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Chapter 29
Zelda
Can There Be Forgiveness
Zelda has found she has recovered more quickly than she thought she would from the events of two days ago. Still, she is angry with Brian, if he was so wanting to create this safe zone as he called it and build the trust of humans why would he obey his command to execute a human. However, part of her understands why. Gordon was a good person, he was a happy grump as she once called him. The other individual, Hot something, she only met once. Knowing he was burned alive is sad and was more than an unfortunate event and she can't even imagine the pain he must have felt. Frowning she wants to scream after she finds herself feeling sympathy towards the Visitors, look at what those aliens have done to we humans; just look at what they are still doing. Everyday since after the hospital event they are there taking people to their ships or killing them right in front of others. It doesn't build trust as far as she is concerned towards Brian doing what he did to the counterfeiter who could very well have been part of the resistance. The man, must have been part of the resistance. Yes, if you kill a good human you are not to be trusted and Brian will never be trusted.
Javier seems divided in his feelings as to what has happened, but is fully supporting DO. Nick is the one that surprises her. Wasn't long ago that trusting the aliens was difficult for him and he most certainly didn't trust Brian. Now, it is like he has changed and she can't understand it. However, she has decided that she still stands behind DO. How Brian and his friends built not only trust, but belief in their project is staggering in its own right.
Who doesn't like the thought of those crazy aliens plan to disrupt their Regime in a big way and they seem to understand that dying may be all they will accomplish as they try to complete their goal. Yet, they are ready to sacrifice and they each have their own reasons for what they do. For the Youth Corp, she has found out it is due to the severity of the bonding program that they unknowingly went through. They thought it was for unity only, but it was far more severe than they knew. They only knew how harsh it was when Kelly and another rescued them from the mind warping. From what they have said it is like some brain corruption to force them into doing everything and anything asked of them. After losing the bonding they are reaching out to a new life and are bringing in others their age into this new cause of theirs, for them a new frontier and a new life is what they will work hard for. For others, they want a life that is not under the heel of the dictatorship and a chance to live their own lives. They understand that they are leaving family and friends at home, but believe that those on their home planet will support this attempt for a new life.
The Youth Leaders appear to be driving their, 'Just Leaving,' idea into all those joining their cause and refuse to find those on their ships who may also be in a resistance group against the dictatorship. Most likely, because they truly do see themselves as just leaving and not resisting. They don't want to be involved with those that are wishing to bring the Regime down and free their people at home. Yet, when they make their move it will accomplish more she imagines than any human resistance or if there is a resistance group on the ships, more than any of them. They just refuse to see this very obvious point and she smiles for a moment at how they can be a bit naive at times and that included Brian and Shy.
Zelda has an idea from what has been said in her presence, that if there are other resistance groups on their ships. However, DO has likely many more in numbers. Just the bonding procedure alone taught them how to be united together, not to the Regime, but to one another. An odd gift to give to those that one day may be holding the key to everything you have on those ships. Another fun thought is if you combine the alien DO with human DO, it is like a large silent scary army. Humans that the Regime would never suspect as being a danger to them; not resistance members nor in positions of power; just young humans.
As for the aliens of DO, the Youth Leaders are gaining rank into positions of power. There are those that do special jobs and have unique skills. Then individuals like Jason who is one of Diana's aides, now don't say that isn't one scary member of DO. However, he isn't as scary as some others, there are the alien programmers and other computer people. She has found out that the Kelly person she met has gotten into places he should never gotten into. What he can do to a program and hide his tracks so to speak, should make one nervous. They also have brought in several humans around the world to be their safe zone who are hackers and finding those with certain skills.
