaroo were handfed, so to speak, for several decades, as they gradually adapted to the grasses on Earth.

'The black race persevered in its endeavors and finally succeeded in growing the plant, but it had taken so long that the kangaroos no longer required more than their new pastures. Very much later, some arilu plants took root and, as there were no animals to eat them, they spread throughout Australia. They still exist under the botanical name Xanthorrhoea and the popular name “black boys''.

'On Earth, this grass grows much taller and thicker than it did on Bakaratini, but that often happens when species are introduced from other planets. This plant is one of the rare vestiges of those distant times.

'It indicates, by being found only in Australia, along with the kangaroo, that the Bakaratinians remained in that particular part of the planet for a very long time before seeking to colonies other parts. I am about to explain this, but I wanted first, to cite the examples of the kangaroo and the Xanthorrhoea so that you might better understand all the problems of adaptation these people had to overcome; of course, it is only one small example among so many others.

'The yellow race had settled, as I said, in the hinterland of the Bay of Bengal. Most were in Burma where they too, had established cities and experimental farms. Principally interested in vegetables, they had imported from Bakaratini cabbages, lettuce, parsley, coriander and some others. For fruit, they brought the cherry tree, the banana and the orange trees. These last two were difficult to establish, for the climate of the time was generally colder than it is now. Thus, they gave some of the trees to the blacks who, by contrast, had enormous success with them.

'In the same way, the yellow people had far greater success in the growing of wheat. In fact, the wheat from Bakaratini produced enormous grains, around the size of a coffee bean, with ears measuring up to 40 centimeters in length. Four varieties of wheat were grown and the yellow race wasted no time in establishing a very high production level.'

'Did they also bring rice to the planet?'

'No, not at all. Rice is a plant absolutely native to Earth, although it was greatly improved by the yellow people on its way to becoming what it is now.

'To continue, immense silos were constructed and soon, commercial exchanges began between the two races. The black race exported kangaroo meat, dodos (which were prolific at the time) and zebra meat. In domesticating the latter, the blacks in fact, produced breeds that were equal in taste, to kangaroo meat and more nutritious. Trade was carried out using Bakaratini spacecraft, bases for these vessels having been set up all over the land...'

'What you are saying, Thao, is that the first men on Earth were black and yellow. How is it then, that I come to be white?'

'Not so fast, Michel, not so fast. The first men on Earth were, indeed, the blacks and the yellows, but for the moment I will continue to explain how they organized themselves and how they lived.

'Materially, they were successful, but they were also careful not to neglect the construction of their immense meeting halls, in which they practised their cult.' 'They had a cult?'

'Oh yes, they were all Tackioni, which is to say, they all believed in reincarnation; something in the way present-day Lamaists do on your planet.
'There was much travel between the two countries and they even combined efforts to explore deeper into certain regions of Earth. A mixed group of blacks and yellows landed one day, on the tip of South Africa, now called the Cape of Good Hope. Africa has changed very little since those times - apart from the Sahara, the northeastern area and the Red Sea, which didn't exist then. But that is another story we will get to later.

'At the time of the exploration, they had already been established on Earth for three centuries.

'In Africa, they discovered new animals such as the elephant, the giraffe and the buffalo, and a new fruit that they had never before encountered - the tomato. Don't imagine Michel, that this was the tomato as you know it today. When discovered, it was the size of a very small currant and very acidic. The yellow people, having developed great expertise in such things, undertook to improve the tomato over the succeeding centuries, just as they did with rice, until it became the fruit you are now familiar with. They were equally surprised to find banana trees that, at first sight, resembled those they had imported. They had no reason to regret their efforts however, for the African banana was practically inedible and filled with large seeds.

'This African expedition comprised 50 blacks and 50 yellows, bringing home elephants, tomatoes and many mongeese, for they soon discovered the mongoose to be the mortal enemy of snakes. Unfortunately, they also brought with them without realizing it, the terrible virus which is now called 'yellow fever'.

'In a very short time, millions of people had died, without their medical experts even knowing how the sickness had spread.

'Since it is mainly spread by the mosquito, and since there are many more mosquitoes in equatorial climates where there is no winter to reduce their numbers, it was the blacks in Australia who suffered most. In fact, they counted four times more victims than the yellows.

