“I’ve had a long and productive life. Mars has been reborn, just as I had hoped. I may be dying but I am dying a happy man, and I am going to a better place. You really can’t ask for more than that.”
–Noel Lawson
February 9, 7351
 

Noel Lawson was lying in bed in the Stryker Memorial Hospital. He was an old, old man, and he felt it. The digital calendar on the wall told him that it was February 9, 7351. He marveled that so much time had passed so quickly. It still seemed to him that only a few days had passed since he and Miles first encountered Amy Stryker in the Martian desert. He remembered that meeting with great clarity, even though it happened more than a century ago.

He never expected to live this long. Back when he lived in the underground city it was common for men to live no more than 60 or 70 years. He had lived far longer than that and he was not sure why. All he knew was that, somehow, living in Tikal extended people’s lives. Many people – thought not all – now lived to great ages. Scientists were still trying to understand the mechanism that made this happen. So far it had eluded them, but he knew it would not elude them forever.

The old man glanced out the window of his hospital room. Through the pane of fused crystal he could see the magnificent city of Tikal. The reconstruction effort had finished decades ago, and today the entire metropolis was fully functional. The last area they uncovered was the spaceport, and even it had been restored. At first they weren’t sure if the starship that it contained was repairable, but after years of effort Noel figured out how the ship’s stardrive worked and was able to build a new one for it. That turned out to be his last project. Shortly after that he retired, and he had been retired for the past five years. He still helped from time to time but his health no longer allowed him to do very much. He knew that his engineering days were over.

He could still follow current events, however, and sometimes he played a role in planning. His last effort was planning the scouting expedition to the planet Xanthe. Before he died Miles told him that Amy had transported the rest of the Adrastans there. Astronomers had watched that planet over the past century and had seen the local population die off, one by one. It was a race against time to see if they could reach the planet before the last one died, but unfortunately they were not able to repair the starship in time. By the time the expedition finally reached Xanthe there was no lone left. The expedition had spent a full year exploring the planet, and while they did find the remains of the Adrastan settlement – along with the ruins of the infamous Vault 37 – they did not find any survivors.

But the expedition was not a complete failure. They had been able to establish a permanent settlement there – the first colony among the stars! Now it was only a matter of time before there were more. Mars had the technology and the people to colonize the stars, and they had already taken their first step.

His thoughts were interrupted when his doctor came in to check on him. They had a brief conversation and then he left. Noel was stable for the time being, but they both knew that his condition was terminal. He had another month left, maybe two, before his life would be over. Then he would go on to join his friend Miles, who had died a century ago. After all these years he still missed him. It would be good to see him again.

His doctor was a good man. His grandfather was one of the forest dwellers that Amy had cured back in the 73rd century. The tribes now lived in cities all over the Earth, although most of them lived either in New Adrasta or in Tikal. Noel was quite pleased at Tikal’s continued growth. New buildings were being erected all the time. The city was now home to more than four million people.

The old man relaxed. His death was coming, but he was ready for it. He had lived a long and productive life, and he had accomplished far more than he expected. He knew where he was going when he died and he was looking forward to being there. He was content.

There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” he called out in a frail voice.

The door opened and a teenage girl walked into the room. She had dark skin and long black hair, and had a mischievous smile.

“Amy Stryker?” Noel said incredulously. “Is that – is that really you?”

“Yep!” Amy said, giggling. “My sister will be here in a few minutes. I got to come first, though! I’m pretty excited about that.”

“But how – why? I don’t understand. Am I dead?”

“Oh no! No, you’re still alive. The reason I’m here first is because I never actually died. My sister was killed, so she can’t come back until she’s resurrected.”

“But you can’t possibly still be a teenage girl,” Noel protested. “You must be at least a hundred years old by now! Why, you’re not much younger than I am.”

Amy laughed. “Time in Heaven isn’t as hard on people as time is here. You’ll see. Things are different there.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, confused.

Amy held up her hand. “You’ll see. Just give it a few minutes.”

Noel smiled. “You never were good at giving direct answers, were you? But since you’re here, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. This city – you built it, didn’t you? Just like you built New Adrasta on Earth. This isn’t really the old city of Tikal, is it?”

Amy turned bright red. “I just knew you were going to ask that! Yes, Miles and I built it. What gave it away?”

“I knew it!” Noel exclaimed happily. “I just knew it. I thought Miles might have been involved but I wasn’t sure. Next time you build something and try to pass it off as an old ruin, be sure to give it a history. The total lack of personal effects and cultural relics was a dead giveaway.”

“Yeah, I know. I guess I kind of overlooked that. But at least the city served its purpose. You did good, Noel. This place is amazing. Although you did not have to name a hospital after me. Or build that statue. I’m pretty sure that I never asked for–”

Noel suddenly heard the distant sound of a trumpet. It had a deep, vibrant call to it, and it gradually increased in intensity. He knew that its source was far away, but somehow the noise seem to come from everywhere. He felt it as much as he heard it. It was more than just a sound, he realized – it was a call, and it was calling him.

He suddenly felt himself change. In an instant of time he lost his tiredness and his aches and pains. The years seemed to simply fall away from him. He felt like a young man again, filled with energy and life and passion. No, it was better than that! He never remembered feeling this good. He glanced down at his hands and saw that the wrinkles and age were gone. He had been changed – transformed into something immortal and incorruptible. And what was that feeling of joy in the air?

As he got out of bed he saw that Amanda was now standing beside her sister. Noel looked at them suspiciously. “Are you two responsible for this?”

The girls shook their heads. “Don’t you know what this is?” Amy asked.

Noel thought for a moment. “Do you mean – oh. Oh! Are you serious? Is this really–”

Amy nodded. “This is it! Jesus Christ has come back for us. The dead have been raised and the living ones who belong to Him have been changed. Next comes–”

Noel suddenly felt the hospital room disappear. He found himself floating in the sky. But this was not the Martian sky; this was Earth. As he looked around he saw that he was surrounded by a vast host of others. The sky was filled with millions – no, billions – of people. Noel wondered where all these people had come from, and then he remembered Amy’s remark that the dead had been raised. He realized that he was seeing the innumerable company of the righteous, raised up by the power of God. And there, in their midst, outshining the sun, was the Lamb of God, Jesus. He had called His children and raised them up. As Noel’s heart was filled with joy, he heard Him call again. It was time for them to go home.

I John 4:1: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

This is a call to discernment – something that today’s church desperately needs. There are far too many people who simply believe everything their pastor (or favorite author) tells them. The Bible does NOT say “believe everything you’re told”. No, it says quite the opposite! Don’t just believe what you’re told; instead be like the Bereans and compare all teachings to what the Scripture has to say.

