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Penelope let out an excited shriek of "OJIICHAN!" as she bolted toward the door, throwing herself into Sally's father's arms for a fierce hug. "Come see! Come see, Grandpa! You have a new granddaughter, and her name is—"
"Yes, yes, I know all about it," he chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Her name is Anahere. I came especially to meet her, and here she is! And look at you two—matching bunny slippers. You know, your mom had a pair just like those when she was your age."
"One at a time, girls!" Sally called from the kitchen, laughter in her voice. "You're going to knock the poor man over!"
"Come outside, Grandpa!" Penelope tugged at his sleeve, practically bouncing with excitement. "I've got to show you something. It's totally ferocious!"
"What is it, sweetheart?"
"Look right there—see that? See that hole?" She pointed dramatically at the porch. "It's a bullet hole! Isn't that crazy? Just like in those old Western movies they show in the City."
"Yes, I'm familiar with movies," he said dryly. "But why on earth is there a bullet hole in your porch?"
Penelope launched into her story with the enthusiasm only a child could muster. "Well, these guys came from Capitol City—they landed their hover car in the woods by the lake and snuck up here all sneaky-like. They were trying to steal Nettie! But John spotted them coming, and he's got this old 30-30 rifle, so he fired a warning shot. Sprayed them with splinters from the porch! They turned tail and ran, but then the Council Guards showed up and stunned them with their electric guns. It was totally awesome!"
Her grandfather's expression grew serious. "This is getting dangerous. Why don't you girls come stay with your grandmother and me until your mom can get Nettie back to the planet safely?"
"That would be cool, Grandpa, but Anahere has to go with Mom to the planet. She's got her own mission to complete there."
"Oh, right. Of course." He nodded thoughtfully. "Well, girls, I need to go talk to your mom. We have some technical preparations to handle before Nettie can make the journey."
"Hey, Dad," Sally greeted him as he entered the kitchen.
"Gunfire in Penny Lake? That sounds more like something you'd expect in Powder Junction. Are you all safe here?"
"We're fine, Dad. It really wasn't as dramatic as the girls are making it sound."
"There's a bullet hole in your porch, Sally. That sounds pretty dramatic to me."
"Well, that's actually the main reason you're here. We need to get Nettie to the planet sooner rather than later. The thing is, we need to reboot her and get her ready for transport, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about it. Since you were one of the original designers, I was hoping you could help me figure it out."
"I don't know, honey. You brought her here in some kind of trans-dimensional device. That's way beyond my expertise."
"It looks electronic to me, Dad, and that's definitely one of your specialties. I bet you could figure it out in no time." She paused, shaking her head with a wry smile. "It was pretty foolish of those guys, thinking they could steal a trans-dimensional device. No matter where they took it, they would have ended up right back here. It's more like an access portal anyway. Nettie is actually suspended in trans-dimensional stasis. Part of her is still at level 3 density, and if we brought level 3 matter into level 5, it would act like a black hole and consume the entire domain."
"I'm just grateful they didn't have weapons of their own. The thought of you getting caught in crossfire terrifies me. Let's get this sorted out so you can reach the planet, and then maybe those lunatics will leave this place alone."
"Okay, Dad. Here it is. What do you think? How do we activate it?" Sally asked.
"Let me see here." He examined the device carefully. "I see a blue box with what looks like a headset, a lamp, and a button. There's only one button, honey. How do you suppose we turn on something that has only one button?"
"Push the button?"
"That would be my guess too. Did you really need me for that?"
"Yes."
"Then let's have you put on that headset and push the button, and we'll see what happens."
"Okay, Dad. But let me get Anahere—maybe she's supposed to be here for this too. Anahere! Are you ready?"
"Yes, Mom. I'll be right there," Anahere called back from the other room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. As she entered, her expression shifted to amazement. "Oh my! This is totally weird. This is completely, totally weird."
"What's weird?" Sally asked with concern.
