The Atlanteans of Proxima b: Chapter 10
20th - 22nd September in the Year of Our Lord 2732
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Captain’s Log, 20th September in the Year of Our Lord 2732
1530 Hours
Akakios throws barbs at me which the women do not translate for the benefit of the assemblymen. He is trying to provoke me but as long as I focus on these messages I will save myself and these people.
1545 Hours
Akakios has given up trying to taunt a reaction from me and the chamber has become deathly silent. The initial message was lax on details but Rex convinced the Council to investigate the egg-thing and the long term consequences of its secretions were understood quickly thanks to information provided by Korinna, work began on mitigating the effects then and there.
The messages are chronological so Rex Haverham must have been sending them continuously soon after he landed. Presumably the first news he learned was the satellite being positioned in orbit.
1600 Hours
I have shared what I have read from Rex's messages so far with the Ecclesia, they are unimpressed as there is nothing new, nothing civilisation saving, but I assured them there is more.
The most recent messages and attachments are only now downloading. Rex gave me a log of every minor event and finding. The soldiers stayed with their ship though they only landed about a kilometre away from the colony. Initially there was fear but when Rex appeared on his own the sentiment quickly turned optimistic.
1610 Hours
Akakios is talking with the white haired assemblyman who I believe is overseer of proceedings. I assume he wants me locked up.
1615 Hours
Their patience has ran out but I am beginning to read the most recent messages and finding the key to everyone's survival, it has to be here. I must have faith.
1620 Hours
The guards are poised to throw me in jail. Akakios is red with fury. There is a stand-off and a decision on whether more time should be devoted to me and my supposed espionage. A quick count of hands show I won, again, but only by 2 votes this time.
The assemblymen have all gathered round the white haired old man, who I have learned is called Sophocles, while he listens with his eyes closed, one of the translators, a young woman with auburn hair, unusual for Atlanteans, has requested this device and that I navigate through the necessary documents.
1645 Hours
The reading is slow as Rex sent notes from our biologists, chemists, and everyone else without explaining and there are copious words without direct or even rough approximations. I have the latest file for the translator; her voice is like honey.
1700 Hours
Akakios's expression oscillated between wrath and revelation as he heard my people's findings.
The assemblymen discuss amongst themselves in hushed whispers, they stand on the floor with me and the guards, clustered around the overseer's desk, they call him the ephor. Any notion of translating for my benefit has been abandoned.
Akakios wants to read Rex's messages himself, Sophocles nods. I have no choice but to allow him.
1730 Hours
To my surprise he did not try and break the device, though I had to navigate for him, but when he had finished reading he had paled and all the fight had drained from him. Perhaps he finally believes I am being charitable and honest.
1800 Hours
The discussion is over. The assemblymen have returned to their benches, the translators to their perches, and Sophocles, the ephor, waits.
Akakios is smiling. My heart is in my throat.
Sophocles spoke and there was a vote. 23 to 23. He grimaced and Akakios informed me Sophocles has the deciding vote as overseer.
The ephor stood and proclaimed he is voting against me. I am still guilty of espionage and have been sentenced to death on the same day as Korinna. The translators struggled with his speech but it boiled down to the evidence of my colony finding a solution being words only, they want hard evidence.
I can get that. I can. I have written a message to Rex telling him to return and bring with him proof. Now I can only pray.
Captain’s Log, 22nd September in the Year of Our Lord 2732
0600 Hours
It is the day of my execution. Sophocles returned this device to me personally, we did not share any words. I do not believe he knows a single word of my language. Korinna is also scheduled to hang today.
There is no satellite connection on the device anymore, either the satellite's orbit has gone too far away or Sophocles sabotaged it. It matters little now anyway.
0700 Hours
Korinna and I are to be hanged at noon, or the Atlantean equivalent. Not that the light will be any different on this planet where time feels like it stands still due to the perpetual day, perpetual season. Strange to think I will never see snow again. Maybe if I had climbed the mountain passes that separates my colony from the Atlantean or ventured into the dark side of the world, if there is even a landmass on that side.
Alas, I will not see anything else this strange planet has to offer.
0730 Hours
I have been served a final meal of flatbread and water, the bread has no flavour.
0800 Hours
One of the guards has provided me with a black shirt and black trousers to wear. The colour of death is, at least, common across our peoples. Though such similarities are poor comfort.
0900 Hours
The guards have returned to escort me to the square where the executions will take place.