This is vital! God has not called us to be loyal to our denomination or to what our parents taught us; God has called us to be loyal to Him and Him alone. We need to be constantly comparing everything we hear to the Word so that we can tell the good from the bad. If we discover that something we have been taught is unbiblical, the proper course of action is to reject the teaching and believe what the Bible says. Denominational loyalty should never, ever trump the Word of God.

The world today is full of false prophets – men who preach a false gospel, or who pervert the gospel of Christ. The only way you will ever spot them is to compare their teachings to the Word. Don’t just take their word for it – check for yourself!

I John 3:17: “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

This goes back to what John has been saying all along: our actions reveal who we really are. If we say that we love others but we do nothing to help them then our love is not real. If we say that we love God but we do not obey Him then our love is not real. If we say that we are saved but we continue in sin then our salvation was not real. It is not because our actions save us, but because our actions reveal the truth. If our love was real then we would help those who needed it. If we were truly saved then we would obey God. If we were genuine believers then we would hate sin and pursue righteousness. These things come as a result of being saved, and having these things is evidence of salvation.

Do you love other believers? Do you obey God? Do you hate sin and pursue righteousness? Those are all signs that your conversion was genuine, and if you have those things then you can have confidence that you really are saved. That is what John is talking about. The way we know if we are actually saved is not by trying to remember an experience (for experiences can be deceitful); it is by looking at the fruits of our lives and seeing if they correspond to the fruits that come from salvation. If they do not then the conversion experience was not real, no matter how great it may have felt.

As John says in the very next verses:

I John 3:19: “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”

This is how we can know if we are really saved. This is how we can tell if our conversion was genuine. Even if our heart condemns us, we can know the truth. It is the truth that will drive the doubts away.

“I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
–Jesus Christ

The moment Amy Stryker stepped through the door she felt an overwhelming sensation of joy. She had known joy before, but this – this was far greater than anything she had imagined. The things she had felt in the shadowlands were like shadows and vapors by comparison. The sheer intensity of this place was unimaginable. Even the heavenly ambiance of the gateway planet had not prepared her for it.

Amy immediately realized that, at long last, she was finally home. She had never been here before but yet she felt as if she had always been here. Amy had spent a little over six months in the 73rd century. During that time she had always felt out of place – a lost pilgrim, alone and despised, trapped in a dark dream. She had longed for something that she could not quite pin down. She wanted to go home but there was no home to be found. Now she had at last found it. This was the place she was made for. This was where she belonged. For the first time in months Amy finally began to relax, and felt a sense of comfort fill her from the inside. She felt very loved and she knew that she was no longer alone.

She could also feel the unmistakable Presence that saturated the air. In her travels across the galaxy she had felt many different things. Tonina was filled with a kind of emptiness and longing. Xanthe and Earth seemed to have hatred and darkness in the air. Mars was filled with apathy. Jasmine had a kind of sadness. It was only when she reached the gateway planet that she had started to feel a sacred presence in the atmosphere – as if the planet was dominated not by darkness but by the Holy One. Here that feeling was overwhelming. This country contained no trace of darkness and no hint of evil. There were no shadows where foul things lurked. This place was filled with light – an intense, deep, holy light that was unlike even the brightest parts of the shadowlands.

Now she understood. It was His presence that made Heaven a Paradise. He was the light that filled every corner and the joy that saturated the air. He was the center of this place, and its anchor. This world was entirely, completely, and fully centered on Him. The billions who lived here were not clamoring for attention, begging others to praise them and acknowledge their greatness. The focus of everyone was on the glory and majesty of the Most High God. His will and His will alone was done in this place, and that made all the difference. The gateway world, as amazing as it had been, offered only a small taste of the glory she saw here.

All of these thoughts crossed her mind in the seconds it took her to lead the Sentinel through the door and close it behind them. She then took a deep breath, and smiled. “Can you feel that?”

“Yes, I can,” the Sentinel said in surprise. “I am welcome here, but I do not understand why.”

“Is it really that hard to figure out? You are so much more than just a machine! If you were just a glorified calculator it would be impossible for you to commune with God, but yet you can feel Him just as I can. You are alive, Steve. You have served your Master well and He has called you here.”

“But I am not a son of Adam. What right do I have to enter this holy place?”

Amy shrugged. “The angels aren’t sons of Adam either, but they’re still here. The fact is, you are welcome here.”

The Sentinel looked up toward the top of the hill. Alex had already reached it and was jumping around excitedly, barking and talking like crazy. Even from this distance the Sentinel could recognize the various faces in the crowd. He smiled. “I think there are some people up ahead who would like to see you.”

“See us, you mean,” Amy corrected.

The two of them started walking up the narrow path that led to the crest of the hill. As they got closer Amy saw that on the other side of the hill was a large, golden city. The path transformed into a road that continued on to the heart of the metropolis. On either side of that golden street were tall buildings and wide sidewalks. The sidewalks were utterly packed with people. She suddenly realized that the massive crowd was waiting on her.

“Oh my goodness!” she gasped. “Do I even know that many people?”

The Sentinel smiled. “Apparently they know you.”

At the front of the crowd was Amanda Stryker. Amanda rushed toward her sister and hugged her. “Oh, Tiger, it’s so good to see you again! I’ve missed you so.”

“Not as much as I’ve missed you,” Amy replied, grinning. “It took me way longer to get here than I expected, and boy was it a pain – but it was worth it. I am so, so glad to be here. This is just totally awesome. You’ve got to catch me up on what everyone’s been doing. I’ve kind of been out of the loop for a while.”

“There will be plenty of time for that,” Amanda replied. “Believe me, there’s all kinds of things going on! But anyway, we can talk about that later. Right now there are about a million other people here who would like to see you.”

Amy looked up and saw her mother, her father, and her brother running toward her. As she hugged them she noticed that Reverend Knight, and Jones, and Captain Max, and Sergeant Howell were not far behind. But what surprised her the most was seeing the Artilect standing there on the sidewalk.

The Sentinel was surprised as well. He ran up to him and embraced him. “Father, is it really you? But I don’t understand – I thought you were destroyed! How did you get here?”

The Artilect smiled as he embraced his son. “I was brought here by the Most High God, as you were. Apparently He is not done with us. Son, it is so good to see you again, and I am so proud of you. You have done your job well and you finished the course with great excellence. I have missed you tremendously.”

“I have missed you too. I had no hope of seeing you again; I thought you were simply gone. How is this possible?”

The man standing behind the Artilect spoke up. “Well, it’s just like Amy said. There is much more to both of you than circuits and metal.”

“Dr. Laurence Mazatl!” the Sentinel exclaimed in surprise. “Aren’t you the one who created my father?”

“I suppose you could say that. There were a great many others who worked on the project as well, of course, but I was the chief technical engineer, if that’s what you mean. It is so good to meet you! You were created long after I died, but I’ve been watching your progress with great interest. You truly have done well.”

“I simply did what I could,” he replied.

