THE CAPSULE

Chapter 1: The Arrival

It began centuries ago. The Earth’s environment was bad. People needed room. They wanted freedom. Therefore, humans started moving to other planets. They started colonies on more worlds, one after the next.
There was peace and success at the start. The different worlds were not separate. They worked together as a group. They depended on each other.
Then things changed. There was fast population growth. The individual planets needed more food. They needed more supplies. Each colony wanted more for themselves. Then the trouble began.
Wars started everywhere. There were changing political views and agreements. Colonies fought for land, power and weapons. In the end, two main empires remained: the ‘Earthlings’ and the ‘Kalkians’. And both empires wanted it all.
The Earthling government was based on Earth. Its capital was Paris, France. Political officials met at the capitol building. There, they discussed matters like law, the economy, energy and the war.
The Emperor of the Earthlings was an old man named Valior. He was voted into the office many years ago. The election was not fair, but that did not concern Valior. He had led many wars. He had lost only a few. He was a ruler who did anything to win.
One day, Valior was speaking to his ministers at the capitol building. ‘We must stop the fighting,’ he cried. ‘Our empire’s economy cannot take more war. Our people are hungry. Our cities need roads. Many Earthlings need homes, lights and food.’
A man named Aldin spoke. Aldin was Valior’s most trusted minister.
‘But, sir,’ he said, ‘the Kalkians keep attacking us. We can’t just sit here. This nation needs a strong military! We have to protect ourselves.’
‘I agree, but there is something we can do. I have done something that…’
Suddenly, there was a lot of noise outside the room. The door opened. A security guard entered. He was holding a woman. She was fighting and shouting, ‘Let me go! I have news for the Emperor! Let me go!’
Emperor Valior looked to the door. ‘What’s going on?’ he shouted. ‘I am leading a meeting!’
‘I’m, sorry, sir,’ the guard said. ‘This woman wants to talk to you. She says it is important.’
‘Fine. Go ahead. What is it?’
The woman was suddenly very nervous. She had never spoken to the
Emperor. She began speaking slowly. ‘My … my … my highest Emperor, I’m sorry for my behaviour. But I have news.’
‘What type of news?’ asked the Emperor. Then he added, ‘Hurry up! This is an important meeting!’
‘A capsule has landed on my farm, Emperor.’
‘A what?’
‘A space capsule. I believe it’s a Kalkian space capsule, Emperor.’
‘How do you know it is a Kalkian capsule?’
‘My husband. He fought against the Kalkians. He described them to me.’
The ministers and the Emperor were silent. Finally, Aldin asked,
‘Another attack? Are they attacking the capital?’
‘No, no …’ the woman said. ‘The capsule has no weapons. But there is something inside it.’
‘Inside it?’ said the Emperor. He looked around the room. ‘What could be inside it?’
‘I don’t know,’ replied the woman. ‘I was too nervous to look.’
The Emperor called his guards. He told them to get to that farm – fast! The guards and the woman got into a vehicle. Minister Aldin went with them.
On the way, Aldin spoke with the woman. ‘What’s your name?’ he asked. ‘My name is Kira.’
‘Kira, that’s a nice name. Are you a farmer?’
‘Yes, the farm is all I have left.’
‘Do you live with your husband?’
‘My husband died in the war.’
Aldin suddenly felt uncomfortable. He changed the subject. ‘What does the capsule look like?’
Kira looked at him closely. ‘I’d rather you see it yourself instead,’ she said. Then she turned away.
‘All right, then,’ said a surprised Aldin. They were silent for the rest of the trip.
The vehicle arrived at Kira’s farm. Aldin and Kira got out. They went to the capsule. The guards waited in the vehicle.
There were marks all over the ground. The capsule was on its side. It was open.
‘Kira, I thought you didn’t look in the capsule,’ said Aldin.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you the truth. I didn’t want to say anything. Not until someone else saw it.’
‘Saw what?’
‘Look.’
