Chapter CHAPTER XIV—THE MULTI-MEGAVERSE

“I and the rest of my kind, the Tepons, are from a fifth dimensional universe known to us as ‘Eno’, meaning ‘alone’ in Teponian, the language of the Veex and Zux. It encompassed the only universe we knew at the time. We eventually learned that we did not exist alone.”

“Wait a minute, please,” I coolly requested.

“Of course. Does my explanation upset you?

I took a deep breath then answered him. “Could you please explain you can possibly be from universe in dimension?”

The only kinds of people that I knew who could begin to understand what Jules spoke of included the “spiritual types” and the “string theory types”. I did not belong to either group, but I had a college friend with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics who attended a metaphysical church in Tampa. She would understand completely. I wished desperately that I could call her.

“As I understand it, most Earth-Humans are just learning about the possibility of multiple universes and dimensions. Are you familiar with any of these concepts?”

“Yes, but the multiverse or megaverse, as some call it, is not accepted by everyone as fact yet or included in standard curriculum for young students.”

I did not know what else to say. I thought of myself as an educated woman with an open mind, but I was no George Lucas or Gene Roddenberry. Just the thought of the vastness of reality rendered me physically and mentally numb.

In my silence, Jules continued. “The multi-megaverse is real. There are universes in every dimension of reality and no two are the same. The differences between Eno and here are numerous, as you can imagine.

Most beings that I know subscribe to the theory of twelve dimensions, each more complex than the last. We are from the fifth dimension, though currently located in the third. This is not a good sign, but I’ll share more on that predicament later.”

“Okay.”

“As I was saying, our universe is known as Eno. It houses our galaxy, named Selethia and our home planet, called Tepo.

“Like Earth, Tepo is the home to a cornucopia of flora and fauna. Some of the most unique and beautiful plants and animals in Eno can only be found on our planet. We have always been very aware of this fact and extremely protective of our homeland.

“The dominant animals on Tepo, called Tepons, can be equated to humans here on Earth. Like the Homo genus, there is more than one species in existence. Contrary to the situation here on Earth, two species, Veex and Zux, are a part of the Epa genus and considered equally evolved.”

“Jules,” I whispered, raising my hand slightly. He nodded. “I’m sorry to interrupt you yet again, but there is only one species of humans now, Homo sapien sapiens. The other species and subspecies are extinct.”

“Yes, the other Homo sapien subspecies are extinct, but according to our observations, there are still to this day other hominid species living on Earth in small groups. They are alive and well in some of the more remote areas of your planet, including your own country.

“Inga has been hard at work compiling all the evidence she can find in your scientific databases. She is corroborating the information with satellite and drone observations provided by Tala. I can provide you with a copy of the report once it is completed.”

“Right—” I said, unsure of him, myself, and everything I ever knew to be true in the world.

I gently rubbed my temples in a clockwise motion.

. I nodded my head to let him know that he could continue.

“Tepo is located in the center solar system inside of Selethia which is positioned directly in the middle of Eno. There, we Tepons are treated like royalty. We were the most distinguished and powerful genus in our galaxy, and rising in rank amongst the beings of the universe. I suspect that we may find a conspiracy behind our untimely demise, but first let me tell you about our brethren.

“Physically, the Veex and Zux are exactly alike. Even in terms of mental capacity, we are similar. On the other hand, spiritually, we are a hundred and eighty degrees different.” The statement had the ominous impact that he desired.

“You mean they’re evil?”

“They are the ones who have your son.” The hair on the back of my neck stand up. “This is not a matter of different religious preferences like spirituality is treated here on Earth. The Zux have evolved to conquer or destroy. It has become part of their spiritual configuration.

“The soul, as some Earth-Humans have recently re-discovered, does indeed exist. Though, Tepons are from the same genus, our souls are completely different. Our common ancestor, the one who gave all Tepons life, split their soul into two sets of divergent male and female pairs, in hopes of creating a planet of molecular balance.

“These four became known as the elders, our earliest ancestors. They consisted of one male Veex, one female Veex, one male Zux and one female Zux. Collectively, they were extremely powerful and the source from which all Tepons were born.