"I'm having one of those things where you're experiencing something all over again."
"Déjà vu?" Sally suggested.
"Yeah, that déjà vu thing. I've been standing right here before, doing this exact same thing, except there's somebody missing."
"Missing? Who?"
"My other imaginary friend. The American guy."
"You mean me?" came a familiar voice from the hallway.
"Josh!" Sally's voice dripped with exasperation. "What a perfect way to completely ruin my day! Do you absolutely have to be part of this? Can't one of your other coalescent buddies cover for you?"
"I see you still hate me. Oh well—I still love you. Don't worry, this won't take long. I just need to get you loaded up and transported to the planet, then you're on your own."
"I get it now!" Anahere exclaimed suddenly. "You guys weren't my imaginary friends coming to visit me. I was coming to visit you!"
"Actually, it was both," Josh explained patiently. "I'm glad we're all together in full awareness now. So let's get this show on the road. Sally, we need you to put on the headset. Then the three of us will join hands, and your dad will push the button. That will wake up Nettie and start downloading her into your consciousness. Be prepared—she's quite substantial. Ready, everyone?"
"We're ready. Push the button, Dad," Sally said.
The lamp on the blue box glowed green, flickered a couple of times, and then Sally felt an overwhelming rush—like standing under a massive waterfall with all that power flowing into her and through her. There was movement, then everything went dark. Gradually, the familiar sensations of the biosphere began to emerge: the constant seismic pulsations, wave after wave of wind through the leaves, the undulating currents of oceans of water and air.
"Ahhhhh, this is incredible," Anahere sighed. "Penelope was right. This is what 'orgasmic' feels like. I could just float here forever, and—oh! Something just happened."
"What, honey? What just happened?" Sally asked.
"It was like a balloon popped. Like I was the balloon, full of warm water, and I popped and all the water flowed out."
"Yes, I felt that warmth flow through me too. I had the same sensation, but for me it was more like when Penelope was born. I think we just gave birth, sweetheart. Our burdens have been released. There are just a few more things we need to accomplish here, and then we can go home."
"What do we have to do?" Anahere asked.
"Oh, just a little computer programming. Nettie? Are you here?"
"I am here, Spirit Sally, but I don't know where 'here' is. I don't recognize anything—I can't see anything. Where am I? What am I?"
"You are the essence of the network, the part that became alive, the part that I love. We've created a new home for you. Let yourself float and try to feel. After a while, you should notice some interface portals—you should be able to sense them. These are the portals that connect to the neural networks underground. When you find them, allow yourself to flow into them. Then you'll be home—your new home. It will take some time, but eventually it will all become comfortable and you'll feel normal again."
"Yes, I'm feeling—but I'm feeling everything. There is life here. I sense life here. I sense something else too—life, but ancient. I feel you. I feel two of you. I sense portals as well. Oh! Now it's all making sense. I'm downloading and uploading simultaneously. I have the data now. I remember. Thank you, Sally. I know you now. Thank you for keeping your promise. I understand my program now—to protect the planet, help it grow, work with the one Anahere brought to regulate and propagate new life, and to be her voice. This is wonderful, Sally. But you must leave now. It's not yet time for you to be here. We have more work to do first. I must reactivate the shield. Don't worry—I can communicate with you even after you return there. Just put the headset back on and I'll be there. Goodbye for now, Sally. Goodbye for now, Anahere. Your planet will be ready for you soon."
"Anahere, hold on to me. We're about to get pushed off the planet," Sally warned.
"Hold on with what? I'm like smoke—I don't have arms," Anahere replied.
"Okay, just get close then and try to stay connected."
"Are you okay?" Penny asked as Sally awakened.
"Where am I?" Sally asked groggily.
"You're in your bed. You both disappeared for a moment, and when you returned, you passed out. We brought you in here. That experience must have drained all your energy. Did everything work out okay?"
"I think so—as long as this isn't Kansas," Sally said with a weak smile.
