Fernando
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RPG: Fernando had taken his walk to his Electric Bus, and opened the side door, letting Meeshie jump out of his jacket and into the bus. She walks about inside and turns to face him. “Meow?” Meeshie asks. “Get on the bed and relax girl. I’m starting up the generator and setting this bus up to go once everybody is here. We’ll eat when the food gets here.” Fernando tells his cat. The cat looks at him before jumping on the rear bench seat and trotting onto the bed. Fernando walks over to the rear of his VW Bus, opening its rear hatch. Inside he pulls on a t-handled cord connected to a generator inside. It starts up on the first pull, though he thinks to himself, “I’m going to need a second generator at the rate I’m going. And another extender tank for them both. At least this should last 8 to 10 hours.” Closing the rear deck of the bus, he heads to the front of the bus and flip a few switches on the dashboard: Lights and electronics to generator and motor to batteries. The lights of the bus light up its immediate area brightly. His high and low band frequency radios are next to turn on though there was nothing to hear on their selected frequencies. Despite the constant celebration in town it was beginning to rain lightly over the area. He goes to sit down on the floor of the bus from the opened sliding door area and looks up at the oddness of the clouds. They were travelling south though it was clear from the west and covered the town from the east. A loud purring and ‘Whomp-whomp’ sound is heard getting louder as it approaches Fernando camper. A voice adds to the noise, “Fernando. If that is your name, data records only has one match on that name, and it is rather extensive. But you do not seem to match what those records say.” “We need to get your friend here silenced a bit, that loud hum it emits can be distracting.” Fernando tells Roland. Then he looks up at the clouds, “Why must it rain here and not there.” “The mountains funnel the direction where the rain goes. But you know that. Don’t you, Time Walker?” Roland replies. “Explain yourself, Roland. There are certain names I do not take too. That’s one of them. Now, what does the Hive know?” Fernando tells him. “Records of the time shortly after the Happening are fragmented but there is an individual who back then walked across this area and set the law for all to obey and stated that he would return from his journey to other areas. But he was a cold hearted individual, putting down those who did not agreed with him, eliminating those who wanted to be in charge and setting the example of what needed to be done to survive. The Hive did not agree with his choice of actions, and did not want him to know what technologies we had at the time, so they hid. Until you came back the rest is history.” Roland explains. “And what are you going to do about it?” Fernando asks. “Nothing. How do you defeat somebody who has all of eternity on his side? That is if you him.” Roland asks before pulling out a mixed up Rubik’s cube to him. “If you think this is a test, it is not. It is only a toy, a 3 dimensional puzzle with a solution of 21 moves to restore it.” Fernando explains as he twists and turns the cube. Some 30 seconds later he hands it back solved. Roland looks at it. “No one has been able to solve it for over 40 years. You just did it in 30 seconds without looking at it. Then t is you.” “So, I walk with time, cursed by all eternity to do so forever because of a simple mistake.” Fernando tells him, “What mistake would that be?” Roland asks. “Since you, or I should say the Hive, knows about those from other worlds, I and a handful of men, much like you, from another Hive like yours, was involved in the destruction of the Orion Home world. It was not a selfish act but it was not an easy one either. The Orions were the first at Time Travel and thought that being the first, they could enslave other races. This created a war among the stars and planets. Then those in my Hive discovered how to Observe and then Manipulate Time through travel within it, as long as Time Allowed it. The Orions saw us as a threat and decided to enslave humanity. But we found out about it through the Siriuans. And we met them head on with a trap. That trap imploded their star over 1000 years ago and is recorded in the ancient texts for that explosion made it look like we had a second sun for a while. But in setting up that trap, some of us had to be sacrificed. So we volunteered for this one way trip, we did not expect to return, but the Siriuans reincarnated us with their medicines. Being a Long-Life entity, the Siriuan lifespan, though not forever, can last several centuries, and there are some Siriuans a couple millennia years old. Given that medicine, I now can live for that long of time.” Fernando tells him his sordid story, but carefully choosing his words as to not leak out anything Roland or anyone else should not know. “So what happened to the Orions?” Roland asks. “They are extinct.” Fernando explains. “I see.” Roland says. “It was either them or us.” Fernando begins, “I know that there are some on Earth claiming to be spirits, and helpers of man or messengers of god, but they are not. Nor do I care if they are. God gave man the right of free-will to do as he pleases, we are not meant to be enslaved by another race like some of them have. And all that will be taken cared off, in time. May happen tomorrow, may happen next year or it may happen a thousand years later, but there will come a time when those from other star systems will no longer be on this Earth. God gave this world to man, not to some being not from this rock to enslave man with promises of deliverance to eternity for that is a one-way ticket to Hell. You either believe in the Son Jesus Christ as your savior or you don’t. Passage to paradise is not earned through good deeds but through belief that Jesus gave his life for you, and you are to do as he did in helping others you can through the limits of your means during your life. I have a long life ahead of me, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. You will have quite a while to live as well, and I only request of you to do those things I asked you to do to make the Hive and these people less afraid of each other so they can be cooperative in various endeavors that will insure the survival of both communities.” “I have heard of this religious banter many times.” Roland begins to say. “Religion only works to those who believe. I have seen things that would make men of science question the laws of nature because of belief. But I am not here to discuss religion. I’m here to do a job, and that is to rescue somebody for these damned spirits and bring her to Charlton. Along the way I will do what I can for others to help those in need and in need of help. It has granted us safe passage through the highways for the next 350-something miles, and maybe past that. So I am going to throw you a bone... How would you like to be physically repaired and restored? All those artificial systems removed; organs regrown and replaced; strength, youth and vigor restored; a new you in place of this old you are now.” Fernando explains. “How can you offer this?” Roland asks. Fernando goes into his pocket, finding couple of syringes and a hand full of cut up pills in a glassine envelop. He puts them away except for one syringe, and holds it up to Roland, “With this.” He then holds up his cane, “And this.” Roland gives him with a disconcerting look, knowing what that staff Fernando has done in destructive terms. “Let me explain it this way. Roland. Rewards are given, though they are often earned. But there are many times when rewards are given for no apparent reason. And some think that they deserve a reward for what they believe they have done though they deserve nothing. Now, this is a reward for the work you are going to do for both the communities and the Hives.” Fernando tells him. “And if I refuse?” Roland asks. “You do not have much of a choice. There are consequences for refusal.” Fernando flicks the syringe, hitting Roland in the shoulder like a properly aimed dart. Its contents get dumped into his blood stream and begin its slow work of healing him. Roland reaches to his shoulder, Fernando raises his cane towards Roland, enveloping him in a stasis field of energy and accelerated time. Roland’s artificial implants are expelled from his body with restored organs in the place they were in. His genetic abnormalities from years of cloning corrected. His body is rendered to a healthy and maintained individual of his age and moderate exercise. The energy around Roland fades away, leaving a new version of him. “You had no right in doing this!” Roland complains. “You have a job to do, and you were in no condition to do it being wretched and ill. You’re now in better condition to take on this task I need you to do. Now, if you can get the Hive to agree, what I gave you, I will give to the members of the hive when I return. But that means they have to give up a lot and share a lot with the communities. Your job as peacemaker will not be easy, and until peace is brought with your help, the communities and the Hives will ever be at war. That war has to end.” Fernando tells him. Roland lets out what one would consider as a disgruntled sigh.
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