“On this planet, we have found tales of the ability for humans to fly, talk to animals, control objects with the mind alone, or even to disappear and reappear in an entirely different place. Each Tepon possess one such ability. Our ancestors could do all these things and more.”

“The elders always believed that if our world were to come to an end, it would be the result of our own doing. We held the belief that the elders could not die.”

“And now?” I breathed, picking up on the fact that he spoke of them in past tense only.

“We do not know what to believe anymore—as far as the elders are concerned. They seem to be lost to us forever.

“Without their guidance, Selethia will be destroyed.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Under the decree of the elders, the Veex were responsible for diplomatic relationships and political negotiations. We protected weaker and more peaceful planets from the bullies of the galaxy. Who will protect them now?”

“Who are the bullies?”

“Usually, they were our own brethren, the Zux. With their expertise in military affairs and natural resource explorations, they breed themselves to be conquerers. Compared to the Zux, we Veex are more considerate, compassionate, and cautious. When the Zux created issues between themselves and foreign diplomats, we Veex tasked ourselves with repairing relations and avoiding war.

“Only the Prime Creator knows who will fill their evil void.”

“You mean God?”

“Yes, the terms seem to be synonymous.”

I nodded, impressed.

He continued, “You have heard me mention the life force. It is the energy of the soul that gives each person the ability to live. This energy comes from the Prime Creator and was given to our ancestors to control.

“Unless by accident or violence, a Tepon only dies when he or she chooses and always with a life partner. When both Tepons decide to move on, they join as one and bare a set of male and female twins. When the twins are born, both parents give their lives to their children.”

“Oh my! So all Tepon children are born orphans?”

“We do not have this term in our language, but if you mean that they are born without parents then the answer is yes.”

“Who raises the children?”

“Many children are raised by other family members, mostly aunts and uncles and their life partners. If no relatives are available or willing to raise the children, they are taken into governmental custody together.”

“That’s awful!”

“Don’t you have a similar systems in place for children on Earth?”

“Well, yes but—”

“And that is with both parents living.”

“Not always, but sometimes, yes.”

“And siblings getting separated in your system?”

“Yes, that happens too, but—”

“I don’t understand your objection.”

“Neither do I anymore. You can proceed.”

“All that is left of Tepo lives here on Earth. Everyone else is dead.”

“What happened to them?”

“By the time I was born, Tepo was already dying. As a result, I and others in my generation were raised differently from the Veex before us. Many, like Rahim, received education to become diplomats, in search of a new home for our species. The Veex had finally decided, unequivocally, to part ways with the Zux.

“There were six other groups of Veex vessels with the same mission as ours spread far and wide across the galaxy.

“Seven Zux vessels were sent out to explore and excavate natural resources on uninhabited planets. There were occasions where the Zux defied orders and visited an inhabited planet. We were involved on two such occasions.

“My team and I were trained to negotiate with the ruling classes and species of each planet, some of which we had never been in contact with Tepons, though they were within our galactic territory. Our goal was to convince the inhabitants to join the United Federation of Selethia, also known as the UFS. Tepons, both Veex and Zux, were leaders and co-founders in the group.

“If they declined, we left with plans to return at a later date. If they joined, we then proceeded to initiate them into the UFS. After their initiation, we started negotiations to see if they would grant the Veex emergency refuge on their planet in exchange for information, security, and technology, military protection. There are many political, environmental, academic, and economic benefits to being a UFS member and this was our payment for furthering recruitment.

“If the ruling class of the new UFS planet declined to offer refuge, but wished to remain in the UFS, we were instructed to leave. The planet was able to keep their galactic membership without threats of retaliation. The Veex are not vengeful beings.

“The Zux, however, had a different approach to solving our planetary problems. They took it upon themselves to take a planet by force if the ruling inhabitants did not agree to share their environment and resources with them. They offered them nothing in return.

This policy lead to war after war, spreading the Zux military thin and leaving our home planet vulnerable to attack.

“The group of individuals before you,” he gestured to the lifelike figures on the table, “comprises the 3rd Veex Diplomatic Company or VXY-3.