'The yellow race on Bakaratini has always been superior in the field of medicine and pathology; nevertheless, it took many years before they discovered a remedy for this curse, during which time hundreds of thousands died in terrible suffering. Eventually the yellow people produced a vaccine that was immediately made available to the blacks - a gesture that reinforced the bonds of friendship between the two races.'

'What were they physically like, these blacks?'

'When they migrated from Bakaratini, they were about 230 centimeters tall - their women too. They were a beautiful race. The yellow people were smaller in size, the average man measuring 190 centimeters and the women, 180 centimeters.'

'But you said that the present-day blacks are the descendants of those people - why is it they are now so much smaller?'

'Gravitation, Michel. Being stronger on Earth than on Bakaratini, both races gradually became smaller in size.'

'You also said that you are able to help people in trouble - why did you not give any assistance in regard to the yellow fever outbreak. Was it that you weren't able to find the vaccine either?'

'We could have helped; you will realize our potential when you visit our planet - but we didn't intervene because it wasn't in the program that we had to follow. I have already told you, and I can't repeat it often enough, we can help in certain situations but only so far. Beyond a certain point, the law strictly forbids aid of any kind.

'I'll give you a simple example. Imagine a child who goes to school each day in order to learn. Returning home in the evening, this child asks for assistance with his homework. If his parents are smart, they will help him understand the concepts involved so that the child can complete his task himself. If, however, his parents did his work for him, he wouldn't learn much, would he? He'd have to repeat each year and his parents would have done him no favors.

'As you will see later, although you know it already, you are on your planet in order to learn how to live, suffer and die, but also to develop spiritually as much as you can. We'll come back to this point later when the Thaori speak to you. For now, I want to tell you more of these people...

'They overcame the curse of the yellow fever and spread their roots deeper on this new planet. Not only was Australia heavily populated, but so was the area now known as Antarctica - of course, in those days, its position meant that its climate was temperate. New Guinea was also densely settled. By the end of the yellow fever scourge, the blacks numbered 795 million.'

'I thought that Antarctica was not really a continent?'

'At that time, it was attached to Australia and very much warmer than now, since Earth rotated on a different axis. The Antarctic climate was more like southern Russia is now.'

'Did they never go back to Bakaratini?'

'No. Once established on Earth, they made strict rules that no one would return.'

'What became of their planet?'

'It cooled down as predicted and became a desert - much like Mars.'

'What was their political structure like?'

'Very simple - election (by raised hands) of the leader of a village or district. These district leaders elected a town leader as well as eight old people chosen from among those most respected for their wisdom, common sense, integrity and intelligence.

'They were never selected on the basis of wealth or family, and all were between 45 and 65 years of age. The town or regional leaders (a region comprised eight villages) had the role of negotiating with the eight old people. The council of eight elected (by a secret ballot requiring that at least seven voted in accord) a delegate to represent them at meetings of State Council.

'In Australia, for example, there were eight states, each of which comprised eight towns or regions. At state council meetings there were thus, eight delegates, each representing a different town or region.

'At a state council meeting, presided over by a great sage, they discussed the type of day-to-day problems that confront any government: water conveyance, hospitals, roads etc. In regards to roads, both the black and the yellow races used very light vehicles, with a hydrogen motor, which travelled above the ground, thanks to a system based on antimagnetic and anti-gravitational force.

'But, to get back to the political system, there was no such thing as a 'party', everything being based solely on reputation for integrity and wisdom. Long experience had taught them that to establish an order that would endure, required two golden ingredients: fairness and discipline.

'I will speak to you some other time of their economic and social organization, and give you an idea now, of their system of justice. A thief for example, genuinely considered to be guilty, was branded with a red-hot iron on the back of the hand he or she ordinarily used. So, a right-handed thief was branded on the right hand, a subsequent offence resulted in the left hand being cut off. This is a practice that still occurred quite recently among the Arabs - a practice conserved throughout time past. If he or she continued to steal, the right hand would be cut off and the forehead marked with an indelible symbol. Without hands, the thief was at the mercy and pity of his family and passers-by for food, for everything. Because people would recognize the symbol as that of a thief, life became very difficult. Death would have been preferable.

'In this way, the thief became a living example of what happened to a habitual offender. Needless to say, theft was a rare occurrence.

'As for murder, this too was rare, as you will see. Accused murderers were taken to a special room and left alone. Behind a curtain, a 'mind-reader' would be installed. This was a man who not only possessed a special telepathic gift but who also cultivated that gift in a constant Endeavour, in one or another of the special universities. He would intercept the thoughts of the supposed murderer.

