Fear and Aggression (2 page)

Whether relativity was accurate or just a
good estimate in speaking of the fourth dimension was a debate left
up to the theorists, because in all practicality travel at
velocities at or near the speed of light was still science
fiction.

Speaking of practicalities, it may be
wondered how traveling in this fourth dimension is possible at all.
It may seem as though it would be one thing to prove the existence
and form of a fourth dimension, but an entirely different thing to
maneuver there-in. As it turns out, the engineers who went about
tackling this problem didn’t find it to be much of a problem at
all. Once the computers had a mathematical paradigm of it, all that
had to be done was to let the computer direct the motion of a space
craft according to the four-dimensional paths calculated. The
fourth dimension had always been there, it was just so different
from the third dimension that everyone was completely unaware of
its existence. Traveling within it was simply a matter of knowing
how it was shaped, and that was only possible by complex
calculations.

The days and weeks prior to the launching of
the first space craft designed to travel in four-dimensional space
were quite a spectacle. While NASA maintained that what was going
on was nothing more than a part of their routine space program, it
was not a very well-kept secret. Experts from all over the world
were sought after for assistance: mathematicians, engineers,
astrophysicists, cosmologists, philosophers, et cetera. Too many of
them lectured in too many halls to not have spilled too many beans
for NASA’s liking. When the fourth dimension was nothing more than
theory and complicated computer calculations, public interest was
all but nonexistent. But when space ships, tax dollars, and
journalists became involved, public interest became
pandemonium.

One of the problems was that it was not a
very well-leaked secret, either. What was known was that the rocket
would release a spherical vessel once it had left the atmosphere.
The spherical vessel would have rockets placed tangentially across
its surface area, to enable the computers to move the ‘ball’ in any
third dimensional direction possible, which would be, effectively,
straight ahead in the fourth dimension. Where exactly straight
ahead would be was not known for sure, but the best guesses were
the moon, Mars, or Venus.

The skeptics were in full swing. They
painted a picture in the minds of the average person of a very
expensive ball being sent up to space that would simply gyrate all
around; yet NASA thought that it would somehow arrive at its
designed location faster than the speed of light. Some suggested
that since the ball would be so close to the atmosphere, if the
computers decided to rocket it in the direction of the earth, that
it would reenter the atmosphere and potentially wreak havoc on the
earth’s surface. Others wondered how much precious energy and
resources would be wasted on all of these thousands of rockets
firing off, seemingly randomly. They reasoned that by having so
many rockets fire in so many directions, they would be fighting
against one another, and probably, at best, cause the ball to spin
uncontrollably.

It was possible that a very non-vocal
minority may have been excited about the possibilities, but public
opinion generally ranged from apathy to sarcasm to rage. By the
time the big day arrived, it was widely considered likely to be the
biggest, most expensive failure in NASA history. The President and
members of Congress began to distance themselves from the
event.

Until three days before the launch, it was
still classified as top secret, though it was anything but that.
With the mission so widely discussed, and pressure on NASA to make
live satellite video of the event available for public viewing, the
President made the decision to allow the event to be covered on
live television. It was the first time in many decades that the
public wanted to watch live anything that NASA had done; however,
this time the public interest was in watching NASA fail.

The launch went off without a hitch; all the
disengagements went perfectly. In a short period of time, the
rocket, having left the atmosphere, released the ball. It was far
less of a spectacle than what had been conjured up in the public’s
imagination. Artists’ renditions of rumors are rarely very
accurate. Far fewer rockets covered the surface of the ball than
the general public though, and it seemed to be rather drab, via the
satellite images that the viewers were witnessing.

The ball and the rocket distanced themselves
from one another, but nothing else happened. It lasted two minutes
and thirty-seven seconds, but most observers said it seemed much
longer. From the angle that the satellite captured the event, one
rocket could be seen igniting for a split-second, and then the ball
was gone. Silence ensued across the planet. In the upper right-hand
corner of the television was a view entitled ‘Moon Cam.’ It
appeared to be a still shot of a section of the Moon’s surface. For
seconds nothing appeared in either picture. Then, just as instantly
as the ball had disappeared from the main camera angle, it
reappeared in the Moon Cam as it slammed into the surface of the
moon, exactly centered in the image. It had traveled at a velocity
far in excess of the speed of light, or so it seemed based on the
few seconds it took to reappear at the moon, and yet it barely
scratched the moon’s surface. The ball was broken, to be sure; it
looked like an egg that had been dropped on a hard floor. But that
speed should have caused an impact that would have disintegrated
the ball and caused an enormous crater to add to the moon’s copious
collection.

But the ball had never reached a velocity
worthy of being called a snail’s crawl. It hadn't traveled fast,
just differently. The fourth dimensional distance between the spot
that it began its journey and its final resting place was minute;
considering how long it took, it had never reached much of a speed
at all. Its crash was more akin to a fender bender than a serious
collision.

So there it sat, while the unblinking eyes
of the world stared at it in amazement. The world in unison had
witnessed the impossible; forever the world would be different. But
for anyone to conceptualize this new world, at that point, would be
like Benjamin Franklin imagining Las Vegas at night just after he
had flown his kite with the key in the rain storm.

Still, the thoughts and feelings of everyone
in the world were one; perhaps unlike any other time in history.
While most people had a very poor understanding of the physics of
the three-dimensional world to begin with, still, everyone knew
that things now were different—much different—and would never be
the same again.

It had been a splendid afternoon. The
temperature reached maximum a little after noon, yet there had been
a cool and refreshing breeze. As the sun began to fall and the
temperature drop, the breeze had stopped. It was neither warm nor
cool, but just perfect. The sun was behind the young man and his
father as they walked slowly and methodically down the path towards
their home, so they could not see the radiant orange and pink
sunset behind them.

