If You Could See What I See

Jonathan fell into his bedroom chair feeling awestruck and nauseous by what the orb had revealed to him. Both conditions a direct result of his virtual travel through time and space. His first reaction was to run to the bridge and tell the captain what he saw, but fortunately, the queasiness gave him time to rethink that move. More thought about what the best course of action should be was needed.

There were so many unknowns involving this glowing sphere. Questions like where is it getting the power from, and does he control it, or is the orb controlling him. For Jonathan, one of the most important questions he needed answered was, can he share what he’s seeing with others? It would be so much more convincing if he could project the images in his mind onto the wall of the ship’s bridge. The more he hashed over various solutions in his mind, the further away he was from a viable resolution.

A loud banging on his cabin door suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

“Jonathan, the captain wants everyone on the bridge for a briefing in ten minutes. Copy?”

“I’ll be there, no worry.”

Now he had a more immediate issue to deal with. How was he supposed to keep the orb hidden until he wanted to reveal it? Jonathan felt that removing it from his eye socket was no longer an option. He and the orb had formed an unbreakable symbiotic relationship. His only other option was to place his eye patch over the orb and hope it’s glow wouldn’t shine out around the edges. It was almost report time and with no other viable options, Jonathan slid the patch securely over his left eye and put on a ballcap, pulling it low over his forehead. From here on it was up to fate.

The briefing room was standing room only when Jonathan entered so he took an empty spot along the back wall. Everyone was used to his patch, so few gave it a second glance. This was better than he had hoped for. No light leaked out from around the edges so now all he needed was to remain inconspicuous until the briefing was over. Then he would decide what to do from there. Nothing ever works out that simple when Jonathan is involved.

The captain stood in front of the assemblage looking grim and somewhat lost for words.

“There is no easy way to say this so I might as well tell it like it is. Terminus is under attack. We don’t know by whom or what. The message we received was sent five years ago. We have had no follow up messages so far. This ship is not fitted for battle, nor do we have enough supplies to return to Earth. Unless someone has a better idea, our only option is to continue enroute and hope the battle is over by the time we get there.”

Jonathan felt as though he was having an out-of-body experience, even though it was actually him addressing the gathering.

“Captain, if I may say a few words? It is extremely important I assure you.”

Looking somewhat annoyed at being interrupted by a junior member of the crew, the captain nevertheless motioned for Jonathan to continue. The young crew member walked to the front of the room, turned so that everyone had a clear view of his face, and removed his eyepatch. A rainbow-colored beam of light pulsed out from where his left eye once was. It grew in intensity until everyone stared in amazement. A picture of a beautiful blue planet formed in the space between the people and the ceiling, and when it was fully formed, Jonathan spoke.

“Terminus is no longer and will never be again. What we are showing you is a planet that is willing to take you in and allow you to call it home if you care for it better than you cared for Earth. It is beautiful and only six months from our present position. Are you agreeable to these terms?”

The passengers and crew quickly recovered from their shock and amazement at what they had just witnessed and then the bickering began. They agreed to inhabit the new planet, but would they behave? They are human, aren’t they?