'You are going to retort that it is possible, with training, to make one's mind blank - but not for six hours at a stretch. Further, at various times when he or she might least expect it, certain predetermined sounds would be heard, obliging the 'subject' to break concentration.

'As a precautionary measure, six different 'mind-readers' were used. The same procedure was applied to witnesses for the prosecution or defense, in another building some distance away. Not a word would be exchanged and, on the two following days, the procedure would be repeated, this time for eight hours.

'On the fourth day, all the 'mind-readers' submitted their notes to a panel of three judges, who interviewed and cross-examined the accused and the witnesses. There were no lawyers or juries to impress. The judges had before them all the particulars of the case, and wanted to be absolutely sure of the guilt of the accused.'

'Why?'

'The penalty was death Michel, but a terrible death, the murderer being thrown alive to the crocodiles. As for rape, which was considered worse than murder, the punishment was even more cruel. The offender was coated with honey and buried to the shoulders in the immediate vicinity of an ant colony. Death, at times, would take ten or 12 hours.

'As you will now understand, the crime rate was extremely low among both races and, for this reason, they had no need for prisons.'

'Don't you consider that excessively cruel?'

'Consider the mother of a 16-year-old-girl, for example, who was raped and murdered. Doesn't she endure, in the loss of her child, cruelty of the worst kind? She did not provoke or seek her loss but she must suffer. The criminal, on the other hand, is aware of the consequences of his actions; thus, it is just that he be punished very cruelly. As I have explained however, criminality was almost nonexistent.

'Returning to religion: I said earlier that both races believed in reincarnation, but there were variations on their beliefs that, at times, divided them. Certain priests diverted masses of people to group them, under their leadership, in these variant religions. The divisions that resulted among the blacks had disastrous repercussions.

'Eventually, about 500 000 blacks emigrated in the wake of their priests, to Africa - to the area where the Red Sea is now. At that time, the Red Sea did not exist and the land was African. They began to construct villages and towns, but the political system as I described to you, which was fair and effective in all respects, was abandoned. The priests themselves elected the heads of government, so that these leaders became, more or less, puppets manipulated by the priests. From that time on, the people had to face many of the problems that are so familiar to you on Earth at the present time: corruption, prostitution, drugs and all manner of injustices.

'As for the yellow people they were very well structured and, in spite of some slight religious distortions, their priests had no say in the affairs of state.

'They lived in peace and affluence - quite different from the secessionist black race in Africa.'

'And in regard to arms, what sorts of weapons did they have?'

'It was quite simple and, as simplicity is often superior to complexity, it worked wonderfully well. Both races brought with them what we could call 'laser weapons'. These weapons were under the control of a special group which, in turn, was under the direction of the leaders of each country. By common accord, each race had exchanged 100 'observers' whose presence was permanent in each foreign country. These observers were ambassadors and diplomats for their own countries, at the same time, ensuring that an arms excess did not occur. This system worked perfectly and peace was maintained for 3550 years.

'The blacks who emigrated to Africa however, had not been allowed to take these weapons with them, being, as they were, a secessionist group. Little by little they spread further, settling the area that is now the Sahara desert. In those times, it was a rich land with a temperate climate, providing a well-vegetated habitat for many animals.

'The priests had temples constructed and, to satisfy their desire for wealth and power, they taxed the people heavily.

'Among a people who had never before known poverty, there now formed two distinct classes: the very rich and the very poor. The priests of course, belonged to the former, as did those who helped them to exploit the poor.

'Religion became idolatry and the people worshiped stone or wooden gods, offering sacrifices to them. It was not long before the priests insisted that the sacrifices must be human.

'From the beginning of the secession, the priests took pains to ensure that the people were kept in ignorance to the greatest extent possible. By lowering their intellectual and physical level of development over the course of years, the priests were better able to maintain domination over them. The religion which had 'developed' had absolutely nothing in common with the 'cult' that had originally inspired the secession; so control of the masses was essential.

'Universal Law decrees that man's principal obligation, regardless of which planet he happens to inhabit, is to develop his spirituality. These priests, by degrading an entire 'nation' through keeping them in ignorance and leading them with lies, infringed this fundamental Law.

'We decided at this point, to intervene, but, before doing so, offered the priests a last chance. Using telepathy, as well as a dream, we contacted the Great Priest: 'Human sacrifices must cease and these people must be led back to the Right Path. Man exists physically for the sole purpose of developing spiritually. What you are doing contravenes Universal Law.'

