TRAVELER

CHAPTER 2

Human life spans had increased through the years and I-Garentanda-knew I could retire right now. I was pushing four hundred, but for the first thirty years I had worked my butt off, lost in the shuffle of corporate bio-tech. My disillusionment had ended in a nasty cycle of drugs and partying, with my wife close at hand. Before we left, I had looked around the room and knew Stephano had a similar story, but worse. All of us here were tired of just getting by, there had to be answers to life's hard questions out there and now we were risking it all to find them.

I lingered just below the surface of Stephano's subconscious as he left our room and threaded his way through the tight, supply packed corridors of the starship Double Entendre. To me he seemed a man on a mission and I breathed lightly as he tried to make sure he was alone. I had found a place to hide inside his mind.

He entered a tiny closet the size of a phone booth, as every square inch of the ship was utilized. Inside was a communication array among the densely packed electronics and equipment. There was only enough room to stand as he closed the door and fiddled with the controls. I knew he hadn't mentioned this to any of us, so I floated in the silence between his consciousness and the home below where I was supposed to be. Finally after some concerted effort, a strange yet familiar face appeared on screen. Master Diadic, a spiritual guru. I-Garentanda-had seen him in the news.

There was a fierce determination in the master's eyes that left no doubt he was a man who was enlightened. The soft smile and long knots of matted hair disarmed you just before he knocked your philosophical socks off. A sharp goatee and emerald bright eyes spoke of the dichotomy between his beliefs and his esoteric knowledge. But you would never take him lightly and even the most stringent traveler was enamored by his presence. He had an easy way about him that drew you in like an orchid and held you without pain. He was known as the Gateway, and all who passed here went through him.

"Hello Stephano, I'm so glad you have finally begun your journey."

"Yes master Diadic, I can barely contain my excitement, though our arrival won't be for another nine months."

"Please, just Diadic. You and your wife are coming, correct?"

"My girl friend." He hadn't told Diadic about the rest of us.

"Very well, my home on Outpost Iridani 876 is a popular way point on the path of enlightenment. I have an annual migration of over twenty million travelers, this being the final destination. But use the time to prepare yourself, we all have work to do, don't you agree?"

I--Garentanda--found myself mesmerized by his presence as Stephano's heart raced in his chest. I was hidden in the subconscious, but fully aware of the guru Diadic's power.

"We will be visiting Arcadia." Stephano said.

"Ahh, yes. The bastion planet of Arcadia. It is a way point terminus for galactic travelers, a centerpiece for enlightenment. It is considered the cornerstone of the unwritten way. You know there is no printed map in a book somewhere; each sojourner has it written on their heart, sharing their story by quantum torch, passing their knowledge by word of mouth."

I--Garentanda--found myself enamored with the Gateway as well, I hung on his every word even here in the subconscious. My spirit seemed alive, welling up into new heights of awareness.

Diadic continued. "Did you know Arcadia broke off from the Empire as a rogue government? Yes, they even declared an entire Subdivision of space as their own Nuclear Free Zone. That's fifty square light years with their own body of liberated government and unique sociological flavor. Fusion power and the more advanced disciplines of quantum manipulation are banned there which leaves solar, wind, and water power to rule the day. Even atmospheric space travel is limited to solid propellant with mechanical inertial damping to reduce carbon emissions and allow a green architecture to their society." Stephano hung on his every word and Diadic showed no sign of relenting as he mapped out the intricate details of one of the travelers greatest way points.

"There is a fine line between adhering to rules and living in unbridled freedom," the master continued. "It takes a special breed to feel at home in Arcadia, whereas outsiders struggle with local conventions. The very powers in place to keep freedom can put an undue burden on the freedom. With freedom comes power and ultimately power can corrupt. Just so you know, haters are not welcome in the Subdivision, which is an oxymoron in and of itself."

"We will make the pilgrimage to Arcadia as planned. I feel like I belong there already."

"I must be going, till we meet, fare thee well." With that the screen went blank, leaving an emptiness where Diadic's presence had been moments before. I--Garentanda--was mad, though I knew it was messing with my Chi. Why had Stephano lied? I would wait to see how this panned out. Stephano squeezed down narrow corridors until he passed through the ships mid point. I knew this was the line of demarcation, where the duplicate portion of the ship's two halves met.