“There is no need to be so modest,” a voice said behind him. “You are every bit as big a hero as Amy.”

He turned around and saw a little girl looking up at him. The Sentinel studied her for a moment, puzzled. Then he remembered who she was. “Haven’t I seen you before? I do not believe we ever met each other, but weren’t you in Tikal the week before the Sparrow left? I believe you had a conversation with Captain Max. You told him that he wouldn’t be able to save Richard Stryker, but that his efforts were not in vain.”

Itzel Ayar nodded. “That is correct. I’m surprised you remembered every person your nanite network scanned! I guess you do have a machine memory, but still, that’s impressive. The point is that Amy is not the only hero here. This massive crowd has turned out to greet both of you. You helped defeat the Poneri, who threatened the safety of the entire human race. You rescued the crew of the Sparrow and brought them to the future. You developed a cure for the tribes of Earth, freeing millions from the bondage of insanity. Yes, Amy is a hero, but she would have died thousands of years ago if it hadn’t been for you. You made it possible for Amy to fulfill her tasks.”

“I was just fulfilling my purpose,” the Sentinel replied. “I was created to do those things.”

“There are many who refuse to fulfill their purpose. You had the ability to choose and you chose well.”

“As did Amy,” Governor Nicholas commented. He walked up and shook the Sentinel’s hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you at last! You and Amy have done a remarkable thing, and it will not be forgotten. Millions of people are in your debt.”

The Sentinel glanced around and saw that Amy was deep in conversation with her family and friends. So she did have friends after all, he thought to himself. Maybe not on Xanthe or on Earth, but she definitely has them here. This is a good place for her to be.

A voice interrupted his thoughts. “There you are! I knew you were around here somewhere. It is a real pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face.”

He turned around and saw Dr. Temilotzin walking toward him. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well,” the Sentinel replied warmly, as he shook his hand. “I’m very familiar with your work. It was quite brilliant! Your probe project was immensely successful.”

Dr. Temilotzin laughed. “Yes, I’d certainly agree that you’re familiar with my probes. As I recall they tried to kill you! Fortunately Amanda was able to destroy them first.”

“I suspect you know how things turned out, then. Your probes did an outstanding job terraforming worlds, but unfortunately no one ever came to live in them. I just wish your dream had come true! It was a brilliant idea, but mankind proved too corrupt to inherit the stars. In the end ignorance was not the problem; the real barrier was the utter depravity of mankind. That has proven to be a far bigger hurdle than the vast distances that separate the worlds.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t write off the project just yet. My colleagues and I have continued working on the project since we arrived here. The colonization of the stars has only just begun! One day people will live in cities all throughout the universe – and not just in our galaxy, but beyond.”

“How is that possible?”

The scientist smiled. “We’ll get you caught up to speed soon. By the way, I’m quite interested in that galactic supercomputer you built to cure the tribes! That was quite brilliant – breathtaking, even. None of us had ever seen anything like it.”

“It was an impressive achievement,” the Artilect agreed.

“It was actually fairly simple,” the Sentinel replied. “Its scale may have been unprecedented but to the best of my knowledge its design contained no significant breakthroughs. In fact, even the computer itself was not my idea. Amy is the one who suggested it.”

“Yes she did,” Dr. Mazatl agreed. “But you were the one who designed it and built it – and you built it remarkably quickly!”

The Sentinel noticed some movement. He turned and saw that Amy was running down the path toward a shining figure in the distance. He knew instantly who it was.

The Artilect smiled. “It looks like Amy is going to meet her Lord. He would like to meet you too, Son. Are you ready to go see Him?”

“Yes, I am,” he replied. “I never thought this moment would come – but I am glad it has.”

The Sentinel then rushed after Amy.

I John 3:14: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

This is another recurring theme: we should love one another. If we love fellow believers then that is a sign that our salvation is genuine. If we hate Christians then that is a very strong sign that we are not saved. You cannot hate God’s children and love God: it doesn’t work that way.

Verse 15 is not saying that murderers cannot be saved. If that were the case then Saul could never have become the apostle Paul, as he actually presided over the murder of Christians and did everything in his power to hunt them down. What it is saying is that people who do not repent of their hatred and choose to continue in it do not know God. If you repent of your murders then God will forgive you and you will be saved. The same goes for other sins. Homosexuals can be saved, as long as they repent of their homosexuality. Homosexuals who refuse to repent will not be saved, as repentance is required for salvation. Adulterers can be saved, as long as they repent of their adultery. Thieves can be saved, as long as they repent of their thieving – and on it goes.

To sum it up, one of the evidences of genuine salvation is a heartfelt love of other believers. If this is missing then salvation is probably missing too. There is no salvation that leads a person to hate God’s people.

I John 3:6: “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”

This is a very interesting passage, and we need to be careful with it. First of all, we need to keep in mind what John said earlier in the book:

I John 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

These verses cannot be disregarded. We need to understand the context of what John has been talking about.

In chapter 1 John established that all men are sinners and must go to Jesus in order to obtain forgiveness for sins. John then goes on to explain the differences between those who are saved and those who are not. Genuine Christians do not behave the same way as unbelievers: there are distinct differences, and John talks about these in chapter 2.

One of the hallmarks of being a Christian is that they obey Jesus out of a sincere and heartfelt love for Him. As John said in chapter 2, those who do not do this do not know God:

I John 2:3: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

This is also very clear. In order to become saved we must ask Jesus for forgiveness, and when we do this God will change us. One of the changes is that we will keep His commandments.

So what are we to make of “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not”? I think that John is building on what he has said before: people who are genuinely saved will obey Christ. This is not to say that they will never sin (which John talked about in chapter 1), but that they will spend their lives in the pursuit of holiness. After all, look at what he says in the very next verse: he that doeth righteousness is righteous. John is repeating what he has said before.

His point is this: people who continue to live in sin, living ungodly lives, are of the devil. When you become saved you start to change, and one of the results of this inward change is a heart that hates sin. People who are genuinely saved will act in righteous ways; they are not perfect, and they do fall, but that is how they live. People who live lives that are consistently unrighteous, unholy, selfish, and ungodly have no reason to believe that they are saved.

What John is doing is providing another way of knowing if you are actually saved. If you are living a self-centered life, if you love your sins, and if you have no desire to obey God, then you do not know Jesus. You have not been changed. Your conversion was phony. You may have had an “experience”, but it was not real. Real Christians pursue righteousness. If you do not have that longing for holiness then you do not know God. As John points out, if you are living in sin then you are following the devil, and you cannot follow the devil and follow God at the same time. If you pursue sin then you are pursuing the devil. Real believers cannot lead lives of sin.

John sums up his point in verse 10:

I John 3:10: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”

It all boils down to this: it is madness to think that a person who is living an entirely sinful life, full of evil, and who gets angry at the very thought of following God’s commands, is saved. Such people are “the children of the devil”. They do not know God. The children of God are different: they hate sin and strive to lead righteous lives. Why? Because the Spirit of God is inside them. They are not who they used to be.