'The Great Priest was terribly shaken and, the next day, called a meeting of his priests, telling them of his dream. A few among them accused him of betrayal; others suggested senility; and some suspected hallucinations. Eventually, following several hours of discussion, 12 of the 15 priests who formed this council, remained determined to preserve the religion as it was, claiming that the ideal was to maintain control and to promote the belief in, and fear of, 'vengeful gods' whose representatives they were on Earth. They didn't believe a word of what the Great Priest had told them regarding his 'dream'.

'Sometimes our position is very delicate, Michel. We could have appeared with our spacecraft and spoken directly to the priests, but they were able to identify vessels from space, having had them too, before the secession.

'They would have attacked us immediately - no questions asked - for they were very suspicious and fearful of losing their preeminence within their 'nation'. They had formed an army and possessed quite powerful weapons, to be used to counter possible revolutions. We could also have destroyed them and spoken directly to the people in order to lead them back to the Right Path but, psychologically, this would have been a mistake. These people were accustomed to obeying their priests and would not have understood why we interfered in the affairs of their country - thus all would have been spoiled.

'So it was that one night we flew above the country at an altitude of 10 000 meters in one of our 'tool spheres'. The temple and the Holy City were situated about one kilometer from the town. We woke, by telepathy, the Great Priest and the two acolytes who had followed his advice, making them go, on foot, to a beautiful park, one-and-a-half kilometers from the Holy City. Then, by collective hallucination, we had the guards open the jails and release the prisoners. Servants, soldiers - in fact, all the inhabitants of the Holy City, with the exception of the 12 evil priests, were evacuated. Inspired by strange 'visions' in the sky, everyone ran for the other end of the town.

'In the sky, winged personages hovered around an enormous incandescent cloud which shone in the night...'

'How is that done?'

'Collective illusion, Michel. Thus, in a very short time, it was arranged that only the 12 evil priests remained in the Holy City. When all was ready, the 'tool sphere' destroyed it all, including the Temple, by means of the same weapon that you have already seen in action. Rocks were shattered and walls crumbled to a height of one meter, that their ruins might bear witness to the consequence of this 'sin'.

'Indeed, if they had been totally effaced, men would soon have forgotten, for men easily forget...

'Further, and for the edification of the people, a voice issuing from the incandescent cloud, warned that the anger of God could be terrible - much worse than they had seen - and that they must obey the Great Priest and follow the new way which he would show them.

'When it was all over, the Great Priest stood before the people and spoke to them. He explained to the poor wretches that he had been wrong, and that it was now, important that everyone strive together to follow the new way.

'He was assisted in his work by the two priests. Of course, times were often hard, but they were aided by the memory and the fear of the event that had destroyed, in a matter of minutes, the Holy City and killed the evil priests. Needless to say, this 'event' was considered by all to be a miracle of the Gods, for it also involved the liberation of more than 200 prisoners who were to face human sacrifice the next day.

'All the details of the incident were noted by the scribes, but they were also distorted in the legends and tales passed on through the centuries. Nevertheless, the immediate consequence was that everything changed. The rich who had previously had a hand in the exploitation of the people, now, in view of what had happened to the evil priests and the Holy City, were fearful of meeting a similar fate. They were considerably humbled and assisted the new leaders in instigating the changes required.

'Gradually, the people became contented again, as they had been in times prior to the secession.

'Inclined towards pastoral rather than industrial or urban pursuits, they spread throughout Africa during the course of the centuries that followed and numbered, eventually, several million. Nevertheless, towns were only established in the area where the Red Sea is now, and along the banks of a large river that flowed through the centre of Africa.

'The people managed to develop their psychic abilities enormously. Many were able to travel short distances by means of levitation, and telepathy resumed its significance in their lives, becoming commonplace. There were also frequent instances of physical ailments being cured by the laying on of hands.

'Amicable relations were reestablished with the black people in Australia and New Guinea who came to visit them regularly on 'chariots of fire' as they sometimes called the spaceships still being used by their Australian brothers.

'The yellow race, being closer neighbors, began to immigrate, in small numbers, to northern Africa, and were fascinated by the tales of 'The arrival of God on a Chariot of Fire'. This is how the legends subsequently referred to our intervention.

