Adventures of a Greenie Green Marine Vol 3 Chapter 4 Betrayed
- 4 years ago
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(Beta Reader Glenn, thank you Glenn)
Alegar was extremely agitated to put it mildly. He was not too mad at the woman who left him behind tied up and exposed to the Sleep Inducer of his bed. While it was more than inconvenient, it was the bed that alerted emergency services, after he lost bowel control while under the Sleep Inducer turned on without a timer.
No, it wasn’t that. He could not blame her for not trusting anyone and now he stood in the chamber of the Great Grey Cat. It was perhaps the most sacred of all for Saresii.
It was a sight to see indeed, here deep in the heart of the Sharirteke Mountains, and at the very center of the Gray Cat Monastery. Surrounded by cauldrons glowing with the fire of mountains was the truly ancient statue of Shari-Iee, the Gray Cat. Alegar believed the mystical powers of the Gray Car to be real, as did the priests in their gray robes. A shaft of light exposed a beautiful Saresii sitting there before the statue in a cross-legged fashion. Everyone in the cavernous hall believed this Saresii to be as old as the Saresii themselves. The Saresii had one name sacred to all Saresii: Alameda, the living daughter of the Cat.
Over the ages, Saresii reliance on and observance of religion were no longer the only centers of society, but science and the knowledge of man had pushed them aside.
Alegar was a Gray Cat; he was the unspoken, yet accepted leader of the Saresii as a society. Yet it was not a well-kept secret: Alegar was proud of the Union, was fond of the unruly barbarians from Earth and he was a Union citizen by conviction.
Alegar had been called before the Ancient teacher after he demanded to be heard.
The Ancient Teacher removed his right hand from beneath the long sleeve and with a flat handed gesture motioned Alegar to speak.
Alegar brushed back the gray hood of his cloak and said. “Someone who trusted they were under my protection traveled with me to this holy place to seek sanctuary. We were attacked by Gray Cats who did not know their place and our ways.”
“Injustice might have been done, Alegar. It will be considered and judged by those who are Saresii.”
“Am I not Saresii?”
“You are by birth, office, and statue but not by heart. Your allegiance is not with Carhesii; it is well known where it lies.”
Alegar’s anger increased as he clenched his fist. “What is implied by this?”
The Ancient Teacher waved his hand again. “Curb your emotions, Alegar. You are gifted with much of the talent and here at the heart of this Monastery, our Psion node is strongest. But know this: we are all blessed with the Gift, like the one you knew as Geha was. Her gift is neither trained nor well-controlled. What do you think a Pyrokinet could do here so close to the Node?”
“You accuse me of being loyal to others than Sares. It is true Old One, I am loyal to the Union and its true principles. As a Saresii of the Old seed, I will see that the Union grows, stays true to those principles and do everything in my power to show that Sares is indeed a trustworthy member. We are, aren’t we?”
“Are you not Saresii first?”
“I have been on many worlds beyond Sares orbit. I have made friends among the most unusual beings. There is an Immortal, they call the Eternal Warrior. He is honor and truth embodied, his word alone is trusted more than any contract or treaty by friend and foe alike. By his word alone the Klack Queen, Mothermachine, the Tri of Science, the Glou will act without hesitation and with every one of their societies. I am privileged to call him a friend. There are a few others of Non-Sares origin I regard very highly.
“I am blessed with the friendship of rulers and leaders of societies as old as ours, much more powerful than ours. Friendship, Ancient Teacher is that not a concept we Saresii know?”
“Yes, Alegar. The Eternal Warrior is beyond reproach indeed and we know the Tri has been here on Sares One. Bringing Leedei Psi-tech that is equal to that of ours of the First Age. We will discuss Geha, the Black Cats, and related things later. Now, sit and open your mind as we must speak of a conflict that is old, older than anything you know.”