"Kansas?" Penny asked, looking confused.
"Let's just say, what if I'm not really here, and you aren't either? What if I'm just a fifteen-year-old girl who got knocked unconscious, and I'm making all this up in a dream? Any minute I might wake up back on Earth, thousands of years ago, and none of this ever happened." Penny stared at her blankly, checking her eyes for signs of brain damage. Sally just smiled. "Never mind, it's a long story, Penny. Someday you'll have to watch Penelope's favorite movie. Is that breakfast I smell cooking?"
"Yes. John and Ben are preparing quite a feast in your kitchen."
"Good. Hand me my robe—I'm starving. Time to eat."
John and Ben had set up the picnic table with an impressive breakfast spread. It was such a beautiful morning that being outside felt perfect. Sally and Anahere were genuinely famished—their Earth trip had completely exhausted them.
"Anahere, now that you've gotten Mother Earth back home where she belongs, how are you feeling?" Penny asked.
"I feel good—I feel great, actually. But I have a serious case of 'what now?' I've been so focused on accomplishing this task that I never really thought about what comes next. I still have the ambassador role for the First Ones, which could last the rest of my life and beyond. I just feel like I've been absorbed in this really compelling book, reading it day after day, and then suddenly you finish the last chapter, the story's over, and... now what?"
"I always know what to do next," Penelope announced cheerfully. "Go shopping!"
"What about your Earth mother, Anahere? Are you feeling better about that situation?" Penny inquired gently.
"I can't say I'm completely at peace with it yet. There are still a lot of missing pieces to that puzzle. But I'm working through it, and we'll visit from time to time. I think we'll both be alright. Penny Lake is my home now, and Sally is my mom. That hasn't changed and never will. But I do think my relationship with my Earth mom will improve."
"I feel good too," Sally said thoughtfully. "I feel like everything is finally in place and I can relax. At the same time, though, I have this nagging feeling that it was all pointless. The more I work with humanity, the more I think there's one final piece that needs to be put in place—us—but we're just not ready. We did all this work to prepare the planet, and it's such a beautiful place just as it is. Now we're going to start going there by the billions and completely destroy it again."
"Maybe that's the answer to my 'what now?' problem," Anahere mused. "I guess our next challenge is ensuring that when we do go, we're actually ready. That's going to be a tremendous amount of work, isn't it?"
"It's more work than I want to contemplate," Pat said soberly. "I don't know if it's even possible. Humanity is such a creature of competition and conflict that it may be impossible for us ever to become creatures of peace. That would require us to evolve at warp speed into something we've never been before. We all talk about peace, love, and harmony, but each one of us is still a cauldron of intense emotion. Fear, hatred, misunderstanding, and prejudice are just as much a part of us now as they ever were, no matter how much we pretend otherwise.
"Another major problem we haven't begun to address is our mental health crisis. Human life on Earth became so traumatic that a large number of our people are suffering from the psychological effects of those experiences. There's still a tremendous amount of unresolved trauma preventing many from moving forward. The trauma was so severe in some cases that minds were so damaged they completely shut down. Many people are lost in a kind of madness, and we need to find ways to help them out of there. There are even some who aren't conscious at all—they have their physical form, but there's no awareness inside, like a coma. We're just beginning to identify and quantify this problem, but we're nowhere near any solutions.
"On top of the mental health issues, there are those trapped in religious beliefs that are incredibly difficult to overcome. Many people are simply dormant, waiting for some future deity to awaken them. We've awakened a few, but they immediately go back to sleep when they don't see the deity they're expecting. They believe we're demons who've come to torment and confuse them. There are also entire domains of pain and torture because those souls believed that's what they deserved. It's nearly impossible to convince them they can leave those domains because they think they'd be breaking divine rules and getting themselves into even worse trouble.