When the alien part of DO leaves Earth they will be leaving people like her knowledge to give to her peoples resistance units who are such heroes to her people. With this information they will continue to do what they have been doing, but will have at their disposal even more data on the Regime. A smile comes to her face, the resistance has done everything for their people and put their lives out there first. The resistance will never put their peoples lives in danger. She wishes, she could be a hero. What if she had not left the resistance unit she had initially became a member of. There had been no choice she left it to work with DO, because it was their number one demand. Besides, she doesn't seem to have that hero light shining in her; instead she is actually working with an alien resistance group over one of their own resistance groups. The thought comes to her again, she is working with an alien resistance group that refuses to see itself as a resistance group. It will be good though to be able to give real information to fight the Visitors to one of Earth's resistance groups, she is looking forward to that day. Both Brian and Shy have said they would like to begin teaching them how to read and write in their language. When they leave, they will leave the computers that they are smuggling into their safe zones. Access to real information and the passcodes will give them more than they can ever imagine.
It makes her happy that the alien part of DO, seems committed to helping the humans in the pods to have a new life as well when they take the two ships to this new world called Avena. A world that is new even to the Visitors. In a way she wonders what it would be like to go to a new world. A world where humans and the multi-species aliens will live in what she can only hope is one of respect for each other and cooperation. Funnier still is that she believes that they really will help the humans in the pods. Brian, has claimed that they have had secret meetings and that leadership on this new world will work for this unity.
Shaking her head, unity is such a big part of their cause, Brian and his cohorts speak endlessly about unity to one another. After everything the aliens of DO have been through they believe it may be something that is truly time for a planet to embrace and this is a new world that can be what the people want. Unity is all that matters for all who may come from a dying world to a new one to live a new life and understand that each individual is important. A world where they can be who they want to be and hopefully the humans in the pods can accept and embrace this new world as well and not feel like that have been forced there against their will. Of course, this is exactly what will happen. The humans in the pods will be forced to join a new world and hopefully not be slaves.
Too imagine building a world where not different ethnic peoples, but people who are different species will live as one. The Visitors world is actually the first world to embrace different species to their knowledge, but they are small differences compared to them and humans. Gordon had told her his people seemed to be the one world with different species living on it from what they have seen on worlds destroyed by some bad aliens, aliens worse than the Visitors. At least the Visitors had left Earth alone until the water crisis could not be corrected. A wonderful world Avena could be, where everyone may have a future. Zelda looks up to the ceiling for a moment, 'God, please let this be so and not a lie.'
Also, learning from the aliens that Earth is on the list of dying planets and people may be struggling to live in a couple hundred years and maybe less. It is also, how their Leader was able to convince their people to take Earth water. Unfortunately, she thought this was a joke, but Gordon started going over information. Kelly was able to get on human servers at universities and different scientists computers and she could see some of the studies. Earth has been on the road to the end for some time and it will be their own undoing if they don't try to stop it soon. It was said they really aren't any better than the Visitors in caring for their home worlds. This is why the colonists on this planet called Avena hope to keep this new world healthy as the Visitors now have the knowledge, but maybe not the time to save their home world. Anyway, if what she is being told is true, this Avena planet will be the first planet to their knowledge that is going to embrace more than their own people. She hopes so or those in the pods will become slaves or worse.
Going back to finish preparing her pastries the time passes quickly and then Javier comes in and says to let her staff know that she needs to leave for a moment. Fred has left earlier than expected and gone back to his farm. However, they knew he was leaving and she had hired two more people to work for her before he left. They were also given the okay to join DO by Shy just before the hospital event happened. Greg is attending community college and Lisa is a childhood friend. Both are quite eager to be part of what they call the deep secret.
Entering the room she finds Shy and Aloohula standing there dressed in civilian clothes. Shy nods his head to them, "Are you with us or not?"
Zelda slowly lets a breath out and shutters as the decision they make now they must then honor. "We have agreed to continue on with DO. Everything that you are doing is very important and we will stand by you and will continue to be part of Doing Our Own Thing. This is important and to join forces is important to all of us if we are to cause harm to your Regime. I mean after you just leave, we will strike out against your Regime as best we can."
"As for us, we believe that we can trust you and that we may continue to work together," This Shy says flatly.
"What about Brian?" Aloohula says quietly, "He has done everything he promised and more. Remember he had to appear as a dedicated member of the Regime, even doing that which you find uncomfortable to accept. This you knew going into this as we discussed it the very first time."