Alegar did sit down, the abbot of the Cloister who had brought him here and who had been among those who denied Geha sanctuary made an impatient gesture while he removed his cat mask. Like most Saresii he was of course visually indistinguishable from a Saresii biological female and revealed an arrogant but very beautiful face. The beauty of this kind was so common on Sares, it was expected and nothing more. “Ancient Teacher, you speak of the Saresii conflict with the Kermac of course! Will you teach this confused mind that wandered off from Sares and Carhesii a lesson?”
“That conflict is remotely associated indeed, but neither side knows its origin. Since you mention this quarrel I insist you speak of it and educate me as you know of what I am about to speak.”
The abbot of the Cloister of the Grey Cats of Sar also sat down in a well-practiced fluid move. “It is a conflict that began with our first contact. Our first meeting with the white obsessed Kermac. It was the 48th Arcrumus in the 2nd Megaannum after the Minds bound by Carhesii put order into the sky.”
The abbot’s true name and face were known to the leading members of the society. Alegar knew he carried the name, Candear Barhees and had spent most if not all his long life right here on the mountain top cloister. In terms of worldly powers, Alegar was far above him as the unofficial but very real leader of the Council, and thus all that was Sares to the outer worlds. Alegar was also among the eldest and most influential voices among the Grey Cats of Sar and their extension as secret service for the Saresii. However in terms of spiritual powers and influence over the Saresii society, abbot Candear was second to none, except for the Ancient Teacher, whose existence was known to maybe a handful living Saresii, to everyone else Alameda was nothing more than a myth of distant past.
The Ancient Teacher did neither change tone nor his position but the gesture was underlined with the strong feelable emotion of impatience. “Do not stop there, Candear. Let us hear more of the things you do know.”
“What much else is there? The Kermac claimed to be superior to us, demanded our submission. We refused and the Kermac are nothing more than the upstarts they have been from the beginning. They will soon disappear into oblivion.”
“Will they disappear because of Saresii doings?”
“Of course not, this brute Stahl and those violent apes will do that for us.”
The Ancient Teacher neither moved nor seemed to do anything, yet Candear groaned in anguish holding the sides of his head. “Ancient Teacher, why punish me?”
“It is not I who is doing that, but Carhesii herself. But I will educate you before I will add punishment.” The Ancient Teacher kept looking at Alegar. “You too must listen.”
The Ancient Teacher once more buried his hands inside the sleeves of his robe. “Will it come as a surprise to you when I say that we all, Saresii, Humans, and even the Kermac have common roots?”
Candear wiped blood that dripped from his nostrils and glared at the Old Teacher. “But how? We are of Sares, the Kermac I know began their civilization on a planet named Koken. The location of that world has been lost but is remembered by the Kermac, and the human apes, these naked primates who were just discovering fire when we ended out First Megaannum, an age we call the First Age of Knowledge.”
“Your ignorance is almost as unpalatable as your condescension. You should consider a position as a Kermac perhaps. You do bring the necessary prerequisites.”
The Ancient Teacher kept talking and still looked at Alegar. “This is important for you, as I will take you down to the Vault of Knowledge and will give you access to the Depository of the Forbidden.”
Candear, had recovered from the piercing headache he still believed to be caused by Alameda. The Cat Carhesii was a statue and a religion, nothing more after all. “The Vault is for the enlightened and no one may descend to the Depository. It is forbidden for a reason.”
“Do you know the reason?”
“No one alive does.”
Alameda smiled for the first time. “I am alive and I do know. It was I who sealed it.”
“How can you have been alive when it was sealed? That happened even before Deepa, the daughter of Marak Lydaa killed all members of the old Council of the Seven Cat Orders, and before Arneea Ladeea began her dictatorship.”
“It was the Voice of the Rule who chose me as a Cosmic Elder. It was then when I learned about the true nature of Carhesii, and learned the origin of the Saresii.