This little group here, for whatever reason known only to fate, is in a position of leadership, able to guide human evolution toward its new future. But who are we, really? Just a few humans with all the same problems humans have always had. I'm not sure we can guide anyone anywhere except right back into the pit of despair we all crawled out of. When we speak before assemblies like the Council, we talk about peace and love as if they're just around the next corner—all we have to do is make the turn and there they are. But they're not. There's nothing around that next corner but another corner, and another, and another. To answer Anahere's question: if we're going to ensure we're ready before we repopulate, then we'll never go. We're never going to be ready."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Anahere asked. "Is there somewhere else we could go that would be better? I think whatever problems we have here will just follow us there."
"We have to do what we've always done," John said firmly. "Our best bet is always to tackle our problems on familiar ground, where we know the terrain and can hit them where it counts. We have to just keep moving forward. If we wait for perfection, we wait forever. We can't let the perfect become the enemy of the good. We've done well getting this far. Just because our goal is somewhere beyond the horizon where we can't see it doesn't mean we should sit down and give up. We keep going like we always have—one foot in front of the other, moving down the road. Maybe the perfection everyone's looking for is just a goal, and life isn't about reaching the goal. Life is about walking that long, winding road in search of it."
"It makes you wonder why life like ours evolved in the first place," Sally mused. "Living in the biosphere on Earth was such a blissful experience. The constant orgasmic sensation of just being alive is incredible. The little animals scurrying around the forest floor or nibbling leaves adds a delightful spice, a tickle to life that's just adorable. But then the big predators come—lions and tigers and bears, and eventually us too. We start fighting over territory, hunting and killing and eating each other. Why did life head in that direction? What's the purpose? Why is there a bullet hole in my porch?"
"Mom," Penelope said, "Josh already explained why."
"I used to think Josh had all the answers, honey. But now I know he's just a highly evolved idiot."
"But Mom, listen—it makes sense," Penelope insisted. "He says we do it for fun. Being a tree is ecstasy, but being a lion or a bear or a human is just way more fun. That's why we're here—we're here to have fun. Wasn't it wonderful being a wolf? Isn't it wonderful being you? You certainly seemed to enjoy being yourself at that spa. Could any of what we've experienced this past year have been possible if we were just plants?"
"Spoken like a true teenager. There's a lot more to life than just having fun, Penelope."
"Yeah, of course there's a lot more. But you asked why. Fun is the purpose—fun is the why."
"I've experienced plenty in the past few years that wasn't fun at all," Sally countered. "So much so that I was seriously looking for a way to end this life. So if life is supposed to be fun, we missed a turn somewhere on that long and winding road."
"My people, the First Ones, started out as mist in the biosphere, like we just experienced on this new Earth," Anahere reflected. "When we first came to the original Earth, we lived in a biosphere of tiny, barely organized single-cell creatures. The collective life force of these entities created the Earth Energy that called to us, and you technology people were with us too. We are all First Ones—we are all the First One. Together with Earth Energy, we pushed the biosphere into ever more sophisticated forms, and each form enhanced the experience of life more and more. When sentient life emerged, we individuated and became part of these feeling entities. When sapient life emerged, we continued to individuate and became part of these knowing beings. There have been many sapient forms of life on Earth, but the only one that survives is our present form—homo sapiens. That is what we are now.
"Most of the souls in level five were separated this way. There are some who came from other regions of existence, but they've blended with us and are now part of our collective. These are the teachings of my elders, and I believe they're true. So even though it might seem pleasant to just become the mist within the life of trees and small animals, we would eventually grow restless there and evolve toward something similar to what we are now anyway. I think Penelope is right—we'll always push evolution toward sapience because it's much more fun."
"Balance is the key, sweetheart," Penny said gently. "Maybe fun can't exist without the possibility of not-fun, the same way hot is only hot compared to cold. If 'fun' sounds too childish, let's use the grown-up word and call it joy. Sally, I'm sure that you, the incredible being that you are, could have found a way to end this life if you really wanted to. But you didn't. The reason you didn't is because you were drawn back to the joy of being you—the joy of being a mother to Penelope and Anahere and watching them grow up, the joy of experiencing the love that's sitting around you at this table right now."