'The yellow people were the first to mix with the black race physically speaking, I mean. It might be surprising, but never, on Bakaratini, had the race mixed to the extent that they did on Earth. The ethnologists were greatly interested in the results of this union, which produced on Earth, a great new tribe. Indeed, these 'crossbreeds' as I'll call them, being crossed with more yellow blood than black, ended up feeling more at ease among themselves than with either black or yellow. Eventually, they grouped together and settled in the area now called Algeria - Tunisia, North Africa. Thus, a new race was born - the Arab race that you know. Don't think though, they immediately resembled the race they are now. Climate and time, the passing of centuries, had its effect. My story simply gives you the idea of how the race began through interbreeding.

'And so, all was going well for the inhabitants of the planet Earth, except for one thing...the astronomers and scholars were very worried, for an enormous asteroid was approaching Earth, almost imperceptibly, but unmistakably.

'It was first picked up by the observatory of Ikirito, located in the centre of Australia. After several months, it could be seen by the naked eye, provided one knew where to look, glowing a most sinister, vivid red. In the weeks to follow it became ever more readily visible.

'The governments of Australia, New Guinea and Antarctica made a most important decision, which was soon agreed to by the yellow leaders. Ahead of the inevitable collision with the asteroid, they agreed that all space vessels in a condition to fly, would leave Earth, carrying on board as many specialists and experts as possible - doctors, technicians etc. - of the kind most likely to be of service to the community following the catastrophe.'

'Where were they going? To the Moon?'

'No Michel, at that time Earth didn't have a moon. Their spacecraft were now capable of 12 weeks autonomous flight. For a long time, their capability for super long distance travel had been lost to them. Their plan was to remain in orbit around the earth, ready to land as soon as possible and give assistance where it was most needed.

'Eighty Australian spacecraft were equipped and loaded to carry an elite group, which was chosen as a result of meetings held day and night. The yellow race followed the same procedure, making 98 spacecraft ready. In Africa of course, there had never been any spaceships.

'I ask you to note, in passing, that apart from the supreme leader of each country, none of his 'ministers', as you might call them, was given a place on any vessel. This will probably seem odd to you, for if the same situation were to occur today on Earth, many politicians would be pulling strings to save their own skins.

'All was ready. The people were then warned of the impending collision. The role of the spacecraft was kept secret though, for fear that the people would believe they had been betrayed by their leaders and that a panic would be created, perhaps even an attack on the airports. By the same token, the leaders had played down the impact the collision was likely to have, in order to minimize the collective panic.

'The collision was now as much imminent as it was inevitable, considering the estimated speed of the asteroid. It was only 48 hours away. The experts all agreed with this calculation - well, almost all.

'The spaceships were to take off together - 2 hours before the supposed collision time, their very late departure intended to allow them to remain in space for the full 12 weeks if necessary, following the catastrophe. It had been calculated that the asteroid would hit where South America is now.

'So, all was ready and the signal for take-off to be given on D-day, at 12 noon, Central Australian Time. Whether there had been an error in the calculations, although highly unlikely, or whether there was a sudden, unpredicted acceleration of the asteroid, it appeared in the sky at 11 am, shining like an orange sun. The order for take-off was given immediately and all the spacecraft took to the sky.

'In order to leave Earth's atmosphere and gravitational force quickly, it is necessary to make use of a 'warp', which at that time, was above present day Europe. In spite of the speed these space vessels were capable of, they had not quite made it to the warp, when the asteroid hit Earth. When it entered the Earth's atmosphere it had broken into three huge pieces. The smallest, which measured several kilometers in diameter, hit where the Red Sea is now.

'Another, much bigger, hit where the Timor Sea is now, and the largest of the three landed in the region of the actual Galapagos Islands.

'The simultaneous impacts were terrible. The sun became a dull red and slid towards the horizon like a falling balloon. Soon, it stopped and climbed slowly, but when only to half the distance, it 'fell'. The Earth had suddenly changed the inclination of its axis! Explosions of incredible force occurred, for two larger pieces of asteroid had pierced the Earth's crust. Volcanoes erupted in Australia, New Guinea, Japan, South America - indeed, just about everywhere on the planet. Mountains formed instantly and tidal waves more than 300 meters in height swept over four-fifths of Australia. Tasmania separated from the Australian continent and a huge portion of Antarctica sank in the waters, creating two immense underwater canyons between Antarctica and Australia. An enormous continent rose from the waters in the centre of the South Pacific Ocean. A huge piece of Burma subsided where the Bay of Bengal is now. Another basin of land subsided and the Red Sea was formed.'