Aldin slowly approached the capsule. At first he couldn’t see anything. Then he saw it. Inside the capsule there was a little girl.
‘It’s a child! A child!’ he called. He looked at Kira with surprise.
‘Yes. That’s why I didn’t touch or say anything. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to get a doctor, but …’
Right! thought Aldin. The girl is unconscious. She might need treatment. We need help! Aldin ran to the vehicle. He told the guards to call for a doctor. He then carefully picked up the young girl. He took her inside Kira’s house. He put her on a bed.
A half hour later, the girl was still unconscious. Aldin finally left the room. Kira went with him. ‘So tell me,’ Aldin said. ‘Do you know anything more about the capsule?’
‘No … but it’s Kalkian, isn’t it?’ Kira said slowly.
‘Yes.’
‘And the child?’ asked Kira.
‘She looks Kalkian as well.’
‘But what’s she doing here? Why have they sent us a child?’
‘I don’t know,’ replied Aldin. ‘When she can speak, perhaps she can tell us.’
‘Has she really travelled across space?’
‘It seems so. Most likely there was a bigger spaceship. They probably put her in the capsule. Then they left her close to Earth. The capsule likely landed itself here.’
At last, they heard a vehicle coming. Two doctors came in. They wanted to see the girl immediately. Aldin and Kira stayed away.
It was late. Aldin looked hungry. Kira asked him to join her for something to eat.
‘Do you have children, Kira?’ Aldin asked as he ate.
‘No. My husband and I wanted children. But then the war came and …’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s OK,’ she said and smiled sadly.
As he ate, Aldin looked around. The house was nice. It was clean and simple. It was the house of a woman living alone.
Soon Aldin noticed Kira was watching him. ‘Did you want to ask me something, Kira?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Well, go on.’
‘What will you do with the girl?’
Aldin paused. Finally, he told her the truth. ‘I don’t know. I don’t even know why she’s here.’
Suddenly, one of the doctors ran into the kitchen. ‘The little girl is awake! She can talk!’

Chapter 2: The Girl

The girl from the Kalkian capsule was conscious! Someone needed to talk to her. Aldin was a minister of the Emperor. He was the person to do it. He walked into the bedroom. Kira joined him. They sat down.
The girl looked sleepy. Finally, she asked slowly, ‘Where am I?’ Kira and Aldin looked at each other in surprise. She spoke English!
The girl looked around. She saw the guards. Suddenly, she became very frightened. The doctor gave her a drug to calm her down. She soon went to sleep again.
An hour later, the girl’s eyes opened. ‘Where am I?’ she asked. Then she looked at Aldin. ‘Who are you?’ she asked. Her English seemed pretty good.
‘Hello,’ Aldin said. ‘My name is Aldin. This is Kira. We are Earthlings. Please stay calm.’ He paused. ‘How do you feel?’
‘I’m OK,’ she answered carefully. She didn’t trust them.
‘We don’t want to hurt you,’ Aldin explained.
The girl was still frightened. She didn’t answer.
Kira gave it a try. ‘Hi there,’ she said slowly. ‘Can you tell me your name?’
‘My name is Maha,’ the girl replied.
‘Everything’s all right, Maha. My name is Kira. And this is Aldin. You’re at my house. You were hurt. We’ve been looking after you.’
‘Am I in your capital?’ the girl asked. She looked out the window. It was late. She couldn’t see much through the glass. She could only see a few trees and fields. ‘It doesn’t look like a city,’ she said in surprise.
‘You are near the capital. Not in the capital,’ explained Aldin. ‘The emperor is still far from here.’
When the girl heard the word ‘Emperor’, she became frightened again. ‘I don’t want to go home! I’m 13 now. I can make my own decisions!’ she shouted.
Aldin was surprised. Why didn’t the child want to go home? Why did she say that? Something strange was going on. ‘Why don’t you want to go home?’ he asked.
‘I don’t like Kalkia any more,’ replied Maha.
