A NEW
BEGINNING
Neri
was walking lazily through the rainforest; then she stopped to
ponder her actions. It was only a short time ago that
she was ready to die, having accepted her fate. Now
everything had changed.
She used to worry all the time until things had
calmed, and she was happy. It had been so long since
she felt happy that she almost didn't remember what it was like.
She had a mother, a real mother, who was alive!
As much as she cared for Jason & Brett's mother, it still was
not the same as having a mother of her very own. She
smiled and continued to walk towards her nest on the island, the
place that she called 'home' .
Although she had been crowned 'Princess and
Heiress Apparent' by her mother, Neri didn't like to be seen as
being more important than others. So only after much
contention did she keep her place on the island, at least for the
time being. Ilona, who originally was recruited to spy
on the kids at ORCA, was now living with Neri on the island.
It was decided that since Ilona had grown close
to the people of the Opal Planet she could stay and act as a
liaison of sorts. Now the people of the Ocean Planet
would be more willing to trust Neri because there was someone
from outside the Royal Family there too. The same
happened on the Ocean Planet, with Mera being at her mother's
side and Shesheba as a liaison.
It would take time to heal the wounds of hatred
amongst the people of the Ocean Planet, and this would be a
gesture of goodwill in that regard. As Neri had
discussed with her Mother, she would need to keep a low profile
until the time was right to reach out to the people of the Opal
Planet. Now was not the time, as everyone needed time
to heal their wounds and readjust to things as they were.
* * *
Mera was due to meet her mother, Queen
Shalamorn, in the new pyramid that had just finished being
constructed. This was a defining moment on the Ocean
Planet, a time when they could attempt to start repairing the
seeds of distrust amongst their people.
Shesheba and Mera were now working side by
side, speaking to all citizens of the Ocean Planet, trying to
show them why they had united. After visiting over 6
provinces the pair had become quite close friends, something that
seemed to reflect in their dealings with the public.
At the grand opening of the new pyramid, there
was hope that friendship could cement the new bond of their
people.
Queen Shalamorn approached the podium and began
her speech, "People of the Ocean Planet. We stand here today
to mark the opening of the great pyramid you see behind me. From
the dawn of the Ancient Ones, the torch has been passed from
generation to generation to embrace the values we hold dear."
Gesturing towards the pyramid she continued,
"To celebrate our new found peace, we have decided to name
this new pyramid 'Unity'. May the spirit in which it
is named help to further foster goodwill amongst all citizens of
our proud nation."
The crowd applauded as Queen Shalamorn turned
to Mera and smiled.
* * *
Reaching her place on the island, Neri began to
think about her feelings toward Jason of late. He was
always there for her when she was in need. Her
thoughts were interrupted seeing Ilona waving as she arrived.
"You hungry?" asked Neri.
"Not right now thanks," replied
Ilona, "maybe later."
Ilona was still adjusting to her place on the
island, but she seemed to like it better than all the fighting on
the Ocean Planet. Even though the fighting had
stopped, she still remembered much of the turmoil that enveloped
her home and she hoped that being on the Opal Planet would give
her a chance to relax for a change.
"Could you braid my hair please?"
Ilona asked of Neri, "I think it's dry now."
"Of course," Neri replied with a
smile as she moved behind Ilona. "Your hair is so
long and beautiful, has it always been this way?"
"Yes," replied Ilona, "ever
since I was little I remember it this way. It can be
difficult to manage at times, but I like it. It's so
nice to bathe in clean water again. With the red virus we were
all using the water inland, and it became polluted very fast."
"In a way I glad I not go home," said
Neri as she continued to braid, "I think I would be sad at
state of Ocean Planet. Although I live here long time,
Ocean Planet still my home, and I hope to return one day when
time is right."
* * *
The ANT boat skipped across the water as the
sun beamed down from the clear blue skies above. Aboard
the boat Jason and Brett were receiving a transmission.
"You can't be serious?!" Brett
exclaimed, "There must be some mistake..."
Jason stood beside Brett as they stared at the
image of Winston on the screen.
"The structural damage is far too severe
I'm afraid. That ORCA facility will have to be
destroyed," remarked Winston in a sullen tone. "In
the meanwhile they have set aside space for you on the mainland. Your
mother will meet you at the docks in 1 hour."