John is not saying that your works save you. What he is saying is that the way you live your life reveals who you really are. If you lead a life of sin then you are of the devil. If you lead a life of holiness then you are of God. It is not any more complicated than that.

“Miles returned to Mars late last night. I don’t have the time right now to record everything he told me, but it sounds like Amy Stryker has brought the Earth back to life. There’s a new city there now and the people have been cured of their genetic problems. Sadly, though, Amy is now gone. I wish I could have told her goodbye before she left. In fact, I wish she hadn’t left at all – there was plenty of room for her here in Tikal and she would have been among friends. Miles said that it wasn’t that simple, although I don’t understand why. Sometimes I suspect there are a lot of things he isn’t telling me. That’s one of the prerogatives of being old, I guess.”
–Noel Lawson
July 18, 7243
 

The Sentinel materialized on Tonina, in the restaurant at the top of Ahexotl Tower. At this time of night the place was empty. Amy was standing at one of the windows, looking down over the city. She appeared lost in thought. Alex was lying on the middle of the floor, fast asleep. It was long past his bedtime.

“Are you ready to transport everyone to Earth?” the Sentinel asked.

“No, not yet. Let’s give it a few more hours. We’ve got other things to do anyway.”

“Have you decided what you are going to do with the galactic supercomputer?”

“What do you mean, have I decided? We talked about that weeks ago, remember? I’m not going to change my mind. Go ahead and give the Stewards the order to turn the computer planets back into normal habitable worlds. Make them just like they were before, back when the Artilect was in charge. I want them to have the same landforms, the same continents, the same cities, everything.”

“All right,” the Sentinel replied. “Give me a few minutes to send out the commands. I am not as powerful as my father.”

“Take your time,” Amy said. “There’s no hurry.”

Amy sat down at a table beside one of the giant glass windows and looked outside. She thought back to the day her family had enjoyed dinner at that very restaurant, before the Artilect launched its war against the swarms. Back then her father had been making plans to form a government, and everyone was excited about the future. None of them knew how close they were to death. By the time another month had passed they were all gone. All except for Amy, who was left alone in a very big and very dark galaxy.

She spoke up. “No one else is ever going to come and live in these cities, are they?”

The Sentinel paused for a moment and then looked over at her. “Probably not. It would take at least four or five hundred years – possibly much longer than that – for the Martian civilization to expand to a point where it would reach the network. It would take a great deal longer than that to expand throughout the network and reach Tonina. I doubt there is that much time left before the end comes.”

Amy nodded. “I know. There might be, of course, but it isn’t likely.”

“You know, then,” the Sentinel commented. “I was wondering if you had realized it. But if you know these planets will never be used, why do you want me to put them all back?”

“Oh, just because. Maybe you’re right, and no one will ever set foot on Tonina again. Maybe no one else will ever see La Venta. But it will still be here, regardless. Beauty doesn’t stop being beauty just because no one notices it. The offer is still being made, and even if no one accepts it it’s still a valid offer. My brother started the replicating probe project a long time ago and this is how it ended. I say let these cities stand. Let Tim’s handiwork endure until the end of time. I am not going to wipe it all out just because there’s a good chance no one else will ever appreciate it.”

“Very well,” the Sentinel replied. He went back to his job of contacting the Stewards and relaying the instructions.

Amy looked out through the window and waited for him to finish. Time slowly ticked by, but she did not notice. She was lost in thought. “It wasn’t a waste, you know. The probe project, I mean. If those probes hadn’t been released I wouldn’t be here. None of those people on Earth or Mars would have been saved. This wasn’t what Tim and Dr. Temilotzin were trying to do, but their project still achieved something worthwhile. Their work wasn’t a complete waste of time.”

The Sentinel nodded. “The same is true for the Sparrow. When Governor Nicholas sent Captain Max to Mars to rescue you, he was only trying to transport you to Xanthe. He never intended for all of this to happen. But if he had not made the attempt, you would not have gotten shot down in that starship and I would not have been able to rescue you. History would have ended very differently.”

“I guess we owe the Spanish Emperor a vote of thanks, then,” Amy remarked.

The Sentinel shook his head. “I would not go that far. I would say, however, that what he meant for evil God used for good. It is often like that.”

An hour later the Sentinel looked up at her. “It is done. The commands have been given and the Stewards are working to reconvert their planets. It will take several days to execute the command but we do not have to be here while they work.”

Amy stood up. “Thank you. I guess there’s just one thing left to do, then. It’s time to transport these people to their new homes on Earth.”

The Sentinel quickly scanned the city. “Not everyone is asleep.”

“Oh, I can fix that,” Amy said, smiling.

The girl used the planetary network of nanites to cause everyone to fall into a deep sleep. She then reached across space and transported all of them to Earth. Once they were safely in their new homes she moved their possessions as well. When the sun rose the next morning they would wake up in their beds and find themselves on Earth – in a glorious new city, facing a glorious new day.

After checking one last time to make sure that everything had been moved and nothing had been overlooked, Amy looked at the Sentinel. “Are you ready to go?”

“What are you going to do about Tonina?”

“Leave it, just as it is.”

“Are you sure you are ready to leave? Have you done everything that you wanted to do? Is there anything left undone?”

Amy shook her head. “Nope. C’mon, let’s go.”

“You will have to lead me,” the Sentinel said. “I am afraid I do not know the way.”

Amy nodded. She then walked over to Alex and shook him. “Come on, boy, time to get up.”

Alex rolled over groggily. “But it’s so late. I’m tired.”

“I know, I know. But we have to go. Mom and Dad and Amanda are waiting on us.”

“They are?” Alex barked. He got to his feet. “I thought they were gone! Where are they?”

“I’ll take you to them,” Amy promised. “Just stick right next to me, ok?”

With Alex following close behind, Amy walked over and took the Sentinel’s hand. The three of them vanished.

They reappeared on a beautiful world. Around them was a magnificent, lush garden. A bed of green grass formed a carpet under their feet, and old trees towered above them. It felt like it was late but there was a soft light all around them. The atmosphere was peaceful and serene.

The Sentinel was the first to speak. “This place is remarkable! My father once told me about this place, but this is the first time I have ever seen it. There is something special about it. I feel like I am on the threshold of a very different kind of country.”

“That’s because you are. Come with me.”

Still holding his hand, Amy guided him through the woods to a little clearing. Alex said nothing and trotted behind her. Standing in the middle of the clearing was a large, pearlescent door that gleamed in the twilight. The door was attached to nothing, but it had a pair of hinges and a brilliant gold doorknob.