For the past twenty minutes nothing had been
spoken between the companions. They had had a day of talking,
learning, and experiencing together; nothing could be spoken that
would have added anything to the moment. The young man, of a little
over thirteen years of age, had an air of goodness, confidence, and
self-assurance about him. But at the same time he held his father
in such high respect and esteem that he walked with his head bent
slightly down, looking, as it were, at the ground several yards
ahead. The older man held a staff in his right hand and walked on
his son’s right. A close look at this man’s features revealed his
age of fifty-two, but to look at him from a distance of only
several feet he appeared younger. He had striking—penetrating—black
eyes, and a full set of thick dark hair with a slight wave. His
skin had a naturally light complexion, but was darkened somewhat
because of the time he spent outdoors. He walked erectly, his gaze
parallel to the ground, and with smooth steady strides, less than
half a pace in front of his son. On his face could be seen a trace
of fatigue, and yet with his eyes he expressed the smile of a very
pleased and contented father.

“
Caryell, I see your
mother,” spoke the father firmly and pleasantly. Though still a
long way off, their home had come into view, and the wife and
mother of the two travelers could be seen doing some chores in the
comfortable early evening.

Caryell raised his eyes and gazed towards
his home and his mother for a few moments while a pleasant smile
slowly transformed his face. A few seconds later he looked up and
over towards his father, as his father simultaneously looked down
and over towards him. They both smiled warmly and brightly at each
other and then continued to smile as they turned their gaze back to
home. “Father, I wonder what we shall be eating tonight," spoke
Caryell resolutely though quietly.

“
I will be content with
anything tonight, but I am sure that your mother has prepared
something special, my son.”

As they reached the clearing, Aspiria,
having just noticed her husband and son, began to wave. Her
gestures were mimicked by those approaching, and she felt perplexed
momentarily as to whether she should walk in their direction to
meet them, or to stay and watch as they approached. Aspiria was a
beautiful woman of thirty-eight years of age. She was thin, but not
frail. She was somewhat tall, with slightly broad shoulders. Though
she was certainly strong and fit, she also had a delicate look
about her. Her long, dark brown hair glistened in the sun.

Aspiria had spent the last couple of hours
busy in the kitchen preparing a splendid feast. The fowl that was
roasting was almost finished and a wonderful aroma filled her home.
The table was set with vegetables, both steamed and raw, and fresh
baked bread complimented the aroma of the fowl. She had a beautiful
cake prepared and fruit juice to drink. The kitchen had become a
little warm, and she had decided to enjoy a few minutes of the
waning sunshine outdoors.

“
You look lovely this
evening, my dear,” said Roloff as he approached his wife and kissed
her on the cheek. Aspiria smiled softly, and gazed at Roloff for a
moment and then turned her attention to Caryell.

“
Are you tired,
Caryell?”

“
No, only a little bit,
mother. I can smell the bird cooking. Is dinner almost
ready?”

“
He must be hungry,” said
Aspiria with a light chuckle.

“
He is, and so am I,” said
Roloff as the family walked into their home.

The Palador family lived in a fairly
spacious one story home. As they entered the back door, the kitchen
could be seen on the left; straight ahead was their living room.
Aspiria had painted the walls a light yellow. The room was well lit
with large bay windows on the side opposite of the door that they
had entered, facing the front of the home. The windows were open,
but the lacy-white curtains barely moved as there was no
appreciable breeze.

Caryell entered the living room and sat on a
large off-white couch that faced the stone mantel. He laid back a
little and put his left leg on the couch while letting his shoe
dangle off of the front. He closed his eyes for a moment, but then
opened them and stared dreamily out in front of him.

Roloff disappeared for a little while in the
direction of the master bedroom. When he returned he had changed
cloths and cleaned up. Aspiria had just taken the roasted bird out
of the oven when Roloff entered. He finished setting the table and
then began to carve the bird while Aspiria completed some finishing
touches.

“
Caryell, change and clean
up; we shall eat in a few moments,” called Aspiria as she undid her
apron and began to walk towards the master bedroom herself. “How
did everything go today?” she whispered, stopping short near her
husband.

Roloff said nothing for a moment as he
finished carving a piece. “He is a fine young man in every way,” he
said slowly and methodically without looking up from the bird. “A
father could not be more pleased.” Aspiria stood there for a
moment, and looked at the bird, then walked to her bedroom.

Not more than two or three days after the
ball had struck the moon, UFO mania had reached a new height. At
first the media treated it with contempt as it had always done;
however, the public’s attention was fixated on the possibilities of
space travel—away from, and towards the earth. It didn't take more
than a week before even the ‘reputable’ news sources were
interviewing those who had been ‘abducted by aliens!’ Elaborate
theories as to who among celebrities were really aliens or
half-aliens were the talk of the town, whatever town one may be in.
Even those who were ‘level-headed’ had a more difficult time
dispelling such ideas, for if intelligent life did exist on other
planets, there was no longer any practical reason why they couldn't
have traveled to earth.

This was the big question: did intelligent
life, or life of any sort, for that matter, exist outside of earth?
The first backlash against the UFO mania came from some of the main
stream religions. “If life existed outside of this planet, our holy
books would have said so,” went the argument. The accounts of the
creation seemed to imply that the universe had been created with
the earth as the place for life. Of course not all religions held
such limited and ego-centric views of the universe, but they seemed
to smile quietly, rather than join the chaos. However, most people
were not paying much attention to religious authorities at this
time anyway.