"After Roswell" by A.H. Roberts (top 100 books to read txt) 📕

to smile. Showing a connection with me. Finally a void has been filled. Once again he starts the conversation. "So tell me a little about yerself. What brings you to good Ole' Roswell?" Since he has open up the conversation of interest about me. I begin story of my voyage to enter his system. I babble on in technical terms on objects I've passed, how my people want to know about the lifeforms that inhabit this world, and the distance traveled to get here. He carefully listens to my explanation and seems astonish by the journey I took to meet them. "Holy, shit! Did you just say five-hundred trillion miles away. Why da hell would you want to travel that far anyway to land in some fucking desert"? I'm confused because Hank seems so uninterested in the length it took just to meet them. That his religion supercedes his understanding for the cosmos. That the universe is on a larger scale, even for his god. I begin to explain the big picture."Look Hank, this world and my home are separated by years of travel. Your system is one of many in the galaxy, it just lies on the galactic edge far, from everyone else". He soon comes to knowledge of want education he didn't process on the subject of systems, stars, and other planets. He totals up all the things I just discuss with him. "So yer telling me your not from Mars or like those close-by objects that I see in the sky. Yer saying I can't see yer place with those big fancy binoculars. I realize that his view of the cosmos is only want he has observed out in the desert, not having accessibility to a magnified scope. "Correct their is more then meets the eye.....you understand that saying"? Hank is surprised for my understanding of human phases and responses. "Oh yes fella I understand. Yer tellin me dat der are more then just speck of lights in the night sky......like something behind it". My conversation with him is odd, like I've met him before in another time. Conversation has develop more meaning as each word is spoken. I agree with his explanation."Yes Hank, but more like beyond it not behind it. My world is pleasant like a dream you might experience". He looks up at the ceiling trying to pull a memory of a pleasant time. He turns his attention back to me, his eyes expanding in size. "I had a dream that I was on some kind of island.....no a paradise were nice people are all over the place and I'm living like a king". I remember that word....paradise, it was spoken through conversation on another exploration. "Paradise is a good word to explain my planet. No violence, peaceful society, and kind beings who welcome all to their world". I stand from my seat. Telling him that I have to get something from the barn. "I be right back". I decided to give him a offering. A memento as you call it. Entering the barn I try to remember if it was packed on the trip with me. This item is what humans would call a lucky token that makes one feel safe. Since I receive it I never left it back on the home world. One day I was going to give it to my son. But I feel it benefits the mission that I give it to Hank. Even he if dies, this will be bury with him. It will be a transmitter that will keep track of the planet. If we decide to explore it later? We use these medallions as time vessels, for another explorer to retrieve information about the so-called world. It contains memories and actual data from the previous explorer. But this item could bring light to these humans as well. It has brief intelligence about the planets and civilizations that span the galaxy. Places I've explore are imprinted on the item that I feel Hank should receive. These places might be the dreams of a paradise that Hank had envision before. I feel it benificial that he get a chance to know about such places. That his dreams can be reality when the human race is ready to venture so far and make the leap into the cosmos. Finally I found the item. It was tucked in my secured case. Luck as they say was on this trip. I was suppose to turn it into High Council before I excepted this mission. If I happen not to return from this mission they would be able to obtain certain information I didn't record in my log. I just wish this luck I speak of would have worked for my crew.