Amy spoke up. “That door leads to the city that lies beyond the farthest star. This place is a sort of courtyard to Heaven. It’s not part of Heaven, but it’s connected to it somehow, and part of the ambiance of Heaven has leaked onto this world. That’s why it feels so different.”

Alex barked. “Is that where Amanda is?”

The girl smiled. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

She reached out to the doorknob and turned it. Relief flooded her when she saw that the door was unlocked. Before she pulled it opened she looked over at the Sentinel. “Are you ready?”

“Are you sure that I am allowed to come with you?” the Sentinel asked.

“I have no doubt whatsoever,” Amy said firmly.

She then turned the doorknob and opened the door.

As she pulled it open it created a hole in space – a passage leading to another world. Light streamed through the opening. Beyond it she could see a grassy hill, and at the top of the hill was a large group of people who were waving at them. A sense of utter and complete peace came over her. In a single moment the cares and burdens of her life melted away, and she felt wholly at rest. Finally, after so long, all was well.

Alex took one look through the opening and ran into it at full speed. A moment later he was bounding up the hill, racing to greet someone that he knew quite well.

Laughing, Amy grabbed the Sentinel’s hand and led him through the door. Once they were both through she closed the door behind them.

I John 3:5: “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”

I saw a poll today that stated that half of all Christians believe that Jesus sinned. That tells me that half of all Christians are not actually saved. The Bible is crystal clear: “in him is no sin”. Jesus never sinned; this is repeated over and over in the Bible. Besides this, God cannot be tempted by evil. It was not even possible for Jesus to sin!

On top of that, the only way Jesus could save us was if He led a sinless life. If He did not live a sinless life then when He died He would have been suffering for His own sins, not ours. In order to be a sacrifice for our sins He had to be sinless and perfect – and He was.

The idea that Christ sinned is an outrageous lie. It attacks the very heart of the gospel. The sinlessness of Christ is a non-negotiable doctrine. It is one that Christians cannot agree to disagree on. If Christ sinned then our faith is in vain and everyone is doomed to Hell. There can be no compromise on this.

And here it is at last – the final Ned Steele Space Explorer adventure!

I John 3:4: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Believe it or not, Mormons actually teach that sins and transgressions are different. They say that just because it goes against God’s law doesn’t mean it’s a sin. God sees things very differently: any transgression of His law is a sin! God doesn’t separate His commands into “Orders you can disobey” and “Orders you must always obey”. All disobedience is sinful, all of the time. In fact, the very definition of sin is to transgress God’s law! Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

“Today one of our computer scientists pointed out that Tikal’s data center doesn’t contain any history or log information. From the computer’s perspective the first time it was ever turned on was when we repaired the unit and activated it. But how is that possible? I suppose someone might have run a purge routine before shutting it down thousands of years ago, but why would they bother? It doesn’t make any sense. This city has no personal belongings, no books, and no historical logs. How can Tikal not have a past? Maybe Miles can shed some light on this.”
–Noel Lawson
July 17, 7243
 

Two days had passed since the eventful meeting in the debate hall of Adrasta. Amy slowly counted down the remaining minutes, and when the final minute had passed she materialized in front of Adrasta’s massive city gates. A quick scan of the area confirmed that there were no stragglers left who were trying to flee. Despite the constant warning of Amy’s guards, people had simply gone back to their old lives. Amy shook her head. After all they’ve seen me do, how can they not take me seriously? Do they really think I’m going to just walk away and leave them alone?

A moment later the Sentinel appeared beside her. He was accompanied by Miles and Monroe.

“Oh, hey there,” Amy exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting company. I mean, I knew you would come, but I thought you would be alone.”

“They wanted to see what was about to happen,” the Sentinel explained. “If you don’t want them here then I will send them back.”

“No, that’s fine,” Amy said. “You can leave them. I just – I don’t know. I just wish things had never come to this. This didn’t have to happen, Steve. If they had just left the tribes alone I would never have bothered them, and Maldonado and Forbes would still be alive today. All they had to do was not attempt the total genocide of an entire race. That’s all I asked. But apparently that was too much to ask of the 72,196 people who still live behind those gates.”

“Are there still that many people left in the city?” Monroe asked.

Amy nodded, and Monroe looked surprised. “But La Venta is amazing! It surpasses anything I have ever imagined. Even the Spanish Empire itself had nothing like it! Why would anyone want to remain in the stone city when one could move there?”

“Really?” Miles asked. “You do realize that, just two days ago, you were all upset about having to leave Adrasta. You were quite upset at Amy.”

“But that was before I had a chance to see it, and before I knew what was going to happen to all my books. Once I was there–” He stopped. “Oh. I see.”

“Exactly,” Miles replied. “You were so intent on trying to convince me that Amy was evil that you missed–”

“What’s that?” Amy interrupted. She turned to Monroe. “You think I’m evil? What have I done this time?”

“He didn’t think you should have killed the general or the councilman,” Miles explained. “He was pretty upset about it.”

“Are you kidding me?” She looked at Monroe angrily. “Are you telling me that when the general pulled out a gun and tried to kill Nate, you were on his side?”

Monroe turned pale. “Oh, no, certainly not! I just thought that, um, that is to say, that maybe you could have taken a different approach.”

“What is it with you people? I save you from starving to death in that coal mine, and you turn around and whine that I’m a dangerous threat to all mankind. Then when Forbes seizes power and commands your execution, and I save your life again, you tell Miles that proves I’m an evil tyrant. Are there no sane people on this planet? Are you all out of your minds?”

The Sentinel placed a hand on Amy’s shoulder. “Amy, I understand your frustration, but you have a job to do here. You need to focus. You can always turn Monroe into a frog later today.”

“She – what?” Monroe asked. He looked at Miles. “He’s kidding, right? She can’t really do that. Can she?”

“It would certainly be interesting to find out,” Miles said thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her try it. It might be possible.”

Amy looked at Monroe and shook her head. “Oh, whatever. If you want to think I’m a monster then I guess that’s what you’re going to do. I need to move past all this and move on. I just didn’t want things to come to this! I wanted to help these people. I wanted to give them a future. But they just weren’t interested. They wouldn’t have it. They wouldn’t change, and they’ve left me no choice. As much as it pains me to do so, it’s time to bring this to an end.”

Amy closed her eyes and connected to the network of nanites that saturated the planet’s atmosphere. She then reluctantly closed the gateway that led to Tonina. The way was now locked; the opportunity to go there was over.

Next, she turned her mental gaze to the giant stone city in front of her. With the network she could see every corridor, every room, and every person. Nothing was hidden from her. After locating every person in Adrasta she transported them all to the plain that was at the base of the mountain. There they could see the city but were a safe distance from it. As soon as the people materialized there was a great commotion, and the mob began getting angry. Amy simply froze them all in place. They could see what was going on, but they could not move or do anything to stop it.