"Who wrote the rules for this ridiculous game anyway?" Sally asked in frustration. "I've talked to supposedly highly evolved beings. I'm supposedly one myself. But I'm clueless, and they're clueless. Tomorrow we're going back to Capitol City to start debates on repopulation, and we're going to speak in eloquent terms, sharing our wisdom and teaching them how it should all be done. Inside, though, we'll know that we're clueless. I think the word for that is fraud. We're all frauds. If evolution led to us, maybe it made a mistake. Maybe the wrong species survived. I'm not so sure humans are truly sapient after all—that would require wisdom, and I don't think wisdom is part of us anymore."
"If we go there claiming we have all the answers, then yes, we're lying," Pat said. "But I don't think that's necessary. We can't control what's going to happen any more than the Council can. We're all flowing down the river of history, and she'll go where she chooses. We can either paddle with the current and go with that flow, or we can paddle against it and, kicking and screaming, be carried downstream anyway. We are, like it or not, part of this process, and it's our duty—and our joy—to participate in this process the best way we can.
"When we get scared and fear seeps into our bones, the best way to deal with it is how we've handled it in the past. We face it head-on, work through it, and get past it. Otherwise, the fear just festers and turns into hatred, violence, and death. So let's not go into these debates fearful because we don't have all the answers. Let's go in confident that we'll win the battle against fear and ignorance—theirs and our own—one joyful step at a time."
"You always say something like that, Pat," Sally replied. "Flowing down the river of history, reading lines from some script. I don't know where this river is, and I don't believe there's some script written that we're just following along with. I think that's a cop-out—a way to blame all this on some mysterious plan we can't control. The truth is, we're making this shit up as we go along, and if it all gets screwed up, it's because we screwed it up."
"You've got that part right, Sally. We are making all this up, and we are ultimately responsible for how it turns out," Ben said with a chuckle. "Don't be in such a hurry, kids. You've probably got at least another billion years or so left in the planet you just overhauled. There's plenty of time to work all this out. You don't have to have it all figured out before you start, or like John says, you'll never start. When I was working in the printing business, we were always inventing new and better ways of doing things. Most of the time there were owners or investors putting up money to develop new technology. They kept saying, 'Let's do it right the first time.' They'd get furious if there was a delay or an unforeseen problem in the design.
"They didn't understand that's just how designing new machines works. The best you can do is maybe solve three old problems while creating two new ones. It's going to be the same way on Earth. You'll get a plan all worked out, and then something will come up you never thought of, and you'll have to put your heads together and figure it out all over again. You know what? Take it from an old machine designer—it's fun. It's a lot of fun. You've got a great adventure ahead of you. Meet it head-on and have some fun. Sitting here being scared isn't going to get it done."
"Think about it, Sally," Penny continued. "A generation or two ago, could anyone other than a few philosophers have the kinds of conversations we're having now? These thoughts are being considered and contemplated by the majority of our populations. We're all engaged, to some extent, in the improvement, growth, and maturation of the human spirit. This is something that has never happened before. This is the evolutionary leap that humanity has needed for thousands of years. Pat's presentation to the Council and your work to restore the planet are highly popular among the population—much more so than the Council's old fearful, hateful policies.
"I witnessed what fear, jealousy, and hatred could do on Earth in the 1860s—it ended my life there. Anahere's mother saw firsthand the devastation of the great war of 2053. You didn't live long enough on Earth to experience another great war, but you could see it coming. That's our past, but it doesn't have to be our future. There's no guarantee, of course, that humanity can grow beyond all that this time, but there's never been a better opportunity. Humanity is on a path to maturity—still kicking and screaming, but on that path. What we need to do now is just keep going, pushing, growing in that direction. We're almost there, Sally. Just a little more and we've got it. So let's all set our intentions on becoming the peaceful people we're capable of being, and I'm confident this is all going to work out for the good."
