Return to Earth

Chapter 32

The villagers of Sheep Head had been brought to a nearby village to stay the winter. It was cramped, but no one from either village complained. Victor had remained with his people to help them adjust. The food and supplies they needed to make it through the winter had been taken care of by Cascadia.

Word spread of the loss of Sheep Head to other villages under the rule of the elders and Priests. There had been no flare from the sun to punish anyone, which led to a lot of questions being asked. Battles waged throughout the villages from the mountains to the Atlantic where the elders and their guards were defeated at every turn without any sign of an angry sun.

Cascadia took the villages in under their protection as elders were forced to flee with their guards to the few temples within their reach. Rumors had it that the Priests let them die from the elements to punish them for their failures.

Throughout the winter, not much was needed and Kierst had a great deal of time on his hands to read and study Judaism and Christianity. Kierst had kept his focus on the evidence and read the Bible. He concluded there was a Rabbi Yeshua was crucified by the Romans, which was a horrendously slow way to kill someone. As for the body not being there, the Nazareth Inscription made compelling evidence as to its disappearance. When it came to God or man involved in the disappearance, he couldn't determine without more time.

From what he read and studied, there was no conflict between Judaism and Christianity, other than inventions by people to force something to fit that didn't fit at all. Just as Dune had said, both were waiting for the same Messiah. The Christian violence and wars of the past were nothing more than forcing a narrow view on the populous that didn't fit Christianity.

Dune knocked on the door, which caused him to mark his place. "Something's happening in the southeast. Grab your gear and get to the Medjay."

The look on his face told Kierst it was something serious. "What?"

He shook his head as frustration touched his face. "No idea. A large mass of people close to Cascadia protection."

Kierst searched for his helmet and gloves, which had been misplaced due to lack of use. "Be there in a moment. Go. I'll be there as soon as I find my gear."

Dune reached down to the floor and tossed his missing items on the bed next to the closed Bible. "Let's go."

They raced out to the Medjay together as Kierst struggled to keep his grip on gloves and helmet. It was too much of an urgency to take the time to put anything on until he was seated within the ship already set to leave. His helmet slipped from his hands and rolled to the ship, which caused him to slow enough to get his gloves on before recovering it from the muddy ground.

He found Petrovitch sitting next to Jada, with her occupying the copilot's seat and allowed Dune to handle atmospheric readings. His helmet didn't want to go on, but with a hard slap from Dune, he felt it slide into place.

The takeoff was almost reckless as they raced over the walls and trees, which were just starting to come back to life. Petrovitch was tight with his movements, tighter and less controlled than he should've been. There was a tenseness that came from everyone as the speed picked up. The only words spoken were those necessary to fly without getting them all killed in the process.