‘You don’t like Kalkia?’ asked Aldin with surprise. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I don’t want to live there any more.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Well, for one thing my family is never home.’
‘Yes? And?’
‘They ignore me. They don’t spend time with me. They don’t care about me.’
‘So your family ignores you?’ said Aldin.
‘Yes … for a long time now.’
‘And because you were lonely, you came here?’ asked Kira.
‘Yes. My father is always working. My mother is always travelling. I stay at home with carers. My father pays them to care for me. I don’t like being with them.’
Aldin was beginning to understand. The girl had run away from home!
‘Just a second, Maha. Are you telling me that you left home? That you ran away?’
The girl looked down. ‘Yes,’ she answered.
Aldin stood. He looked down at the girl. ‘Excuse me. I need to go out.’
Aldin left the house. Kira followed. Aldin stood looking at Kira’s pretty farm. He was thinking. He seemed uncomfortable with something.
‘What are you thinking about, Aldin?’ Kira asked.
‘Something is not right here.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The girl ran away from home. But she can’t fly a spaceship. She’s 13.’
‘I get it. Someone helped her.’
‘Yes. But who?’
‘Let’s find out.’
Aldin and Kira walked back inside. They walked into the bedroom.
‘Hello,’ Maha said.
‘Hello again,’ Aldin said, smiling at her.
Maha looked Aldin directly in the eye. ‘I will not go home. I want to stay here,’ she said firmly.
‘And why do you want to stay here?’
‘Like I said, I don’t like my carers.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ said Aldin calmly.
‘It’s the truth.’
‘Yes. But there’s more, isn’t there?’
She sighed. ‘Yes, there is more.’
‘I thought so. Tell me.’
‘We are losing the war. People have no food. Many people have nowhere to live. We can’t survive much longer. I’m frightened.’
Aldin sat down beside Maha. He looked at her closely. ‘You can stay here for now,’ he explained. ‘But you have to understand. Our two worlds are at war.’
‘I know that,’ she stated quickly. ‘I’m 13, not 6!’
Aldin laughed. ‘Then you understand. There are many factors here,’ he explained. ‘There could be huge developments because of this. There will be effects at national and international levels.’
‘Yes,’ Maha said, looking down. ‘But they still don’t know where I am!’ she quickly added. ‘I can just wait a few days. Then I can go somewhere else.’
Aldin looked at her. It was time to figure out how the child had got here. ‘Maha, a capsule is not an easy method of travel. You didn’t come here alone. You’re too young to travel across space without help.’
Maha looked up. ‘You’re right,’ she said quietly. ‘I can’t fly a spaceship.’
‘Who did then?’
‘I can’t tell you.’
Aldin was very patient. As a minister, he was used to dealing with people. ‘Maha, we need to know who helped you. If we don’t know that, we can’t help you.’
Maha was silent. Then she spoke. ‘It’s… It’s…’ ‘Don’t worry. You’re safe,’ said Kira quietly.
Maha looked at them. Then she said it. ‘It’s Valior, your Emperor. He helped me.’
Aldin stood up quickly. He looked at Maha with concern. Then he looked at Kira. The guards looked at all of them.
‘Valior?’ said Aldin. ‘That can’t be true!’
Maha looked down again. ‘Yes, it can. I received a message from him weeks ago. He said he knew I wanted to leave. He wanted to help me. So he had his spies find me.’
‘Spies?’
‘Yes, there are many Earthling spies on Kalkia.’
Aldin put his hand to his head. He walked around the room. So, the Emperor had helped a Kalkian child leave. He just couldn’t understand why. ‘This is unbelievable,’ he finally said with a sigh.
After a short while, Maha spoke again. ‘Well, actually, there’s more,’ she said quietly.
Aldin turned and looked at Maha. What more could there be? he thought. At last he asked, ‘And what is that?’ Maha looked him in the eye. ‘My father.’
‘What about your father?’ asked Aldin quietly.