The girl then glanced up at the giant starship that filled the entire sky. She had created it two days earlier from plans that were in the nanites’ pattern library. The ship was not an illusion; it was a fully-functional battleship. After moving her friends to the base of Falcon Ridge so they would be well out of harm’s way, she issued a command and the starship began bombarding Adrasta. Spheres of bright orange light shot out of the ship and reigned down onto the city, blasting it to pieces. Over the next ten minutes the starship completely obliterated every corner and crevice of Adrasta. Not one stone was left intact. When it was finally over and the thunder of the last explosion had died away, there were not even ruins remaining. The city, and everything it once contained, was entirely gone. With its work done, the spaceship dissolved into nothingness.

Amy then used the network to look across space. Two days ago she had made some changes to the planet Xanthe, to prepare it for an influx of visitors. The Adrastans would have what they needed to survive, but life would not be easy and the life they once knew would be gone. They would have no future, for without a cure for their infertility – a problem that they continued to deny, even now – there would simply be no future generations. The people were being transported to Xanthe to die.

Amy looked over the crowd. She transported herself in front of the giant mass of people, and then floated in the air above them so they could all see her. They were all frozen, but she knew she had their attention.

“Adrastans, your city is no more. I offered you a future and you refused it. I brought you to the border of the promised land but you refused to cross over and possess it. Now you will inherit the wilderness, and you will die there. You have made your choice. This is the end.”

With that, Amy used the network of nanites to transport the entire mob to the planet Xanthe. After making sure that they had all arrived safely and were unfrozen, she opened her eyes and looked around. Adrasta and its people was gone. There was a stillness in the air.

“So I guess that’s it,” Miles remarked. “It’s all over now. You finished what you were sent here to do. Your job here is done.”

“Well, almost,” Amy said. “The tribes aren’t fully cured yet. Steve has administered the cure but it will take another week or so before everyone has been made whole. The process takes time.”

“But you aren’t involved in that process,” Miles pointed out. “The nanites will do the work on their own, without your intervention. Plus, the Steward is in place and is already taking care of the cured children. Everything is well in hand.”

“I guess you’re right. But how do you know all of this?”

“Oh, I just asked Steve. He’s been a great host, by the way! Among other things, he’s a whole lot better at giving direct answers to questions than you are – and he has yet to offer me a pair of pink shoelaces.”

Amy grinned. “You’re never going to let go of that, are you? But there is one more thing I need to do. I need to take everyone on Tonina and bring them back to Earth. Except for you, of course. You need to go back to Mars.”

Monroe spoke up. “Why would you do that? Doyle is quite happy here, as are the others. La Venta is a beautiful city and, quite frankly, we have no desire to leave. I don’t think anyone would mind if you left us there.”

“But it isn’t your home! You belong on Earth. You were born right here on this planet. Besides, this is where the tribes are. How can you possibly help them if you’re thousands of light-years away? And it’s not like I’m going to move you back here and then stick you in a mud hut. I can build a city on this plain that is every bit as glorious as La Venta. It will be big enough to house you and the tribes.”

Monroe nodded. “I suppose that would work. Now that the tribes are cured I would like to help them grow, and I know the others would as well. I have no objection to that plan.”

“Then it sounds like I have one more task left,” Amy remarked. She turned to Miles and smiled. “Why don’t you do the honors? You’ve built cities before, you know.”

“I’d love to, but I’m afraid I didn’t pack my pink shoelaces. They’re not the sort of thing I tend to wear in public.”

“But they go so beautifully with those hideous orange shoes! Well, what a pity. I guess we’ll have to do without them. Give me your hand.”

Miles looked at her, puzzled, and took her hand. Instantly the world changed. His mind connected to the network of nanites, and his perception was vastly expanded. The memories of designing Tikal on the planet Jasmine flooded back to him.

“Why, you’ve given me access to your connection! This is amazing. I’d forgotten how much fun this was.”

Monroe looked around, puzzled. “I don’t see anything. Am I missing something?”

“You might say that,” Miles replied, as he studied the planet. He mentally zoomed in to Falcon Ridge. He could see every last detail – the mountainside that had been blasted apart, the scorched prairie, and the crater where the forest had once stood.

“We’ve really got to fix all that damage,” Miles commented. “That is just plain ugly. What would you think if we took care of that first?”

“Sounds good to me,” Amy agreed. “Where do you think we should put the city?”

“Well, why not put it at the base of the mountain? We could always flatten that peak to create more space, but it’s quite beautiful and I hate to destroy it. The only change I’d make to it is adding a layer of trees – pine tress, maybe. The plain itself ought to be big enough to meet our needs.”

“I agree. Let’s keep the mountain. Now, were you considering a neoclassical city or something more modern?”

“Let’s experiment and see what looks good. I want to make sure that it fits the landscape. I’m leaning more toward a postmodern design, with a bit of a twist.”

“Interesting,” Amy remarked. “I’d like to see that. Are you ready to begin?”

Miles smiled. “Absolutely! Let’s get started – one last time.”

Amy and Miles spent the rest of the day building the new city. They could have simply chosen a preexisting template from the nanites’ library, but instead they took their time. They both knew that this would be the last time they’d ever work together, and they were in no particular hurry. So, as Monroe watched in awe, they took the dust of the ground, turned into programmable matter, and fashioned the shell of a city. Once the basic structure was in place they customized it endlessly – moving streets, adjusting buildings, adding parks, tweaking architecture. When they were done they had a city that was quite a bit smaller than La Venta but still retained its beauty and amenities. Unlike Adrasta, this city was a splendor of light and crystal, refracting the sun in endless ways. Colors abounded. It was truly magnificent – a beautiful new home for the true Children of Light.

By the time they were finally done the day was over and the sun had set. The stars had come out and glimmered brilliantly in the sky. The city was spread out before them, in all its glory.

“It’s beautiful,” Monroe said. “Thank you very much. It is an amazing gift.”

“And thank you for letting me help build it,” Miles added. “Construction via programmable matter just never gets old.”

“You’re welcome,” Amy replied, as she disconnected Miles from the network. “I appreciate your help.”

“So when are you going to move everyone here?” Miles asked.

“Oh, I think I’ll do that while they’re sleeping. Probably sometime around midnight. They’ll just wake up and find that their homes have moved.”

Monroe looked surprised. “You’re actually going to move their homes?”

“No, not exactly. I’ve actually recreated them here on Earth. All I’ll have to do is move their stuff and move the people. They’ll wake up in what appears to be exactly the same building, but the building will be on Earth instead of on Tonina.”

“I imagine they’ll be a bit surprised.”

“Which is why I’m going to let you explain it to them,” Amy remarked.

Miles spoke up. “So what happens now?”

“I am afraid this is where we part ways. Steve and I will stay until everyone has been moved, but between now and then we have a few other things to do. It’s time for you to return to Mars.”

