Read Online THE VROL TRILOGY by S.K. Benton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: S.K. Benton
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time in a linear fashion, I
have been in existence for eons more than anyone can even count. I
have seen the beginning of the current universe, of this galaxy,
and many others. I saw the Exodus to Azul and I saw the fall of
Earth. I have travelled to the furthest reaches of space, not
limited even to this, what you call the Visible Universe. I have
seen the rise and fall of magnificent empires, and some not so
magnificent. I am an observer and a corrector, a teacher and a
companion - and might I say, I really do think the stars are beautiful at
night?"
Max gave Draagh an
incredulous look, and then noticed he was still holding the bottle
of Glenfiddich in his left hand. Looking back at Draagh he said,
"OK, so you are super old, have seen a lot of stuff and you saw the
fall of… whoa, wait… you know what happened here?"
Draagh gained a whimsical expression,
his blue eyes twinkling in the firelight. Taking a small puff off
his pipe, he lightly cleared his throat and said, "Yes, the fall of
Earth. Quite tragic, really, but it could not have been avoided.
No, no, no. That was a certainty. The only reason you stand here
today is because one of your ancestors took a job with a certain
corporation, and then ended up on an Exodus barge. In fact, if he
would have gone out to coffee with a certain girl he fancied he
would have left his phone at home, by accident of course. Then he
would not have answered when a call came in for him to look into a
particular job."
"A job? Where?" asked Max.
"At a bar in the city of Pasadena,
California."
"Huh?" mumbled Max, unable to make a
connection between a bar and being on an Exodus barge.
"My son, all things are
interrelated. If your ancestor had not taken that job as a
bartender, that is, one who prepares alcoholic beverages for
guests, he would have never worked the happy hour shift and befriended a
top executive at a particular company - a company, by the way, that
was eventually purchased by a major corporation in the consortium
that eventually developed the fleet of barges. Once this man's
company was purchased, there was need for a senior level computer
ops manager, and as your ancestor was educated in this discipline,
he obtained the job, thereby unknowingly securing his passage on a
barge during the Exodus. Isn't it funny how one thing leads to
another, and then to another?"
Max nodded, interested, but still
skeptical. "Alright, so I had an ancestor who somehow made it onto
a barge, but what happened to the girl he was going to meet for
coffee?"
Draagh squinted his left eye, as if in
concentration.
"Hmmm, it seems to me that she was the
one who had cancelled the coffee date, as her ex-boyfriend was
pining for her to return and she gave in to his supplications. They
married and had seven children, all of whom grew up to be
spectacularly stupid criminals. So this young man, your ancestor,
eventually married with a particularly beautiful woman, once they
had emigrated to Azul. Of course, that is simply your mother's side
of the family - your father's is a completely different issue.
Smart people, they all were. On the bright side of things, you had
no living ancestors on Earth when the invasion occurred. Oh, I did
mention the invasion, did I not?"
"The fall of Earth is what you said.
What happened here? I went to Lima and there was practically no
life, and absolutely no sign of human remains. It's impossible that
they would have disintegrated after only a few hundred years, even
exposed to the elements. I mean, my instruments would have picked
up massive residual DNA at the very least."
Draagh nodded his head in the
affirmative while saying, "Yes, my son. It was quite tragic - quite
tragic, indeed. Not a trace left - invaders of a really nasty sort.
They were looking for particular natural resources, as are most
invaders. Earth forces did not take kindly to an alien race simply
showing up, uninvited. The invaders attacked, and a war
ensued."
"Hmmm… a war? What do you mean?"
have been in existence for eons more than anyone can even count. I
have seen the beginning of the current universe, of this galaxy,
and many others. I saw the Exodus to Azul and I saw the fall of
Earth. I have travelled to the furthest reaches of space, not
limited even to this, what you call the Visible Universe. I have
seen the rise and fall of magnificent empires, and some not so
magnificent. I am an observer and a corrector, a teacher and a
companion - and might I say, I really do think the stars are beautiful at
night?"
Max gave Draagh an
incredulous look, and then noticed he was still holding the bottle
of Glenfiddich in his left hand. Looking back at Draagh he said,
"OK, so you are super old, have seen a lot of stuff and you saw the
fall of… whoa, wait… you know what happened here?"
Draagh gained a whimsical expression,
his blue eyes twinkling in the firelight. Taking a small puff off
his pipe, he lightly cleared his throat and said, "Yes, the fall of
Earth. Quite tragic, really, but it could not have been avoided.
No, no, no. That was a certainty. The only reason you stand here
today is because one of your ancestors took a job with a certain
corporation, and then ended up on an Exodus barge. In fact, if he
would have gone out to coffee with a certain girl he fancied he
would have left his phone at home, by accident of course. Then he
would not have answered when a call came in for him to look into a
particular job."
"A job? Where?" asked Max.
"At a bar in the city of Pasadena,
California."
"Huh?" mumbled Max, unable to make a
connection between a bar and being on an Exodus barge.
"My son, all things are
interrelated. If your ancestor had not taken that job as a
bartender, that is, one who prepares alcoholic beverages for
guests, he would have never worked the happy hour shift and befriended a
top executive at a particular company - a company, by the way, that
was eventually purchased by a major corporation in the consortium
that eventually developed the fleet of barges. Once this man's
company was purchased, there was need for a senior level computer
ops manager, and as your ancestor was educated in this discipline,
he obtained the job, thereby unknowingly securing his passage on a
barge during the Exodus. Isn't it funny how one thing leads to
another, and then to another?"
Max nodded, interested, but still
skeptical. "Alright, so I had an ancestor who somehow made it onto
a barge, but what happened to the girl he was going to meet for
coffee?"
Draagh squinted his left eye, as if in
concentration.
"Hmmm, it seems to me that she was the
one who had cancelled the coffee date, as her ex-boyfriend was
pining for her to return and she gave in to his supplications. They
married and had seven children, all of whom grew up to be
spectacularly stupid criminals. So this young man, your ancestor,
eventually married with a particularly beautiful woman, once they
had emigrated to Azul. Of course, that is simply your mother's side
of the family - your father's is a completely different issue.
Smart people, they all were. On the bright side of things, you had
no living ancestors on Earth when the invasion occurred. Oh, I did
mention the invasion, did I not?"
"The fall of Earth is what you said.
What happened here? I went to Lima and there was practically no
life, and absolutely no sign of human remains. It's impossible that
they would have disintegrated after only a few hundred years, even
exposed to the elements. I mean, my instruments would have picked
up massive residual DNA at the very least."
Draagh nodded his head in the
affirmative while saying, "Yes, my son. It was quite tragic - quite
tragic, indeed. Not a trace left - invaders of a really nasty sort.
They were looking for particular natural resources, as are most
invaders. Earth forces did not take kindly to an alien race simply
showing up, uninvited. The invaders attacked, and a war
ensued."
"Hmmm… a war? What do you mean?"
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