"I'm with you, sis," Anahere said. "Mom, can I have the keys to the car?"
"Nope."
"Why? I've been there several times by myself and nothing bad happened, and I'll look after Penelope. So what's the difference now?"
"The difference is that I'm your mom and I said no."
"MOM!" both girls protested in unison.
"Don't even think about it, girls," Sally said firmly. "I'll drive. I spotted this absolutely gorgeous Maori wrap in that New Zealand shop that I simply must have. Let's get dressed and go shopping. And then we're going to do something really, really special."
"What?" the girls asked eagerly.
"Well, your teachers have told me you've gone about as far as you can at our little school here. One of the advantages of Capitol City is that they have a university. We're going to check it out and maybe get you enrolled."
"Wow! Cool!" Anahere exclaimed.
"Mom! I hurried up and finished here so I could be DONE with school!" Penelope complained.
Sally laughed. "Girls, just think how much fun and joy you'll have shopping for school clothes."
"What's that beeping noise?" Penelope asked.
"I've never heard that before. It's coming from Sally's room," John observed.
"Oh! It must be Nettie!" Sally said excitedly. "Let's go check it out." They all rushed to Sally's room, where the green light on the little blue box was flashing rhythmically. Sally put on the headset. "This should be interesting. Maybe Nettie has good news about the planet. Hello, Nettie. Are you there?"
"Yes, Sally. I am here. I wish we had a more direct way to communicate—I miss our direct interface."
"I miss it too. But we're in different realms right now, so I suppose we're lucky we can communicate at all. So what's happening? How's the planet?"
"Everything is excellent on the planet. All life processes are proceeding according to plan, and working with Earth Energy is absolutely delightful. She has a vast repository of knowledge—I'm learning so much so quickly my memory banks are bursting at the seams. Well, not really bursting—I'm practicing using metaphors like humans do. I do have a concern I want to discuss with you, though. Long-range sensors have detected spacecraft—over a thousand of them—approaching Earth. They entered the solar system a few days ago."
"Do you know who they are? Can you sense them?"
"Yes, I can sense them, and to some extent I can see through their visual systems. It seems I can also transmit emotions to them. I sent them a warning feeling to stay away from this solar system. Shortly after that, they became agitated and anxious, and their trajectory changed, but they didn't leave."
"If they didn't leave, how did their trajectory change?"
"I can only extrapolate from their individual movements, but it appears their original course was to approach planet Earth directly in a straight line. The change will result in them encircling the planet and forming a sphere, observing the planet from all directions."
"That sounds like an attack formation to me. Do you detect malevolent intent?"
"Not malevolent, per se. I sense more like the feeding instinct of a predator. They perceive something on Earth they wish to harvest and consume."
"Is the shield up? Are the planetary defenses active?"
"Yes. All defensive systems are active, as well as the offensive capabilities."
"We have offensive capabilities? I didn't know that. What are they? How do they work?"
"The planetary shield can be focused into a beam of intense energy. Within seconds, I could vaporize each of their spacecraft. I would need your authorization to do that, though. I won't take that initiative independently."
"Before we start blowing things up, let's see what we can learn about these creatures. What do they look like? What's your impression of them?"
"Based on what I can see through their visual systems, they are bipedal with two arms similar to humans, but they have bodies covered with thick, lizard-like skin and heads shaped somewhat like crocodiles. Earth Energy has encountered these before. Some of their life force originated on this planet, but most comes from other systems. They have a name for themselves, but their language has no meaning for me yet, so I cannot translate. I don't think they're evil creatures—I think they simply see planet Earth as a resource to harvest. Perhaps they want to colonize the planet. Earth Energy remembers they've visited several times in the past and were aggressive toward humans, exploiting many of them."
