The Blue People of Cloud Planet (32 page)

The Black Strikes

Scott moved forward in time, selecting crystal after crystal and watched the huge cloud bank advance across the red plain consuming the dwellings of the Blue People. Each successive dwelling ‘switched on’ their octagonal light sheath in order to preserve their sunshine and hot water by day. Now, presumably, they used their underground transport system by night.

It had taken a whole wall of crystals in that dark pyramid to lose the red plain to cloud as far as the equator.

He and Seren now stood on the ledge by the ramp looking out over the ‘capital city’ and at the awesome cloud bank a few kilometres away. It was so high that he could not discern the top but here at the equator it was still difficult to imagine that the sun was going to be blotted out in the not too distant future.

Then they walked around the ledge until they were facing the direction of the opposing red plain and its distant unseen mountains.

Scott drew in a sharp breath!

The light shaft of the next dwelling 50 kilometres away was still visible but he could not believe what he saw behind it.

‘My God! It’s another massive cloud bank right across the horizon!’ With dread he wondered if what he had witnessed on this side of the land mass had occurred on the other side. ‘Surely not!’ he said aloud but Seren had read his fears and her eyes blazed,

>> our world changed >OH > HOW OUR WORLD HAS CHANGED >>

For a further wall of crystals the picture was very similar. Some crystals gave views from outside the dwelling with the light sheath visible through the rain and mist. Others must have been positioned inside giving them the familiar views of the farming groups and the dwellings containing the pyramids. He wondered how they accessed the external crystals and he presumed that it was done during a farming expedition.

On one occasion they watched transfixed as, from their view outside one of the dwellings, they saw the huge wide door slowly lower revealing a broad band of internal light. Then the front ‘v’ of the dwelling of blue workers became visible under the doorway, their crystals now faced upwards and ignited as they left the cover of the wall. The farming group moved slowly away and disappeared into the rain and mist. Scott knew that inside were young blue females who carried their leaves stuffed with seeds and that after planting the continuous drum beat would guide them back.

He selected the next crystal up, which took them right inside the farming group as it formed and disappeared outside. Now cold and hunger drove them out of the dark pyramid and into the brilliant sunshine.

They re-entered the dark pyramid and Scott guessed that they were over three quarters of the way around the walls from their starting point. From what he had seen so far – the early paradise, the tsunami, the creeping mist, the loss of the forested valleys and then the red plain, and the formation of the complete cloud collar – surely this passage of time spanned many tens of years, even hundreds. He reviewed the next wall of crystals which showed no noticeable changes to Cloud Planet. Its’ Blue People firmly banished beneath the cold, wet and misty blanket around the equator.

However the next and last wall of the dark pyramid finally revealed the horrific truth.

In the hologram they were outside one of the 200 metre dwellings, similar to Seren’s ‘home’, and, through the mist and rain, they watched as the huge wide door slowly lowered revealing its bright interior.

But the view to their left and away from the dwelling was dark, very dark. They were used to poor visibility, perhaps 50-75 metres through the mist and rain, but never such a dense blackness.

>> why is it so dark >>

 ‘I don’t know.’ Replied Scott and he thought that the darkness looked menacing and it gave him a very uncomfortable feeling which Seren now picked up on,

>> i do not like it >>

Their thoughts were diverted as a farming group of blue females marched out of the dwelling and moved across the rain swept ground directly towards the dark shadow. As they moved into the edge of the darkness so their light shafts cut swathes through the blackness above them.

Then it seemed to rain - but it was black rain! It fell around the farming group as it penetrated deeper into the blackness; their light shafts wobbled upwards through the dark.

Then the black above became even more intense. It happened very quickly. The laser shafts dimmed and the group stopped as if unsure of what was happening.

In horror they watched as the light shafts were extinguished.

Suddenly the blackness descended in a torrent that enveloped the farming group of hundreds of blue females and the young inside!

>> what has occurred > what has happened to our workers >>

Scott could not answer, he was so visibly shaken. Not only had they just disappeared from view, they had been buried in a deluge of black. But what was this Black?

Then he felt Seren’s anguish. Another farming group was leaving the wide black door and heading in a slightly different direction. And they too were moving towards the darkness.

Scott wanted to shout ‘Stop! Go back! But he realised the futility of this as he was standing in this hologram of events from ages past. He and Seren watched the situation with mounting fear and frustration as they were helpless to intervene. The light shafts of the moving dwelling again swathed into the darkness creating black rain around them. As before the black intensified, descended and snuffed out the second dwelling of blue workers.