“I had a feeling you were going to say that,” Miles said sadly. “I will miss you. You have done more for Mars than I dared to hope. I am sincerely, deeply sorry for the losses you have suffered. I wish there was some way I could help you.”

“I know you do, and that means a lot to me. I can honestly say that you’ve been my only friend. Well, you and Noel. Everyone else just wants me to get out of their life. You’d think I had a contagious disease or something.”

Monroe blushed. “I know we have had our differences, but I am also grateful for all that you’ve done. Without your help all would have been lost.”

“And yet you’re still overjoyed that I’m leaving, aren’t you? Yeah, I know. I’ve saved the world, I’ve accomplished your goals, and now it’s time for the Big Security Risk to leave. Let me go on record as saying that the 73rd century is a terrible century one. People were way nicer in the 19th century. Time has not improved the human race one bit.”

“Amy,” Steve said warningly.

“Well, it’s true! When you grabbed me off of the Sparrow things were not this bad. Governor Nicholas was genuinely grateful for my help. He was quite kind to my sister and I. Even those crazy people on the Starfire were nice. But here – well, fine. It doesn’t matter. It is what it is.”

Amy turned to Miles. “I’m going to miss you. Please tell Noel goodbye for me, will you? And I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again soon. Not that I want you to hurry up and die or anything, but–”

Miles laughed. “I understand. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again too. Give my regards to your family.”

Amy gave Miles a hug. “Goodbye,” she said.

“Goodbye,” Miles replied. He then vanished.

After Amy verified that Miles had arrived safely on Mars, she turned back to Monroe. “Well, I kept my promise. I told you that I would save the tribes and I did. I’ve given your people a future and I’ve given you a brand-new city to live in. I even saved all those books of yours. You’ll find them in your room; the Steward can give you directions. I’m now going to make your final wish come true and leave.”

“Please don’t go like that,” Monroe pleaded. “I really am grateful – truly, I am. You have saved my life more than once, and this entire planet owes you a great debt. I’m very thankful.”

“Oh, I know. And I would probably be a lot more touched if I didn’t know how badly you want me to leave this universe. What you don’t seem to realize is that I’m not some hypothetical variable in some thought experiment. I’m a real person with real feelings, and I’ve had a terrible life, and you have not done one thing to make my life any better. All you’ve done is tried to convince the one friend I did have that I’m a maniac. I don’t hate you, but – well, I’ve said enough. I did what I came to do. I saved your life and gave you a future. What you do with it is up to you. Choose wisely, because I won’t be around to save you again.”

With that, she disappeared.

The Sentinel was about to leave as well, but then he saw the look on Monroe’s face. “Was there something else you wanted to say?”

Monroe sighed. “Well, that was just kind of awkward. I really don’t know what to say. I feel like I’m going to regret what just happened but I don’t know what I should have done differently.”

The Sentinel shook his head sadly. “Since Amy became an administrator she has encountered a great many people, and they have wanted a great many things from her. Among all those she has met there have been a few who have cared for her and tried to help her. You had a chance to be on that short list, but you refused. That chance has now passed you by. It will not come again.

“Instead you put your name on a different list – the list of those who saw Amy as a dangerous threat and wished she would die. When future generations ask what happened today, you can tell them that a hero came, saved your people, and gave them a new life – and you looked at her, said thanks, and asked her to drop dead. That is something you will never be able to undo. You will have to live with it for the rest of your days.”

“I never asked her to drop dead,” Monroe protested.

“Do you want Amy to stay here and live out the rest of her life?”

“Goodness, no!” Monroe said, horrified. “The risk of corruption is far too great. She needs–” and then he stopped.

“Exactly,” the Sentinel replied. “I think I’ve made my point. Goodbye, Monroe Araiza.”

The Sentinel then disappeared, leaving him alone.

I John 3:3: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

I keep seeing this idea all throughout the Bible – that people who believe in Jesus and have the hope of everlasting life will seek holiness. What I see in churches, though, is different: people tell me that it makes no difference how you live because all believers go to Heaven, so they can be as sinful or corrupt as they please and it doesn’t matter. The church today does not see everlasting life as an incentive to be holy: they see it as an incentive to be worldly, selfish, and sinful.

But that is not how it should be, and that is not at all what the Bible commands. I suspect that those who spent their time seeking after the lusts of the flesh will not be happy when Jesus returns. I think they will find that their decision to be disobedient and self-centered is not going to turn out well for them, and I suspect they will bitterly regret it. But the moment they see Jesus it will be far too late for them to change. Once your time on Earth has ended you can no longer change it.

This verse is quite clear: the hope of everlasting life should motivate us to seek holiness – to hate even the garment spotted with the flesh. Holiness and righteousness should be on our mind, not the latest fads or whatever material goods the world is trying to push. We are immortals; we will see the destruction of this world and live beyond it. All of these material things will be destroyed; they pull us away from God, they distract us, and there is no profit in them. What God wants us to do is seek holiness, love, and obedience: those things are worth seeking after, and they will never be destroyed.

A Ned Steele Space Explorer adventure!

I John 3:2: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

“when he shall appear” is a reference to the Rapture. The next time the Church (as a whole) will see Jesus will be at the Rapture, when He returns to Earth to take the Church home with Him to Heaven. At that moment the living believers will be transformed and the dead believers will be resurrected. That is when the mortal will put on immortality, and the corruptible will become incorruptible. At this point we don’t really know what we’re going to be like after we are transformed; all we do know is that “we shall be like him”, which is a comforting and exciting thought.

There is another piece to this promise: when He returns we are told that “we shall see Him as He is”. We will see Jesus in His glory, majesty, and power – and it will be a sight unlike anything else. We will see Him at last – the one whom we have believed without seeing. Our relationship will be changed from one of faith to one of sight. Our days of longing will be over, and our hope will be replaced with fulfillment and joy.

We are already the sons of God, but we are still young. We have only received a part of our inheritance – the Holy Spirit – but we are still corrupt and mortal. It is at the Resurrection when this will change, and we will become both incorruptible and immortal. Right now we cannot see Jesus at all, but soon we will see Him as He is.

“Today one of our astronomers rushed into my office with an astonishing bit of news: they have discovered a giant, interstellar computer! In their survey of the galaxy they’ve discovered six star systems whose planets have been turned into giant computing devices. They don’t know how old the computers are, who built them, or why they were built, but they’re out there and they are real. This news puzzles me tremendously. I wonder if this is connected to the Artilect that Miles once told me about? I’ll have to ask him when he returns to Mars.”
–Noel Lawson
July 15, 7243
 

Monroe, Miles, Alex, and the Sentinel materialized on the streets of Tonina. Ahead of them, just down the street, was the giant rip in space that Amy had created. Through it they could see the mountains of Earth.

Alex was taken aback at the sudden change in location. The dog looked around, confused. He then saw the Sentinel and hurried over to him. “What happened?”