The streets are lined with the last of the Atlanteans and I am part of a procession, Korinna is about one hundred metres ahead of me. She is shouted at, the expressions of the speakers far from pleasant. I, on the other hand, am merely scowled at and have heads shaken at me as if my “betrayal” was expected. I wonder what Sophocles and the others told everyone.
I am thankful I have been allowed this device to document my last hours. I can only speculate as to why. Perhaps Akakios or Sophocles want some late night reading.
Unfortunately the satellite connection is still offline.
My future is in God's hands.
1000 Hours
We have reached the gallows. The square is behind the building the Ecclesia gather inside. There are pockets of space even after the Atlanteans lining the streets arrive. If this is all of them then there cannot be more than a few thousand remaining. I can count on my hands the number of children, though Akakios's family is absent which could mean others are too. No, I and Korinna's execution could not be enough of a draw, people will have stayed home. Especially those with children. I refuse to believe there are so few Atlanteans.
1030 Hours
Korinna and I stand side-by-side. She is grey faced and sallow cheeked, I cannot imagine the horrors she has been through. We are given heavy black linen robes to wear, made to pull the hoods over our eyes.
A sonic boom sounded overhead but I do not see an aircraft.
A horn sounds and we are being marched up the steps to face the crowds. Sophocles awaits, the hangman besides him in head-to-toe robes and a black porcelain mask with white marbles for eyes and a ruby for lips. There is a low altar with two shallow bowls in front of us.
Sophocles addresses the people in their form of Ancient Greek. I hear my name but I do not know what is said, probably a list of “crimes”. My hood is removed by the hangman. Korinna's hood is lowered when her name is mentioned. The crowd is booing and shaking their fists at the both of us. There is untrammelled rage from some of them but others look despondent, clearly word spread of what Korinna and I did.
1100 Hours
A priest armed with a dried olive branch appeared. He burned incense in one of the shallow bowls and then poured oil in the other. He held the branch over the smoke then dipped it in the oil before touching Korinna's head. He repeated the ritual for me.
1130 Hours
I uttered a prayer to God, said what is likely to be my last Our Father and prayed for salvation.
Korinna is called forth first, a noose is set around her neck.
Sophocles points to this device and holds out his hand.
A noise near the back distracts the crowd in waves. There are people entering the square, forcing their way through and screaming something –
1600 Hours
I am not dead. Korinna may not be so lucky. She was hanged and then cut down, her survival is uncertain.
Sophocles snatched this device off me just as Rex Haverham, the 2 Atlantean soldiers that went with him, and a contingent of my colony arrived.
A great deal transpired with Taliesin doing God's work in translating alongside the women from the Ecclesia. Akakios was uninterested.
The short version is a miracle took place.
The long version is my people created and brought with them a working sample of the egg-things excretions being neutralised, the side effects to the hormonal system gone, fertility restored. It will take some time for the treatment to work and longer to treat crops, animals, before finally going into the tunnels themselves. An unavoidable consequence, currently in theory, is that the flora will lose the ability to survive in the perpetual day, at least those that are treated. Meaning some engineering marvel, already in planning stages, must take place to provide a simulated day-night cycle for the crops and, presumably, the livestock if there are any left to the Atlanteans. The designs are still being worked on. It is unknown how this treatment will work on the native flora and fauna but we shall find out. Our diets all became a lot narrower as only that which is treated is safe for consumption. I will not begin to pretend to understand the biology involved and the real explanation I imagine would fill entire books.
Korinna and I have been pardoned. Akakios was disgusted at this but I hope in time he comes to see I, we, acted in good faith.
1900 Hours
I have decided to return home. Rex Haverham, Taliesin, and the others are going to stay until the treatment is shown to work, apparently there are people back home already seeing to our colony. I may return but only after I have acquired some mastery over the language.
2100 Hours
Korinna has woken up, though she has a long recovery ahead of her. She has chosen to come with me, to visit the colony and learn about what has happened to Gaia, Earth, since her ancestors left. I have promised to stay with her until she recovers and we can leave together.
I have not heard from Akakios.
Sophocles returned this device to me personally with nothing but a wan smile.
There is nothing more to say, at least for today. Korinna is sleeping and a bed has been provided for me in the hospital. I will not be rushing to do anything in the coming days but give my thanks to God and the wonderful people of my colony.
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Thank you for reading and thank you for being patient after numerous delays to this novella.
Check out Tuesday’s short story if you haven’t already:
Conspiracy
Thanks to Scoot for the Flash Fiction Friday prompts. I used the phrase “rivers like veins” as a jumping off point but I reversed it and saw where it took me.