‘My father is the Emperor of the Kalkians.’

Chapter 3: The Truth

Aldin couldn’t believe it. Maha was the daughter of the Kalkian Emperor! The girl could cause world chaos! And all because she was lonely? Because she thought Emperor Valior understood her problems? What had she done?!
Then Aldin realized something. It was not the girl’s responsibility. She didn’t really know what she had done. She was just sad. And a man named Valior had helped her. He was the problem – the Emperor! He was responsible. What was he thinking? Aldin had to find out.
Aldin left Kira’s house. He got into a vehicle and drove to the capital. Once he was there, he went directly to the Emperor’s office. Suddenly, a security guard stopped him. ‘You’re barred from entering,’ said the guard.
Aldin was surprised. ‘Barred? I must speak with Valior. Do you know who I am? I’m a minister!’
‘Those are the Emperor’s orders. No access for you, Aldin.’
Aldin wondered what to do next. He had to talk to Emperor Valior. Without thinking, Aldin hit the guard on the head. The guard fell to the floor. Aldin took the guard’s weapon and entered Valior’s office.
The Emperor was in his chair. He looked worried. ‘Aldin, what do you want?’ he sighed.
‘Why didn’t I know anything about the child?’
‘What child?’
‘Emperor, I’m not stupid.’
Valior stopped. ‘OK. No more acting. What do you want to know?’
‘Why is the Kalkian Emperor’s daughter here? Why did you do it?’ His voice became stronger. ‘It’s not our policy to use children!’
Valior stood. Then he shouted, ‘It is not our policy to lose wars!’
Aldin looked at Valior. Then he asked, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I didn’t tell you for one reason only.’
‘And what is that?’
The Emperor looked down. ‘I knew you would not approve,’ he answered. ‘I didn’t want you to influence my decision.’ Valior was right. Of course Aldin would not want a child involved in a war. It just wasn’t right.
‘What are you going to do with her?’ Aldin asked next.
‘With Maha? We’re going to take care of her! She’s only a child,’ the Emperor said.
Aldin didn’t trust him. ‘I didn’t mean that,’ he continued. ‘I meant what’s going to happen? What will happen when the Kalkians find out? Will she be hurt?’
‘Those are good questions. All of them,’ said the Emperor calmly.
Aldin looked at the Emperor. He would not accept an easy answer.
The Emperor began to speak again. ‘The Kalkians know that Maha ran away,’ he continued. ‘But they don’t know what planet she went to. Nor do they know that Earthling spies helped her. So you see, they don’t really know anything.’ He looked at Aldin carefully. The Emperor wanted to judge how Aldin felt.
‘And if they figure out that you helped her?’
‘They can’t possibly find out. The spies won’t tell. No one here knows … except you.’
Aldin stopped to think. ‘But why?’ he asked. He just couldn’t understand the Emperor’s reasoning. ‘Why involve a small child? Why take her away from her parents?’
‘Because of who her parents are,’ answered Valior. The Emperor looked at Aldin as if he were stupid. ‘Don’t you see the benefits? We now have the Emperor’s daughter. We can use her. For controlling the Kalkian Emperor.
For power. For anything really.’
Valior looked Aldin carefully again. Were his words influencing Aldin’s opinions? Aldin’s face showed nothing.
‘Do you get it now?’ he continued. ‘We can use Maha to get what we want. The Kalkian Emperor is in our hands. And all because his stupid little girl felt ignored!’ Valior let out a big laugh. It was a laugh that made Aldin’s heart feel cold.
Aldin looked at the Emperor. Here was a man who Aldin had always trusted. A man who was so important to Aldin. But now all Aldin felt was disgust. Valior was using a child to get what he wanted. And he would not let it happen.
Aldin smiled and said, ‘I understand very clearly now, Emperor. As you wish.’
Aldin turned and left the Emperor’s office. He walked quickly through the streets of the capital.