I return to his house and meet him in the kitchen were he waited for me. I hand him a medal I receive on my first voyage from the home world. It was bestowed to me from my former commander. "Here Hank, thought you might want this. As a gift from one friend to another." He reaches out to except the token, deeply moved from my offering. "Hey der fella this seems something that you worked hard to receive. I couldn't take from you". His heart seems geniune and he heads upstairs to grab something in his room. He returns and hands me something similar just with different writing. "My son receive this medal in World War Two. It was a big war with them Nazis and Japs. He got it for bravery". Tears develop in his eyes as he continues. "He got it for saving his friends before he got killed". I feel emotionally touched, of something with so much memory and history. It was bedded into the medal, perserving the legancy of his son. He has given me a offering that has made it more comfortable toward the species my people will soon visit. Making this trip one for the record. With the medal in hand I have plans to embace it in my quarters were I'll cherish it as he did. Also had no idea he had any family. Which concluded why his physical and mental stablity is so weak. A lost of that magnitude could make any tough warrior kneel to the ground. "Thank you Hank. But I can't accept this, it belong to your son and you should keep it". He wipes his face and pushes the medal back to me. "Don't worry fella I got all kinds of stuff to remind me of the boy. His room is just as I left it. So when I'm feeling lonely I just go into his room". He goes outside to feed his animals. As I gaze at the medal. It seems that in war and conflict there can be good and bad at the same time. Hank's son in that moment of time was fighting for a better future. Defeating a evil force that was threating innocent people. Many wars have spawned in human history. From the primitive ways of battle to the technological weapons that killed whole populations. War for humans brings a emotional break-down throughout the whole social system. How governments overwhelmed by the enemy lose all control and a new history begins for their society. It seems the intelligent minds serve more of a purpose to destroy instead of create. One mind can determine the outcome of all military conflicts. Useful minds back home serve the order of creation. But death can result in good intentions. Sacrifice is rewarded. Which brings some hope for their species. One individual can make a difference, especially if that person had meaning. Hank's son threw his dreams and life away to save others in his unit. He might have saved somebody that he didn't even know. Split decision to fight instead of flee made him a hero. Now every person he saved will have to praise his name. Recalling the story of why their alive today. This very praise is what continues his legancy for a better tommorow for the human race. I'm leading toward the idea of revealing myself to the public. I have solutions that could prevent future problems.
While he is tending to his duties I head upstairs to his son's room. I enter looking around the area. Pictures of friends and family are hung to the wall. His son's room has items containing past and future. Like a child and man occupy it. But are the same body. In the room there are toys, items from the war, and letters before his death. I realize on the drawer there is a women standing next to Hank and the boy. This could be the mother who gave birth to the son and was Hank's companion. What happen to her? Since being here I haven't seen or heard about this women. I'm confused why Hank hasn't mention her? While I was in Hank's room I didn't notice any pictures of her hung to the wall or placed on his drawer. I look out the window watching Hank as he feeding and talking to his animals. It looks like he enjoys these animals as though they were his friends. Never in my world could we ever imagine talking to creatures that are so below us in the evolutionary picture. How can they even understand him? Still haven't learn enough to comprehend this behavior. Because of his sudden revival I won't bring up the topic of his companion. When he enters his house I head back downstairs to meet him. He comes forward with an idea to have some fun as he puts it. "Hey fella you do some huntin' back were yer from. Once in a blue moon I do some huntin when feelin bored." In my world we don't do much hunting since their is no need for it. Matter of fact are foods are created or cloned in factories and carefully tested for contagiens. Eating the wildlife on my world can be very harmful to your health. I figure tagging along couldn't hurt. As its research anyway. So I agree to accompany him on this hunting expendition. "Sure Hank I'll do some hunting." He goes into the closet in the living room unearthing material that has accumulated over the years. Hiding the item of interest which is buried underneath. He pulls out a weapon of a bigger caliber then the gun in had stored in his room. My examination of the weapon gives detail of how these humans have advance from typical swords and blunt objects. These weapons seem civilized but then their power can still show no mercy for the one that is inflicted. He takes projectiles from a box loading the weapon with great anticapation for the hunting that will follow. Pointing the gun straight toward the window. He aligns the sights to make sure target is accurate. Digging through the closet again he comes out with another weapon. He hands it to me. "Here fella take this one. Not like the one I got. But if something short range is in view it will take any critter down just as easily". I take the primitive weapon, holding it with two hands. It has some weight and probably serves its purpose. But I decide to hand it back to him. "My weapon will do just fine Hank. I really don't have any attention of killing anything". He takes the weapon from my hands quickly. He replies with a angry bantam tone for turning down the hunt."Well if thats your pickin, you got the right fella. Just don't get to close to me when I got my sights on something. Don't want you to get hurt". I nod my head. Knowing in my mind I have the skills of markmanship better then this human on a sober day. We walk outside to gather some more equipment from his vehicle.
Because of the internal damaged to the