"Not yet, we are not ready to work with him yet. He executed a human. This is inexcusable."
Shy's face is full of sympathy as he speaks, "If he had not done as ordered it would have affected what we are doing. Do you not understand, we struggle for the loss of our friends and fellow members of Doing Our Own Thing. Brian had no choice, nor the others. However, if it had been you standing there they would have laid their lives down for you. It makes me wonder if you would ever do the same for them and for any of us reptiles as your resistance likes to call us." Then he sighs and continues before someone can reply to what he has just said. "I can only hope you will change your mind. Brian is needed more than you know and he is the one that has already done so much for you. However, it is your decision and we will stand by your need for Brian to stay away."
Zelda grits her teeth and frowns, "If we change our minds we will let you know. For now, he is not a good person and never will be in our minds." When she looks over to Nick for him to confirm what she has said and finds that there is a strange glint in his eyes.
Nick shrugs before speaking, "I think that we each have different thoughts on this. I actually understand what Brian did and I am prepared to bring him back when Javier and Zelda are ready to do so. However, I stand with them first and foremost as they will stand by Ethan and I." He shrugs again, "I hope you can understand."
"I accept your answer," Shy responds and there is no bitterness in his tone. "We appreciate that we are still allowed to be a team. I hope that your trust in us is not completely ruined."
In a thick voice Javier responds, "Your trust wasn't really ruined. We actually understand the grief and anger you are feeling over the death of your friends. That day is still set for Kelly to come and I will drive him and watch over him when we talk to that Lawrence guy."
Immediately Zelda sees the look of complete grief overtaking both Shy and Aloohula as she knows the memories of their friends must be flooding over them. She would like to give a sad smile or at least walk over and give them a hug, but Brian executing that man comes back to her. Seeing humans being marched into shuttles with their hands over their heads with no idea why they are being taken. Even though she is working with the aliens and becoming friends with them, it is very hard to deal with what their people are doing to hers.
After a long moment Shy finally says, "One day maybe you will truly understand. Aloohula will bring Kelly, but we want you to think about it as we don't want Kelly hurt in any kind of verbal retribution. This is painful for all of us."
Very quickly Aloohula speaks, "He means when one of us is truly your friend and we are killed by your resistance. Maybe then you will understand, right now. . ."
Shy interrupts, "Stop!" His tone again becomes soft and quiet, "We truly want your trust. Working together means a great deal to us. We need a safe zone and we believe you understand and are supportive of what we intend to do."
Before Javier or Zelda can respond, Nick speaks. "What you're doing is important. That you are doing this and understand that you can get caught, tortured and executed for doing this is awe-inspiring. Even if you fail, you will be doing something that will make things hard for your Regime."
"You are putting your lives out there for Doing Our Thing as well, you do understand this?" Shy gives them an intense stare.
"We have spoken about this since you were here last," Zelda turns her head and gives a nod to both Nick and Javier. "We all agree that this is what we need to do. We have spoken about the resistance movement and I have gone to meetings in the beginning. However, that is not going to do what we want to see happen. The resistance can do only so much, but you taking two ships will cause more damage than the resistance could ever do. We support you one-hundred percent."
Both Aloohula and Shy thank them and the conversation turns to what will be the next step now that they have located the human hacker that they need and have had discussions on a meeting with him. For Zelda, she can't get Brian out of her mind. What he did just won't leave her. The resistance may have killed those who were part of DO, but they didn't know that there was an alien resistance group and that group is working with humans. Not just those of Beautiful Smoke, but all over the world. DO is growing and will likely continue to grow. Brian though, he knew what he was doing when he killed that man. Yes, he was commanded to do so, but he should have found a way to save that man. Yes, he is the one who has worked so hard on organizing and ensuring all came together for DO. His ability to unite people even though they are different and help work out their differences has been very good. He gave new life to Beautiful Smoke, helped Ethan with his school work and given her and Javier a chance at a new life.
Still, she will never forget or forgive Brian as she expected so much more from him and he has disappointed her.
