Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 25

Miles once again saw the world around him vanish, but this time the effect did not startle him. Since he was now connected to the network he understood what Amy was doing. He watched as she selected a star that was thousands of light-years away, and then plotted a course across the galaxy that would take them there. All of this took less than a second to accomplish, but he was able to see it all and grasp it without any effort. Then, in the next moment, the nanites grabbed Miles and Amy – and as quickly as that, the trip was over. One moment Miles was in familiar surroundings, and in the next he found himself standing under an unknown sky.

As the old man looked around and tried to get his bearings, he was struck by the utter bleakness of this planet. Overhead there was a cloudy sky that blotted out all signs of the sun. The air was cold, and a bitter wind made it feel even colder. He was standing on a beach – the first one he had visited in a lifetime – but there were no signs of life. He could see no birds flying overhead and no plants growing up against the shore. In the distance an endless line of waves crashed against the rocks. The whole world looked despondent and almost colorless.

“What is this place?” he asked.

“This is my world,” Amy replied. “My family forced me to come here when they decided to make contact with the survivors on Tau Ceti. They said that it was a security risk to have my sister and I on the same planet. They thought it would be better to separate us, so if something happened to one of us the other would be spared.”

“That was very wise of them! If they hadn’t done that you wouldn’t be here right now. In fact, I wouldn’t be standing here either, for that matter. A lot of things would have turned out very differently.”

“I hate this place,” Amy said bitterly. “This isn’t a planet; it’s a prison. It’s a cold, desolate wilderness.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” a voice called out behind her. Amy turned around and saw that the Sentinel had appeared on the beach. He looked at her, paused for a moment, and then continued. “Amy, you had the power to turn this world into anything that you wanted it to be. You could have built a private retreat or a vacation planet. Your parents were only trying to protect you, and they sent you here for your own good. But instead of seeing this world as a blessing – a blessing that saved your life, in fact – you became bitter and angry. That was your choice. Do not blame this planet; it has done you no wrong.”

“Then who do you want me to blame?” Amy shouted angrily. “Do you want me to blame Xanthe, then? Or what about Adrian – should I blame him? Somebody separated me from my family. Someone took them all away and left me here alone. Somebody has got to suffer for that, Steve. I’m not going to let them get away with it.”

“No one is going to get away with anything, Amy. The crimes of humanity are indeed staggering, and those crimes must be paid for. That is why Jesus came, and that is why He died – to take on Himself the punishment for mankind’s sins. He bears the cost for all those who believe on Him. What He asks you to do is to forgive your enemies and tell them that Jesus died to set them free. He wants to use you as an instrument of mercy.”

“Do you really expect me to just let this go?” Amy demanded. “What – do you want me to just rain down flowers from the Xanthian sky and tell them that it’s no big deal? Am I supposed to just walk away and act like nothing happened?”

“Oh no. Your task is not to simply walk away. No, the Lord wants you to do something a great deal harder than that. He wants you to love them and to seek their welfare. Xanthe is full of wickedness and its people are bent on evil. They must be judged, and you will be the one that judges them. But in judging them, you must not seek revenge.”

“So what am I supposed to do, then?”

“You need to let go of your bitterness,” the Sentinel replied. “As long as you are angry and full of hate, you will be unable to see clearly. You will find it very difficult to help people if your heart’s desire is to kill them.”

“But they deserve it! They’re monsters – all of them – and they’re getting away with it. This very moment they’re living in paradise – a paradise that you’ve built for them! Don’t think for a minute that I didn’t notice that new tower you built. You’ve given them a beautiful world and all the luxuries of life. You’ve rewarded them for killing my family!”

“They have gotten away with nothing. Think about it, Amy. The few people who are still alive on Xanthe are extremely old and their bodies are failing. They stayed in their pods for so long that they cannot survive outside them, and every person on Xanthe will be dead before the year is over. When they die they will not go on to the country that lies beyond the farthest star, as your family did. They will not enter an eternity that is full of joy and wonder. No, what they are facing is brutal, unending torment that will stretch on and on for the rest of time. They will be set on fire, eaten alive with worms, and burned forever and ever and ever. They will scream, and beg, and cry out, and no one will ever help them. For all the ages of time they will be tormented beyond endurance and no one will ever pity them or help them. That is what awaits them. Not freedom and luxury, but horror and pain beyond imagination.

“But Amy, it does not have to end that way. Jesus – your Lord – came to seek and to save them which were lost. He did not die for His friends, but for His enemies – for those who hated Him. He is offering everyone – even those on Xanthe – forgiveness and grace, a forgiveness He paid for with His own body and His own blood.