The Sentinel looked down at him, smiled, and petted him. “It’s ok, Alex. Everything is fine. Amy moved you here because the Earth isn’t a happy place right now.”

“Ok,” Alex replied.

Miles looked at the dog in wonder. “So you’re Alex! I’ve heard a lot about you, you know. Amy loves you a great deal.”

“I know. She’s my person.”

Monroe looked at him, astonished. “Is that – is that a dog? A talking dog?”

“Of course I’m a dog! What did you think I was – a rabbit?”

“Um, no, of course not. I meant no offense. I just – that is – dogs have been extinct for quite some time now. I didn’t realize they could talk.”

“Really?” Miles asked. “Didn’t you read The History of Martian Dog Breeders? All ancient dogs could talk.”

“I thought they made that part up,” Monroe admitted. “It just didn’t seem plausible.”

“Why? Did you think that ancient historians were morons?”

“Goodness, no! It just struck me as a little far-fetched. I thought that perhaps they were speaking metaphorically or something, or perhaps it was some lost cultural reference.”

Alex spoke up. “No, I can talk. Bats can talk too, you know. But I haven’t seen any bats lately. Where’s Amy? Is Amy here?”

“Amy is still on Earth,” the Sentinel explained. “She transported all of us to safety but she still has work to do there. The people in Adrasta need her help. She’s going to make sure that the council can’t stop people from fleeing.”

“How long will she be gone?” Alex asked.

“Just for the next 48 hours. After that Adrasta will be judged and she won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

Monroe looked surprised. “So she’s serious? She’s really going to destroy the city?”

“Yes, she will. This is something that we discussed long ago. Amy was always going to give the Adrastans a choice. If they were willing to make peace with the tribes then she would allow them to stay, and she would even cure them of their infertility so they would have a future. If, however, they were not willing to live in peace then she would relocate them to another planet and allow them to die off. The moment of choice has finally come.”

“But why do it in such a violent and catastrophic way? This is horrible!”

Alex growled at him. The Sentinel stroked the dog’s back to calm him down and then turned back to Monroe. “What the city is trying to do is also horrible. At some point a separation had to be made. A line had to be drawn between those who were willing to live in peace and those who were not. Those who wish to live in peace may come here. Those who do not will be forcibly removed to a place where they can no longer oppress the tribes. In either case, Adrasta must be destroyed. The city has become a cesspool of evil and must be removed and replaced with something better.”

“But she killed Conrad Forbes and Evan Maldonado!”

“And it was about time, too,” Miles remarked. “They were the ringleaders in an attempt to kill tens of millions of people. They had already killed hundreds and were determined to kill more. They even tried to kill you, you know.”

“But she didn’t have to kill them. There were lots of other things she could have done! I told you that one day she was going to lose her mind.”

Alex growled at him again and bared his teeth. The Sentinel pulled him back, and Alex looked up at him. “Just let me bite him, ok? For Amy’s sake! I need to bite his leg. Or maybe his arm.”

The Sentinel shook his head. Alex whined, then looked back at Monroe and growled. Monroe eyed him warily. “I meant no offense. I just think the situation could have been handled differently.”

Miles shook his head. “There comes a time when enough is enough. Those two men were already mass-murderers and they were determined to keep on killing. If she spared them they would have just kept on trying until the day they died. At some point you have to put a stop to it, and that’s what she did. I assure you that after that demonstration people will think twice before they try shooting anyone else. The rest of the council had some nasty things to say but none of them dared to raise a hand against anyone.”

“So this is the end, then,” Monroe said sadly. “Amy is bringing an end to my people.”

“What are you talking about? Amy is just separating the murderous, racist thugs from the people who want to help. The people who want to help will come to Tonina, and after Adrasta is destroyed Amy will build a new city and will send everyone back to Earth. They can then work together to teach the tribes. The only thing that’s ending is the genocidal campaign.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“I asked her,” Miles replied. “You should try talking to Amy sometime. She’s not as bad as you make her out to be.”

“Oh, I know,” he replied, keeping an eye on Alex. “I have the greatest respect for her. It just seems like there must have been a better way.”

“Really? What did you want Amy to do – tell them ‘naughty naughty’ and make them go sit in a corner? I think she’s shown great restraint. She’s going through a lot of trouble to separate the good from the bad. She could have just moved Adrasta to another planet and let them all die out, and allowed the evil continue to oppress and murder the good. Would you rather have had that?”

“I suppose not,” Monroe sighed. “But you must understand that when Adrasta is destroyed a great deal will be lost. What will become of my books and papers? What about our archives? The Order has protected that information for millennia! Why must it all be lost?”

The Sentinel spoke up. “In the meeting Amy made it clear that if anyone needed help they only had to ask. If you wish for those things to be saved then I will relocate them to Tonina. Nothing needs to be left behind.”

“Thank you,” Monroe said. “I appreciate it.”

Over the next few hours Amy was surprised to see that there was very little chaos. People quietly filed out of the debate hall and returned to their homes. Once at home they began debating the matter amongst themselves. A great many people had no desire to leave. They had lived their entire lives in Adrasta and had accumulated a great many possessions. The city through the portal did look appealing, but they didn’t have time to move everything all by themselves. Rather than trying to make some tough decisions (or asking the robots for help) it was easier to just wait it out and see what happened.

Other people supported the surviving council members and were indignant that anyone was standing up for the tribes. The council rallied their armed forces and ordered them to stop anyone who tried to live Adrasta. When the guards tried to carry out those orders, however, they were stopped cold by the giant robots Amy had placed throughout the city. Their every attempt to cause trouble was thwarted – but they were ordered to keep on trying, and so they did.

There were a few people in the city who were glad to see the general’s reign of terror end. These were mostly people who had supported Monroe in the past, but there were a few newcomers as well – men such as Ken Ochoa. They quickly packed up a few of their most prized possessions and hurried off to La Venta. All of Monroe’s followers were there by nightfall. Once there they were warmly greeted by the Steward and shown to new, luxurious homes. They were awestruck at the splendor of Tonina and could not believe the wealth and magnificence that was on display. One man commented that it was like stepping into a dream.

After they had settled into their homes Amy had the Steward tell them that the moment they set foot in La Venta they were automatically cured of all their genetic problems. Infertility would no longer be an issue for them.

Over the next two days Amy continued watching over Adrasta. There were a few more stragglers but very few people transitioned from the stone city to the one in the stars. A quick count revealed that less than one person in ten chose to leave Adrasta. The rest remained, and despite the continued presence of the enormous starship that blotted out the sun, they simply went back to their old lives. It was as if nothing had happened at all.

Amy commanded her robot guards to warn everyone that the city was about to be destroyed, but despite the guards’ imposing size and power people ignored them. So Amy waited and counted down the last few remaining hours.