'Was there time for the spaceships to get out?'

'Not quite, Michel, for the experts had made one mistake. It could be said in their defense that they could not really have anticipated what would happen. They had predicted the tilting of the Earth on its axis but what they hadn't been able to predict was its oscillation. The spacecraft were literally caught in the anti-gravitation warp and dragged in the 'backwash' caused by the re-entry of the asteroid into the Earth's atmosphere. Further, they were bombarded by millions of particles coming from the asteroid and trailing in its wake.

'Only seven vessels, three with black passengers and four with yellow, struggling with all the power they could manage, succeeded in escaping the horror occurring on Earth.'

'It must have been a frightening sight for them to watch Earth change before their eyes.

'How long did it take for the continent you mentioned in the Pacific Ocean to emerge?'

'Merely a matter of hours. This continent was raised by gaseous belts resulting from upheavals, occurring as deep as the centre of the planet.

'The upheavals on the Earth's surface continued for months. In the three points of impact of the asteroids, thousands of volcanoes were created. Poisonous gases spread over most of the Australian continent, causing painless death within minutes, of millions of blacks. Our statistics indicate an almost total annihilation of humankind and of animals in Australia. A count taken when calm was restored indicated a mere 180 people had survived.

'The poisonous gases were the cause of this frightful toll. In New Guinea, where less gas had drifted, there were fewer deaths.'

'I have been wanting to ask you a question, Thao.'

'Please do.'

'You said that it was the black people from Australia who spread to New Guinea and Africa. How is it then, that now, the Aborigines are so different from the blacks throughout the world?'

'Excellent question, Michel. My account should have included more detail. You see, as a result of the catastrophe, there had been such an upheaval, that deposits of uranium scattered on the surface of the Earth emitted strong radiation. This happened only in Australia, and those who escaped death were badly affected, just as in an atomic explosion.

'They were genetically affected, so that today, the genes of Africans are different from those of Aborigines. Further, the environment totally changed and their diet drastically altered too. With the progress of time, these descendants of Bakaratinians were 'transformed' into the Aboriginal race of today.

'As the upheavals continued, mountains were formed, some suddenly, others within days. Crevasses opened swallowing entire towns, and then closing, removing all traces of existing civilization.

'On top of all the horror, there was a deluge such as the planet had not known for eons. In fact, the volcanoes spat so many ashes into the sky simultaneously, and to such incredible altitudes, that the sky darkened. The vapor from the oceans, which in places actually boiled over an area of thousands of square kilometers, combined with the clouds of ashes. The thick clouds thus created, burst with rain so torrential you'd find it hard to imagine...'

'And the vessels orbiting in space?'

'After 12 weeks, they were obliged to return to Earth. They chose to descend over the area we now know as Europe, having absolutely no visibility over the rest of the planet. Of the seven vessels, only one managed to land.

'The others were hurled into the ground by gales, which occurred all over the planet - cyclonic winds of 300-400 kilometers per hour. The main cause of these winds was differences in temperature - these in turn, caused by the sudden volcanic eruptions.

'So, the sole remaining spaceship managed to land in what is now called Greenland. There were 95 yellow passengers on board, many of whom were doctors and experts of various kinds. Having landed in extremely adverse conditions, damage was incurred which made it impossible for the vessel to take off again. However, it remained useful for a shelter. They had provisions enough to last a long time and so they organized themselves as best they could.

'About one month later, they were all engulfed in an earthquake - the spacecraft too, and it was with this last catastrophe that all trace of civilization on Earth was destroyed. The chain of catastrophes that followed the collision with the asteroid had dispersed entire populations - in New Guinea, Burma and China, and in Africa, although the region of the Sahara suffered to a lesser extent than elsewhere. However, all the towns established in the Red Sea area were engulfed by the newly-formed sea. In brief, no city remained on Earth and millions of people and animals had been wiped out. It was, therefore, not long before widespread famine occurred.

'Needless to say, the wonderful cultures of Australia and China were no more than memories that would become legends. And so it was, that the people (suddenly disseminated and separated from each other by newly gouged chasms and newly formed seas) experienced for the first time on the planet Earth, cannibalism.'

Also see:

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

Table of Contents

Chapter 3: The first man on Earth