And then – nothing – just stillness at the edge of visibility. They waited, hoping to see the light shafts reappear through the mist. But nothing moved in the darkness and, after what seemed an eternity, the drums stopped and the wide black door of the dwelling started to rise and finally closed.

‘Oh God – it’s a disaster!’ Scott blurted out and he pulled Seren’s trembling body to him and saw her telepathic message as she repeated the words of her leader,

>> then our revered workers started dying > and we did not know why >>

Scott anxiously selected another crystal, and they were outside the next dwelling, towards the equator. There was blackness outside as the wide door lowered. They watched in misery and horror as two more farming groups scythed into the black and were suddenly exterminated by the dense mass just outside the dwelling.

‘Just outside the dwelling!’ Scott repeated to himself, ‘A dense black mass just outside the dwelling! Is this the same black mass as the ones building up outside us now?’

 But he couldn’t take it all in. He couldn’t think or see clearly as his head was reeling at Seren’s terror which masked all rational thought.

He urgently moved forward in time.

They were now inside one of the 500 metre ‘super cities’ and, from their vantage point  they looked down onto the huge area in front of the pyramids.

The space was full of hundreds and hundreds of Blue People who had formed into groups similar to the farming ones. Scott counted – 10 groups nested together – the outer ‘ring’ comprised of blue females holding the familiar light shafts down to the ground. Inside the outer circle, blond male Serenities held smaller light shafts similarly turned downwards. He added up – there must be a hundred male Serenites in each group – he whistled through his teeth – it’s like an ‘army’ made up of mini-battalions!

And this army was facing the huge door which slowly lowered into the ground.

>> what are they doing > what are all my beautiful males going to do >>

He could hear the increased tempo of the drummers as the first two battalions moved forwards towards the wide black door.

Scott and Seren moved down to the floor of the dark pyramid and forward so they were among the armies of Blue People and could watch as they marched out of the door turning their crystal shafts upwards so they ignited in the mist and rain.

The Black seemed to be just outside although it was probably 50 metres away. It was a huge and menacing sight as the first two battalions marched towards it. Then hundreds of shafts of light shot upwards into the undulating belly of the menace.

The male Serenities attacked the Black. Their lasers cut huge swathes and it rained black all around them. The two battalions scythed a channel through the mass and more battalions left the door and fanned out, advancing on the broad front.

Now the Black pulsed up and down and huge quantities deluged onto the armies of male Serenites and blue females.

The whole vista was a mass of swinging laser shafts mixed with torrents of black rain. Now all the battalions advanced as one force into the black.

Scott and Seren watched from just inside the huge doorway as the male Serenities scythed away the blackness in cascades of inky rain.

And just as their hopes of victory started to rise, the black suddenly intensified and descended behind them. Thousands of laser shafts suddenly swung erratically, uncontrollably and their lights started to dim.

 ‘Oh no! Please no!’ Scott’s mind screamed, ‘Don’t let it happen, don’t....!’

Seren’s terror then reverberated in his head as the lights went out.

The darkness 100 metres away was terrifying. Everything was black and still.

The few Serenities standing in the doorway looked dumbstruck; they were inclining their heads in agitation and disbelief.

Suddenly a few male Serenities appeared out of the gloom and crawled through the rain and mist towards the door. Black clung to their blond hair as, just short of the doorway, their mouths opened and they spewed black rain onto the sodden clay ground.

Then they collapsed and were still!

Seren had fallen to her knees on the floor, her hands clasped tightly in front. Tears streamed down her face which showed a mixture of terror, disbelief and anguish. Her brilliant blue eyes blazed,

>> what has happened to all those males > oh > what has become of my wonderful people >>

Scott knew and he realised with sickening dread that over 1000 Blue People had just perished fighting the unknown menace of the black.

They had just witnessed the second disaster to strike her people and he feared that this catastrophe was far worse than the tsunamis at the coast.

He felt devastated and shaken. His mind shrieked with Seren’s sorrow and then she inclined her head and a few moments later repeated the words of Hotenka,

>> we lost nearly all our blond males > we do not know why >>

Scott forced himself to look at more crystals from the same time but at different ‘super cities’. The appalling carnage was repeated and, at the capital city, 50 battalions fell to the terror of the black! 5,000 perished!

He could still not come to terms with what he had seen – surely this had not happened in all the major cities of the Blue People of Cloud Planet?