The display flickered and the connection was
terminated. Jason turned to Brett and shook his head,
before turning his attention back to the controls of the ANT boat
as it raced through the water. There was a sense of
loss in the air, after they heard the news about ORCA.
"I don't get it Jase," said Brett,
"It's not like they blew the place up or anything."
"I know," Jason said without turning,
"but you heard the reports, over half of ORCA is flooded."
"What about H.E.L.E.N.?" Brett
continued, "What's going to happen to her?"
"I don't know," replied Jason as he
stared blankly ahead.
* * *
Brett and Jason had remained silent for the
rest of the trip, their faces lacking any emotion. As
they approached the docks the boat's controls began to beep,
indicating their approach. Jason maneuvered the boat
into position, and following a confirmation beep, the boat's
speed slowed. Meanwhile Brett was busy looking along
the docks for his mother.
"Over there..." said Brett as he
pointed her out for Jason, "Slip 17."
With some final maneuvering, Jason piloted the
boat to the slip and guided it into place. Without
prompting, Brett took a mooring line and tossed it to his mother.
"Hey Mom," said Jason, "what's
this about ORCA?"
"We'll talk about it inside," she
replied in a discouraged voice.
Walking into their temporary home Jason and
Brett dropped their bags and flopped onto the nearest couch, as
their mother moved towards the kitchen. Winston was
seated in a chair across from them, and he acknowledged their
arrival with his usual cheery "Hello!"
"Are either of you hungry?" asked
Dianne of the boys as she walked into the kitchen. "How
about some lunch?"
"Nah, I'm not hungry right now, what about
you Jase?" Brett asked.
"No thanks Mom, I'm not hungry either."
Jason replied.
"I'm sorry guys, but there's nothing I can
do about ORCA." Dianne announced as she looked at the boys,
"It's out of my hands."
"It's not fair," Jason responded
angrily, "if it wasn't for Malakat & Shesheba, we
wouldn't have had this problem in the first place. Why
should we be the ones to suffer?"
"You're right Jason, it's not fair, but we
have to accept it." answered Dianne, "You remember the
earthquakes we had after UBRI did their blasting, well that only
made this damage worse. Right now the salvage teams
are stripping ORCA of whatever they can before it's completely
flooded." In an effort to change the subject, she then asked
"So what's happening with Neri?"
"She's back on the island now,"
answered Jason, "and after what P.R.A.X.I.S. went through,
they are denying they know anything about her. They've
been warned by Queen Shalamorn that if they even go near
Neri, they'll be in for some major strife."
Winston spoke up "Well right now they have
the unenviable task of explaining the many UFO sightings and
atmospheric disturbances that have been occurring of late. I
don't expect we'll be hearing from them anytime soon."
"Yeah, can you imagine if the world found
out that people from the Ocean Planet were responsible for the
recent disasters?" said Jason as he continued "Even
though it was Malakat's fault, it would be curtains for Neri,
Mera and anyone else from there."
"I don't get it though," Brett added,
"why would P.R.A.X.I.S. go to the trouble of denying it?"
he asked of his mother.
"Well it seems that it wouldn't be in
their best interest to admit to the world that the 'mighty P.R.A.X.I.S.
organization' was unable to do anything to stop the
crisis," Dianne answered, "In the eyes of the public
they'd have looked like complete failures. As much as
I don't like to see people deceived, it really was necessary in
this case to prevent panic from starting. We're at the
beginning of a new age," Dianne continued, "where we
can build a new relationship with the people of the Ocean Planet,
a peaceful one."
Winston interjected, "Let's not forget
that the President of the Global Union has issued a direct order
to P.R.A.X.I.S. that they are not to interfere with Neri or the
people of the Ocean Planet without direct orders from her office. That
should keep them in check for the time being."
"Well let's hope that it's enough,"
Jason added. "I'm really looking forward to some
peace and quiet for a change"
"There is an old saying," Winston
began " 'He who cages the tiger, may walk the forest free'."
This derivitive work is copyright to Jonathan M. Shiff Productions Pty. Ltd. and the author Savant, ©2001