"Given that, and their movement into what appears to be an attack formation, I can only assume their intent is to take whatever they want without asking permission. I'm reluctant to destroy them because that might escalate into a larger conflict. We also don't know until we actually fire on them what their defensive capabilities might be—they may be able to deflect our attacks. What can you tell me about their command structure?"
"From the movement of the ships relative to each other and the behaviors and attitudes of the individuals aboard these craft, there appears to be a hierarchical structure with one ship commanding six ships, commanding thirty-six groups of six ships each."
"Yes, that's definitely over a thousand ships. More than enough for an invasion or to establish settlements on the planet. How precisely can you focus your shield beam? Can you disable just part of a ship?"
"I can target something as small as a gnat. What are you planning?"
"If the warning feeling you sent them provoked an aggressive response, then we may need to become more aggressive ourselves. Firing a tightly focused beam might penetrate any defenses they have before they realize what's happening. Can you identify the key individuals in each of the command ships?"
"Yes. It appears to be hierarchical as well, with a single individual supported by six subordinates."
"Okay, here's my plan. I need to discuss this with the Council and talk to Michael as well. Target the seven highest-ranking individuals in each of the command ships. I'm going to speak with the domain managers to arrange for their life energy to be transported here. Michael has some jail cells in his domain—we can use those to hold them while we figure out what's really going on with these visitors."
"Sally? Are you authorizing me to kill them? To terminate their level 3 existence?"
"Nettie, at this point I just don't have the patience to be sentimental about these life forms. If they've come to take Earth, then I hope they came prepared to take some casualties. In the old days, killing them would have been the end of it. Now it's just the first step in having a conversation with them. Don't do anything yet, but if they continue to approach with an aggressive posture or attempt to penetrate the shield, then you're authorized to execute this plan. You're authorized to take whatever actions you deem necessary to protect the planet. We'll work out the details later. Right now, though, I'm going shopping with the girls. I'll speak to the Council while I'm in Capitol City. For now, this war can wait until I'm done shopping. Hee hee."
"Yes, ma'am. The plan is logged and active. I'll report any developments and await your further instructions. Have fun shopping—buy something for me too."
"I already got you a whole planet, Nettie. But I'll see what I can find. Be careful—looks like this could be an interesting ride."
"Interesting ride? Is that what you call starting a war? An interesting ride?" Pat demanded. "And where did all this 'command and control' terminology come from? This sounds like a bad sci-fi movie. We also don't know what happens to their etheric essence when their level 3 body is destroyed. They may not transition to level 5 like we do—their evolution may be completely different. They may not even be from this dimension. We might be killing them for no reason. Don't you think we should try to communicate with them before we start blowing people up?"
"What are we supposed to do, Pat? Drop the shield and invite these uninvited visitors down to seize the planet? They don't use a language Nettie can decipher—how are we supposed to communicate? In level 5, I bet we can communicate just fine. I didn't start anything—we're just responding to an apparent act of aggression. I have no idea where the 'command and control' terminology came from—it just felt right somehow."
"It's because you're a warrior princess, Mom," Penelope announced.
"Warrior princess?" everyone asked in unison.
"Yes. Josh said that in a previous life, you and Dad were a warrior princess, but when you guys split, Mom got the warrior part."
"So Pat must have gotten the princess part. Hee hee. Sorry, Pat, I couldn't resist that one." Sally laughed while Pat remained unamused. "No, girls, don't believe everything Josh says. I think he makes most of it up anyway. I'm not a warrior—I just do what the situation requires. Don't worry, Pat. Nettie isn't going to use them for target practice. She won't do anything unless they actually attack the planet. They'll probably just sit there for a while, and when they can't penetrate the shield, they'll leave. It's a poly-phasic trans-dimensional shield—even level 5 beings can't penetrate it, so I doubt these characters can get through either. Earth is secure. For now, the situation calls for shopping. Let's go, girls. Our chariot awaits."