Aldin didn’t like what was going on. But he could not show it. If the Emperor learned that he was against him, Aldin would be killed. There was only one person Aldin could think of for help. One person who the Emperor couldn’t influence. He had to talk to her.
Aldin took a government vehicle. He drove quickly to Kira’s farm. He knocked on her door. ‘Kira! Are you there?’
Kira opened the door. ‘Yes?’ she replied. ‘What is it?’
‘Is the girl still here?’ asked Aldin.
‘Why, yes. They haven’t taken her to the capital yet.’
‘Good,’ replied Aldin.
‘But a vehicle is coming now,’ she added.
‘Oh. Well, we have less time than I thought. We have to hurry,’ he said nervously. ‘Take me to her.’
Aldin and Kira walked into the bedroom. The girl was sleeping quietly. ‘We have to go,’ he said.
‘Go? Go where?’ asked Kira.
Aldin looked around. He couldn’t see anyone. ‘Where are the guards?’
‘They’re at the capsule.’
‘Good,’ Aldin said. ‘Now’s our chance.’
‘Our chance?’ Kira asked. She looked confused.
‘To take Maha away,’ answered Aldrin.
Kira sat down. She looked at Maha. The girl looked comfortable for the first time. ‘You want to take Maha out of the capital?’
‘No, I want to take her off the planet.’
‘What?’ said Kira. ‘Why?’
‘Maha’s a confused and lonely little girl. Emperor Valior just wants to use her. He will use Maha to influence the Kalkian Emperor.’
Aldin explained Emperor Valior’s plans. Kira simply couldn’t believe it. ‘Do you see now?’ Aldin asked. ‘I don’t want them to hurt Maha. Unless we get her home, she doesn’t have a chance.’
‘We?’
‘We. We need to take her to Kalkia. I can’t do it alone, Kira. I need your help.’
Kira thought for a moment. She looked at the little girl. She then looked out the window at her farm. Finally, she looked at Aldin and said, ‘What have I got to lose?’
Kira told Maha they were going to the capital. They all got into Aldin’s vehicle. Aldin drove for hours. The nearest space station was far. On the way, Maha slept.
When they arrived, Aldin told the security guards that they were on secret government business. The guards said they wouldn’t tell anyone.
Kira and Aldin carried Maha to a nearby spaceship. They left the station without a problem. Maha woke when the spaceship took off. She wasn’t happy. Aldin felt sorry for her. But he knew they were doing the right thing.
The trip across space took several weeks. The spaceship neared Kalkia. Aldin spoke on the radio, ‘This is Earthling Ship 12913. I must speak with the Kalkian Emperor. I am Minister Aldin of the Earthlings.’
The radio came to life. ‘Why do you want to talk to our Emperor?’ said a guard.
‘We have his daughter.’ The radio went silent.
Soon Aldin saw a warning on his computer screen. Kalkian military units were coming. They waited near the spaceship. Suddenly, the radio link came to life again. ‘Give us Maha. Or you die,’ said a voice.
‘You’re not going to kill us,’ said Aldin with certainty. ‘I want to talk to your emperor.’ Then he added, ‘Now.’ Again, the radio went silent.
After several minutes, a powerful voice came on the radio. ‘This is the Kalkian Emperor,’ the voice announced. ‘Give me my daughter,’ he said and paused. ‘And I’ll give you your lives.’
‘We will give you Maha on one condition,’ answered Aldin.
They waited.
‘What is that?’ came the voice.
‘There must be peace between Earth and Kalkia.’
The Emperor was silent for several seconds. ‘Why should I believe you?’
‘Because we have brought your daughter back,’ answered Aldin. ‘Because I know the war has been difficult for everyone. Think of the economic problems. Think of the hunger and hurt. Both of our worlds are finished. This must end.’
The radio was silent again. Finally, the voice came back. It was softer this time. ‘I agree,’ said the Emperor with a sigh. ‘And I accept. Give me my daughter and we will work towards peace.’