God Of a Man
Across Two Eternities

“Commitment demands action, and actions may bring rewards.”

Chapter Twenty One: Known!
Dated: 8th July, 2461

The seedling that sprouts into an action is always an underlying commitment, whether voluntarily assumed or entrusted upon by the situation. Without commitment of some kind, any action is unlikely. It could be an official duty, a moral obligation, an abstract desire to achieve something, or it could even be a conscientious call arising out of the situation at hand, but the initiating point of every action lies in a commitment. But whatever be its source, a call for an action upon an identified commitment, cannot be turned down without experiencing regret or guilt. As easy it might be to assume one, a commitment cannot be shed in the same vein!

Actions obviously lead to results, which may be desired, unwanted or regretted. Most often these results are foregone conclusions, and the actions are already tied to a predetermined remuneration for the efforts that might be expended in performing them. Rarely however efforts go so far beyond the scope of commitment, that merely results and remuneration are not enough to equitably satisfy their worth. This is where rewards come in! Actions beyond the call of duty deserve satisfaction beyond the scope of results and remuneration. Still rarely however, the results themselves are so brilliant and outshine every expectation, that even rewards seem inept to satisfy the demands of gratitude. This is where awards come in!

However, there is no automatic right to awards for brilliant work, or automatic connection to rewards for special efforts. No one becomes worthy unless honestly judged by their peers. However, peers who fail to perform their moral obligation, to judge impartially, are forever condemned by history and questioned by posterity. A simple commitment thus becomes a seed that yields numerous future values. People like Captain Ahluwalia know this, and hence are not perturbed by the fact that they may be judged for their actions. What they are more concerned about are their commitments, and lest they be left unsatisfied by an error!

The Phoenix was back at the world condemned to its fate as fast as they had left, but nature doesn’t work by human clock. There wasn’t really any time left for even a minor miscalculation.

“The storm front has already hit the planet,” a panicked Jhiang reported back to all, “It should be at the block’s edges in just under ten minutes, and go through it within the next two.”

“We don’t have any time,” Aman exclaimed as he prepared to lower down again into a furnace expected to be burning at seventy five degree Celsius by now.

“I want to come with you,” Jenny pleaded one more time, even though she knew what the answer was going to be.

“It’s best you stay here, guide me via the radio,” Aman explained as he readied to be lowered down the hatch of the hovering craft, “I promise, I won’t return without the boy.” And the sturdy chains quickly lowered down the plank the Captain was standing on.

The instructions to the crew were clear; they were safe inside the ship from the scorching heat for up to about half an hour, and hence had nothing to worry about except what went down on the ground. Captain Ahluwalia was to be updated periodically about the approaching fire front, but not so much as to distract him from the job. The crew were to be ready to lift off and leave with lift still being pulled up if the need arises, or leave nevertheless should the Captain fail to return in time.

“Nine minutes and counting down,” was the first update from Jhiang as soon as the Captain’s feet touched the ground.

“Which house Jenny?” Captain Ahluwalia exclaimed as he tried to run as fast as he could in his heavy suit. They had tried their best to position their ship as close to the house Jenny and Jack had taken refuge in, but Captain Ahluwalia still needed pin-point directions for he didn’t know which one of the handful that he saw from above was it.

“It’s the big house with a huge lawn around it,” Jenny replied, “The very next one to your left.”

“Got it, going in,” Aman replied back as he rushed in as hard as he could. He made a straight dash for the basement, although it took him some precious seconds to locate it, for Jenny couldn’t have guided him inside from the camera view she had in the ship above.

The storm front had meanwhile started razing down houses on the block. It was like thousand explosive charges blowing away the houses to smithereens. But for all the bright light outside, almost too bright for comfort, there was pitch dark in the basement, the electricity having failed even before Jenny had stepped out of the water tank. Captain Ahluwalia tried his best in the faint light of his head mounted torch, but it further ate away at the time.

“There’s no one here,” a shocked Aman informed Jenny.

“What,” Jenny exclaimed, “It’s impossible! Please look carefully. Did you check all three tanks?”

“Each and every nook of this basement, including the three empty tanks,” Aman replied, “He’s not here.”

“Oh my mother, please do something,” and Jenny panicked and broke down.

“I’ll look above in the rest of the house quickly,” Aman exclaimed as he rushed out to have a quick look through the rest of the house, “Where could he possibly be Jenny, for I don’t think he is in this house anymore.”

“Six minutes left Captain,” a palpitating Jhiang interrupted to update his mission leader.

