Mahldovia

Charlie was only sixteen when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center Towers in New York City on September eleventh, two thousand and one. He enlisted in the Marine Corps two years later. Eventually his unit was deployed to the Middle East and after six months of inaction; his patrol hit an IED and he was severely injured. He was just twenty-one. He lost part of his left leg and was sent home.

After a grueling recovery, and his subsequent release from the hospital, he purchased twenty-five acres of land from his cousin Tom’s farm and had a modest log home built on it. Charlie met a nurse while in rehab, her name was Ann and she was twenty-two. They fell in love and when Charlie went home the two of them stayed in touch. About a year later Ann went to live with Charlie.

Charlie and Ann were very self-sufficient and grew and prepared most of their own food. They had a sizable garden in which to grow most of their fruits and vegetables. They raised chickens, goats, rabbits and had a dairy cow for milk and butter as well. They knew what to forage for and when so that they had plenty of wild edibles preserved as well. What Charlie and Ann couldn’t raise or get from nature; they would buy from stores. They usually had provisions canned and stored up for about a year.

One of Charlies’ cousins was in need of a blood transfusion for some sort of therapy that she was on, so he went in for a blood test. Ann decided that she would also have her blood tested as well. She was always eager to help others. Several months later, Charlie and Ann were asked to come back and give another sample of blood. They were each handed a form to fill out as well. Apparently the hospital needed to know their relatives. Charlie filled out the form and Ann filled out her form.

He wrote: Father, William Henry Books; Mother, Lind Evans Taylor; Grand father, George Allan Books; Grand mother, Joyce Marie Shepard. Great grand father, Thomas John Books; Great grand mother, Lillian Sue Petersen.

Ann wrote: Father, Avery Scott Jensen; Mother, Loretta Jane Books; Grand father, Thomas John Books; Grand mother, Lillian Sue Peterson.

So it turns out that Ann is his grandpa’s niece. Her mother is his baby sister, Loretta and Ann is her child.

It would seem that when Loretta was seventeen, she ran away from home. She married her boyfriend and then had Ann about the same time that Charlie’s dad got married to his mom and they had him. That made them cousins as well. That revelation made no difference to Charlie or Ann, as they loved each other very much.

Late one night there was a strange electrical storm and high winds. They headed for their storm cellar to wait it out. The storm lasted for several hours and in the morning they both went out to survey any damage that might have occurred. As they were looking the property over they were approached by two strangers.

“Hello! Are you lost?” Charlie asked of them. “You live around here?”

“No!” they both replied.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked. “My name is Charlie, this is Ann.”

“Yes, but not in the way that you think,” one of the men answered. “And I’m called Jahmahl.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Jahmahl?” Ann asked this time.

“We would like to discuss a proposition with you,” the second man stated. “And I’m called Callum.”

“What sort of proposition?” Charlie asked.

“Can we go inside and discuss this?” Jahmahl asked. “Get out of this bright sun?”

“Bright sun? This is early morning,” Ann stated. “The sun’s barely up.”

“Never the less, it’s bright for us,” Callum stated.

“Okay, let’s go inside then,” Charlie offered.

They went inside the cabin and Jahmahl and Callum began to explain themselves. They told Charlie and Ann that they came from Jaridia, a distant planet in a solar system that was some ten light years distant from earth. They told them that they needed people to help populate another world along with their race as their home-world was dying.

“Okay! Let me see if I’m hearing you right,” Charlie stated. “You need about one million humans to go along with one million Jaridians from your planet to go off and start a new colony on another planet.”

“Mahldovia! And yes, that is exactly what we need,” Callum confirmed. “We have five mother-ships behind your moon. Each ship can transport three hundred thousand people.”

“We will rendezvous with five more mother-ships once we leave your solar system,” Jahmahl added. “The entire journey will take one of your Earth years to complete.”

“Why do you need humans? Why don’t you just send two million of your own people to this planet?” Ann asked.

“We need genetic diversity,” Jahmahl replied. “Your race and our race are compatible.”

“Okay. So our races might be compatible, but how do we know that this new world is inhabitable?” Ann asked.

“It has been extensively studied by our scientists and we have landed many probes on its surface,” Callum assured them. “It’s quite safe and inhabitable.”

“As a matter of fact. It isn’t much different from Earth,” Jahmahl added. “Better even as it’s not polluted. You would be landing on a pristine world.”

“What about indigenous life? Is there any?” Charlie asked.

“Only in the form of animals: Umm… Birds, fish, mammals and such,” Callum replied. “All acceptable for consumption.”

“Okay. So much for the food and water. What about shelter?” Charlie asked. “We would be starting over basically.”

“Your homes and livestock will be transported with you,” Jahmahl stated. “Everything else that you will need will be brought along as well. There will be dozens of support ships within the expedition.”

“People from hundreds of different backgrounds and educations are being chosen from all around your world. All ethnic groups as well,” Callum added. “Basically, you will be new pioneers on a new world.”

“And remember. You will not be alone,” Jahmahl added. “There will be an equal amount of Jaridians there as well.”

“What type of climate does this new world have?” Charlie asked.

“Mahldovia isn’t much different than both of our worlds,” Jahmahl replied. “There are seasonal changes, but they are not as harsh. Prolonged summers that progress slowly into mild and short winters. Mahldovia has an orbital rate that is very similar to Earth’s. A year lasts about four hundred of you days. The rotation is a bit longer at twenty-seven hours though.”

“How much time do we have before we have to make our decision?” Ann asked.

“It will take six of your months to transport everybody to the ships,” Callum answered. “Will that be sufficient?”

“Yes. That should give us enough time to make our goodbyes,” Charlie answered.

“Good. We must go and contact others,” Jahmahl stated.

“How will we get in touch with you if we decide sooner?” Ann asked.

“Use this communicator,” Jahmahl stated and then handed her a small transceiver unit.

Jahmahl showed her and Charlie how to operate the device.

“Thanks. We’ll be in touch soon,” she said as she pocketed the device.

Jahmahl and Callum left the cabin and headed out in the direction that they had came from. There was brief lightning and wind for a few minutes after they had left.

Charlie and Ann talked things over but they both knew what the other was thinking. They would both be on one of those five ships when they left their solar system in six months' time. They called their families and friends and said that they were both going on a trip in a few months and not to worry if they didn’t hear from them in a while. They didn’t know what to bring along, so they boxed up everything that they owned. When they contacted Jahmahl and Callum, they were already loading the ships. They loaded charlie and Ann’s provisions and then they took the cabin and livestock as well.

The five-ship convoy met up with the other five ships and the two dozen or so support ships and headed off into space. About a year later they were orbiting a new world. It looked very much like Earth but had smaller oceans and more land. When it came their turn to transport down to the surface, their belongings had already been sent down and set up in a small community type setting with about two dozen other couples. Once everyone was settled in, the ships would be dismantled and used for their parts and materials for the upkeep of the settlements. Charlie and Ann stepped onto the transport pad and within seconds they were standing on solid ground in front of their cabin.

Charlie held Ann’s hand and kissed her passionately as they gazed out over their new home. A new horizon.