“On our last mission, we were on the planet Adirolf, an existing UFS member, when we received an emergency message from another union member and neighboring planet, Amabala. They were under attack by one of the Zux military squads.

“We felt compelled to help the innocent inhabitants of Amabala so we decided as a group to intervene. Our actions were then sanctioned by the elders, a necessary requirement, even in an emergency situation such as genocide.

“We were too far away from our home planet for reinforcements to arrive in time so we sent a distress message to the two closest Veex vessels deployed in a near-by star system and proceeded alone. We knew that every minute wasted was life or death for thousands of Amabalians.

“When we arrived on Amabala, we were met by widespread devastation. I was outraged. We located the Zux and attempted to reason with them. They refused to heed our pleas so we provided resources to many brave Amabalians and Adirolfese.

“We were on that planet for a Tepon week dealing with the crisis and yet we had not heard anything from our command center back on Tepo. We attempted to provide assistance to the ailing Amabalians. Of course, from their perspective, we looked the same as the ones who had harmed them. So, in most cases we were not well received.

“Finally, after a week and a half of frustration, we received word from Tepo. The message was from a Tepon university professor by the name of Doctor Quchen, an ancient Tepon, nearly as old as the ancestors themselves.

Dr. Quchen had never paired with anyone, keeping his life force for himself. He’s much respected amongst both Veex and Zux and his courses are some of the only ones that host both species together in one classroom.

“When we received his message, we were all stunned. We had expected to hear from our command center, not a famous university professor.

The message held devastating news. Doctor Quchen explained that he and his students had barely managed to escape the planet, which was currently being annihilated. He had sent the same message to all deployed Veex and Zux vessels urging them to come back to Tepo straightaway in order to save the planet from destruction. He did not specify who or what was responsible.

“Naturally, we prepared to depart immediately. In Tepon time, the trip from Amabala took fourteen moons. We were not certain of the locations of the other Veex and Zux vessels beyond the star system shared by Adirolf and Amabala.

“Even at fourteen moons away, we were the closest vessel to Tepo. Half-way home, we received a second message. It read: ‘The planet has been destroyed along with everyone on it. Do not panic, for I am the—’”

There was a pregnant silence. He did not continue.

“The what? What was he?” I asked, fully enthralled by his riveting tale.

“No one will ever know,” said Jules sadly. “We never heard from him again. We rushed back to Tepo as fast as we could travel, but when we got there, there was nothing but fragments of our beloved planet and moons. We could not believe our eyes.”

He spoke so softly that I could barely hear him. His eyes nearly filled with tears. They glistened in the dim light from the sparkling stars above and moving figures down below.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Jules,” I said, my own voice cracking. I felt the pain that he described, the pain so clearly etched in his troubled face.

“I cannot tell you how many times we checked our positioning coordinates,” he recollected heartbroken. “We wanted them to be wrong. We did not want this floating mess to be all that was left of our once beautiful home!”

I could tell that he was becoming emotional. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and continued.

“We decided to search for signs of life amongst the rubble. There was a chance that despite how things looked, there may be a lone escape pod floating helplessly amid the debris. We searched in vain, but found nothing.

“We were debating what to do next, when a vessel came into view. Thinking it was survivors, we approach it carelessly. Though they seemed to have power, their communications appeared disabled. At any rate, they did not respond to any of our messages. Upon further investigation, we discovered that the vessel was indeed Tepon. More specifically, it was Zux. Nonetheless, we were determined to assist them.

“Suddenly, a message came through in Teponian. It read, ‘Do you have Doctor Quchen?’ From the message metadata, we knew that this Zux vessel was the same vessel we had faced on Amabala.

“We responded, ‘No, we do not. We believe he perished along with the others.’

“It was then that they attacked. We were completely unprepared. Qego Mouyo was not built for offensive battle. Most of her combat technology is defensive.

“After they fired upon us, we activated every defense mechanism we had, but she had already suffered structural damage. We warned them that area was unstable, but again, they did not heed our requests. They fired again.

“Suddenly, Qego Mouyo began to move on her own as if pulled by an unknown source of energy and we completely lost control.”