“I know,” Aman exclaimed, “But where is the boy, Jenny? Where would he go?”

“I don’t know,” an out of ideas Jenny exclaimed as she slapped her forehead, “Oh how could I do this to him? How could I leave him alone out there?” And she broke down!

“No time to cry babe,” Aman called back as he rushed out into the street, having taken a quick glance at the lawn around the house, “Only time to think! Concentrate and tell me where would he go?”

And then suddenly it occurred to Jenny, “I know where he must be!” And then, suddenly charged by a sense of urgency she explained, “He must be by his mother’s side! Aman; head back to where we dropped you, and then take your first right.”

“Four minutes to go Captain,” a panicking Jhiang added as the noise of houses blowing to bit became loud enough to be even heard inside the ship. Outside below, it was scary to the bones!

“I am rushing there now,” Aman exclaimed as he didn’t have a time to answer to Jhiang anymore. His throat having totally dried out, he didn’t even want to waste any more words, “Which house though? Get ready!”

“It is the only one with a little red brick fence,” Jenny replied, “Go to its backyard first, where his mother now rests.”

“Roger that,” Aman replied as he made haste in the direction.

“Jenny left me mom,” a crying, severely dehydrated and blistered Jack was lying on his mother’s resting place, “She’s gone! I’m scared!”

“Jack,” an unknown voice, that of Aman, however sough his attention as the warrior now finally stood next by his side.

A weak Jack turned around and looked at the space-suited figure standing by his side, with a spaceship hovering above their heads. “Captain Aman!” he exclaimed, as if he knew who it must be.

“One minute to go sir,” Jhiang almost pleaded.

“It’s time to go buddy,” Aman exclaimed as he stretched out his hand towards the little fellow, “Time to say goodbye to your mom.”

“But I don’t want to leave her,” Jack cried out, “I want to stay here with her. She’s scared!”

“Thirty seconds left sir,” Jhiang cried out on his part.

“Don’t worry,” Aman replied to Jack however, “I promise I’ll bring you back here later. But now we must leave!”

“Promise?” the little boy asked.

“I promise,” Aman exclaimed as he knelt down to lift the young lad in his arms.

“Ten seconds to go sir,” pleaded Jhiang.

“Prepare to leave at my call,” Aman replied as he made a dash towards the lift plank waiting for him, “I am bringing the young fellow back!”

The storm front was barely meters behind him now, blowing away brick and mortar structures, as if made of cardboard.

“Aman, quick,” cried out a desperate Jenny.

“Don’t you worry babe, we are almost back,” Aman comforted her, just as he stepped on to the plank and firmly planted his leading foot on it. With his other foot still mid-air, one hand gripping the chain firmly and the other supporting the boy firmly by his chest, he gave the marching orders, “Go! Go! Go!”

And the Phoenix flew away, with storm front barely inches away from the trailing feet of the warrior, who held hard to the chain of a lift being rolled back in fast. But the ship was faster, and the warrior still had to use all his muscle power to lift his feet and plank barely out of the way of a rooftop that would have otherwise knocked them off and into the fire. But finally, the lift was firmly back inside the ship, and the ship way beyond the reach of the storm.

“Jack, I thought I would lose you,” a crying Jenny exclaimed as she rushed to hug the boy, who for the first time felt the pain of the ordeals his body had been through, having been numbed by the heat earlier.

“He needs help,” a concerned Rukhsana exclaimed as soon as she saw the boy, “And that too fast! Bring him into the operating room, quick!”

Present’s ordeals however are future’s stories. And it is these ordeals that help inculcate values in posterity’s hearts, and instil a belief in the abilities of mortal minds and bodies. They are precious, and need to be preserved forever.

Jack survived the ordeal well, even though he had suffered a major heat shock, for he was a very hardy little boy. Within a couple of hours of having been rescued, he was telling stories to Captain Ahluwalia, who chose to be by his bed-side along with Jenny, while Captain Williams updated the base about the success of the mission.

“Captain Ahluwalia,” a concerned Captain Williams however rushed in on some account, “Our visual signal receivers just picked up an SOS.”

“Who is it?” and Captain Ahluwalia immediately sprung to his feet.

“It is from someone who identifies himself as Alex,” Shania informed him, “It originated somewhere about three months away, and was in general dispatched towards, allies?” Shania hadn’t yet been made aware about the rendezvous her people had with Alex from the humanity of this universe. So she wasn’t sure if she had correctly understood the message.

“Let me take a look,” and Aman immediately rushed back to the flight deck with her.