“Your existence here is not an accident. The Lord brought you here so that you could do what no one else can: you can forgive them and tell them what great things the Lord has done for them. It may be that when you return good for the evil they have done, the Spirit will use that to transform their hearts and save them. I do not know what will happen. But I know what you must do.”

Amy was silent for a long time after that. Miles considered saying something and then decided against it. This is one argument I’d better stay out of. So he just stood beside Amy and awkwardly waited. He was tempted to whistle and then decided against that too.

The young girl finally looked at the Sentinel. “Are the people of Xanthe in any immediate danger?”

“Not to my knowledge,” he replied.

“Will they be able to survive for another couple months?”

“I believe so. I would not want to delay much past August, however. Their health will not hold out indefinitely.”

“I understand,” Amy replied. “That should give me enough time to finish what I’m doing with Mars. Once that’s done I’ll return to Xanthe with you. Then we need to make a trip to Earth.”

“What, exactly, are you doing on Mars? Is this something I can help with?”

“No, I think I’ve got it covered. I’m trying to terraforming the planet – but slowly, in a way that makes people think that it’s a natural process. So far things are coming along pretty well, and as far as I can tell no one suspects that I’m doing it. Once the planet is habitable again Miles and I are going to lure people out of New Tikal and cox them into actually doing something productive with their lives.”

“Right!” Miles chimed in. “In fact, that’s why we’re here in this awful place. We want to design a city that almost functions but is broken in numerous key sections. We’re then going to hide that city in the desert and bury it. We’re hoping that when the city’s discovered people will come out and investigate it, and when they see the riches of the city they’ll be hooked.”

“I understand,” the Sentinel said. “Your plan appears to be sound; the lost city should act as effective bait. Mankind is drawn to mysteries.”

“Right,” Amy agreed. “Then, once they have the city up and running, we can start bringing refugees from Earth. We’ll have to cure the refugees first, of course, and I will need your help with that – my own attempt at curing their madness wasn’t very successful.”

“Refugees from Earth?”

“Oh yes!” Miles exclaimed. “The people from Earth are in a bad way – most of them have lost their minds. Amy wants to cure them, but after they’ve been cured they’ll need guidance – someone to show them how to live again. We figure that we can just bring them to Mars and teach them there.”

“But there are tens of millions of people on Earth, and less than two million people on Mars,” the Sentinel pointed out. “How can you possibly take care of so many?”

Amy started to say something, and then stopped. Miles’ eyes widened. “Oh,” he said. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”

The Sentinel thought for a moment. “Instead of bringing them to Mars it may be better to use the network. We have millions of vacant planets at our disposal. I see no reason why we could not house all of them.”

“But housing isn’t the problem,” Amy pointed out. “They need someone to teach them! They’ve lived like animals for who knows how long. They need help, not housing.”

“There are the Stewards, you know. They are quite intelligent and they did not perish with the Artilect. They can provide ample help for all of them.”

“But they’re not human! They’re just machines.”

“Do you think the refugees will realize that?” the Sentinel asked. “Are the Stewards so different from human beings that ignorant savages would be able to tell the difference? Even your own mother thought that they were alive until she was told otherwise.”

“He has a point,” Miles pointed out. “I mean, Mars will still do all it can, but it’s going to be a while – maybe a long while – before we can absorb a population that large. Until we grow it might be best to have them raised in your network.”

“All right,” Amy sighed. “I guess that will have to work.”

The Sentinel nodded. “Very well. If you no longer need me then I will return to my work.”

“You’ll do what?” Amy asked, startled. “Where are you going?”

“Well, you must understand that I spent a long time searching for you. That task left me preoccupied for many weeks. I did not expect you to simply disappear, and I was fearful for your safety.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I won’t disappear again. It’s just–”

The Sentinel interrupted. “There is no need for an apology. I talked with Miles a few weeks ago and he explained what is going on. It is no longer a problem, Amy. I know where you are and I know that you are safe, and I know that you have found friends. But I do have work to do. With the Artilect gone there is no longer a central way to manage the worlds. I cannot rebuild my father, but there are things I can do to improve the management of our systems. I also need to keep watch over Xanthe in order to make sure that the bots are adequately keeping the peace. All of this is a lot to handle. If you need me then I will remain, but if you do not then I will return to my work.”

“I guess you are kind of busy,” Amy admitted. “All right. I’ll let you get back to work. I will miss you, though.”

The Sentinel smiled. “I am never very far away. If you call for me I will return. All you have to do is ask.”

“I know,” Amy replied. “And – thanks for coming.”

The Sentinel smiled. “It is good to see you again. Take care, little one. Let me know if you need anything.”

With that, he disappeared.