A favour is not something which is done with an expectation of a payback, for that would degenerate it to a business deal. A favour is a willing act performed because it was necessary for the sake of the one receiving it, and morally satisfying to the one who acted. If the receiver however finds themselves morally bound to return it should a need arise, it is the morality of gratitude that is binding their conscience.

“Phoenix to base,” Aman called back the base command, which luckily had the Admiral and President in attendance at that moment, and for a good reason too, as Aman was about to find out.

“Base receiving,” the communications operator replied.

“Our system picked up a call from help from a friend lost in space, and I need to speak to someone to discuss the issue,” Aman informed the operator.

“It’s Admiral Mir here,” the Admiral decided to take the call himself, “And yes we picked that message too, with the equipment you two had brought for us. It is someone called Alexander Rai, a human from this space, whom your mission met during the course of your journey. Bradley gave us the details yesterday before we dispatched him with that alien girl, acting on the suggestion Rear Admiral had made regarding the course that could be preferred in the circumstances. So what is it that you want to ask?”

“Sir, if I may add something,” Bradley, onboard Firestorm and headed along with his team to supposedly help Mishansa locate her surviving people, joined in the conversation.

Firestorm and Phoenix were connected to the same channel on Admiral’s command, to assist co-ordinating missions whenever necessary. Bradley thus could add his word to the whole talk.

So Bradley continued, “Now that we have established communication link between the two worlds, and Madam President has had a word with the Rear Admiral and Miss De Villiers; it is only a matter of time before we would move all our people to the new place. And by the looks of it; our next few generations appear bound to be living there until we find a home in our space and manage to get our people back there.”

“Indeed that is true,” the Admiral replied as Lady Davis looked on, “But what is your point?”

“Sir, in an enemy infested region like this, no words would be enough to underscore the importance of having allies,” Bradley had a good suggestion and a reason to make in response, and he emphasized them well, “And especially an ally who is almost the same as our own selves, and also happens to be the most powerful race in this universe. I recommend we use this opportunity to show our willingness to commit to their alliance.”

“What are your thoughts Captain Ahluwalia?” Lady Davis too decided to join the conversation, rather than being a mute spectator standing next to the General of her troops.

“I second that,” Aman replied before adding, “Now I do realize this message was not sent to us, but rather beamed across the space to any allies of this universe’s humans; it is clear that we happen to be the ones closest to assist. It appears Alex and his fiancée have taken refuge in a star rich region of a galaxy on their way back from here, and have supplies to last them about four months more. But I don’t think there’s anything their allies can do within that short frame of time in a region which is not their strong hold. And this last factor also bodes well for us for we could really tilt the balance of power in their favour should we impress them with our improved firepower.”

“Will they trust us though?” asked a concerned Michelle, “I don’t want to lead us into a situation where we end up making powerful enemies in our own backyard, for outsiders who won’t even trust us.”

“There is no way any of the powerful races around here are going to tolerate us,” Bradley replied to her query, “We have already met two of them, and they clearly have no intention to let us live. They don’t need to, for we have nothing to offer them, and nothing in common with them.”

“Madam President, it is only a matter of time before they discover our presence here,” Aman added, “And then we would be totally on our own and without hope. Our only hope is that humanity of this Universe takes us under its auspices. But for that hope to have a chance of breathing, we need to act now.”

“The boys do have a point Madam President,” Admiral agreed with the evaluation presented by the duo.

“But which one of them should we send?” Lady Davis asked.

“How are you and your team holding out there Captain Ahluwalia?” Admiral asked.

“Fine sir,” Aman replied as he guessed what the premise of the query was, “And we are ready sir!”

“How does Jenny feel about it?” Lady Davis asked.

“She is with me and she is happy,” Aman replied, “And I am happier than ever. So; whatever!”

“What about our little big fellow over there, Jack?” Admiral asked.

“We are his only family now Sir,” Aman replied, “And for a brilliant young man that he is, and especially after the ordeal he’s been through, I am not surprised he is still up for an adventure. I just had a chat with him before I contacted the base.”

“Any suggestions from you Captain Connors,” Admiral then asked Bradley.

“I would have loved to go there and assist Alex myself Sir,” Bradley replied, “But I understand the responsibility that has been entrusted to me, and I wish all the best to Captain Ahluwalia.”

“Very well then Captains,” Admiral replied, “Off you go!”

“Phoenix on top Sir,” Aman quipped and proceeded on to his next journey, with Jenny by his side, and little Jack, battered by situation but smiling nevertheless, from his seat in a corner by a window.

**Towards new beginnings!**