The planet you know as Earth has seen four eons. At the end of the second eon, seeded by the agents of Corflic the first Humanity rose and with it civilization. The Vaalbaraians, the Chrom, the First Terrans, the Ur-Vrill, and the White. All fought for supremacy over this prehistoric Earth. The Vaalbaraians gave rise to the Vaalbarian, who begun their Seeding efforts and doing so created the Drak, the Ult, and the Pree. The First Terrans became the Atlanteans and out of their seed developed the Erogen and the Sarans. The Ur-Vrill became the Vrill, the Blondes, and also the ilk that became the evil of the Falkenhorst Empire. As you may guess the Whites developed into the Segments of Color that in turn gave rise to the Universal Collect or more commonly referred to as the Uni.
A colony of Pre-Uni Whites became the Ker tribes of Koken. Revisited by the last survivors of the Uni millions of years later, driven out of the M-0 galaxy by the Erogen. The Ker exiled two of their races and united the rest under a new name, the Kermac.”
Alegar had listened and known he was told secrets and knowledge not shared for many millennia. He had a dry throat as he asked. “What about the Chrom?”
“Ah yes, the Chrom. Glad you asked because they are the most important to us the Saresii. You see a large colony ship of Chrom leaving Earth found a new home on a beautiful garden world, in a yellow star system with seven planets.
The Chrom encountered the native Balam, a non-human but somewhat humanoid species; sentient but at a very primitive stone tool development level. At first Chrom and Balam got along, but the Balam had strange, supernatural powers that defied all the Chrom knew. The Chrom feared the Balam and committed the unspeakable crime of Genocide, killing all Balam. Before even the last Balam died, the first Chrom children with the same magical powers were born.”
“By magical powers, you speak of Psionics right?” Alegar asked.
“Yes, and as you both know psionics come in many different forms and levels of control. And not all are harmless to the wielder, especially the destructive ones. Parents feared their children. Some called them gifted, others called then cursed. Some legends claim it was a drug the Balam freely shared with the Chrom, but of course, it was not a drug but the exposure of being so close to a Psi-Node that was responsible for it.
“Two groups emerged and as it always seems to be the case in such tales a Civil War broke out between the last Technology keepers and a new group believing the new Psionic powers were a gift of the Gods. The Chrom without Psi Powers feared the ones that were born with the new unexplainable “magical” talents. A priest cast rose to power calling themselves Sar Ess-ii, a Balam word for Psi Powers.”
Candear whispered. “Sar Ess-ii, Saresii.”
“Yes, Candear. Out of this cast of priests came the Saresii. The Temple Sar became the first Monastery of Sar.”
Alegar almost felt like a blasphemer as he asked. “So the priest of Sar came before the cat?”
“No, Alegar. The priests of Sar Ess-ii could not explain the magic, and while seeking to find a place for Sar, they encountered a second almost sentient species, cat creatures with tremendous psionic talent and the ability to use them with the great skill of naturally acquired abilities.
“The Sar Ess-ii had forgotten that these cats came with them from Earth, a species distantly related to the Nimravidae of prehistoric Earth that is, and exposure to the Node increased their already existing intelligence. Unlike the Balam, these cat creatures were not peaceful, but vicious predators. These Cat beings, despite their psionic abilities never left these always mist-, cloud-, and fog-covered Mountains of the Kahil Continent. One of the Cat creatures gained sentience and was raised by the Voice of the Rule to be a Sentinel of this World and I was made a Cosmic Elder by the same entity.”
Alegar wiped his mouth. “This is knowledge not shared with living beings even before the First Age of Knowledge begun, is it not so?”
“To the short-lived, to the mortal, even to you modern Saresii who extend life spans beyond three hundred cycles it is a long time indeed, but this Universe holds many living beings and entities that do not suffer the decay of time. That Eternal Warrior you mentioned, he is one. You, Candear mentioned Deepa Lydaa. Would it surprise you if I tell you she returned many centuries ago and is a Union Citizen like Alegar?”
Alegar dropped his chin. “Yes, indeed it does surprise me. Would it not make her a million years old? Is she hiding among the Cats?”
“No, she is not. She became the associate of another “god” if you will; a goddess perhaps. Labels like that mean nothing, yet are helpful to mortals like you both.”
The Old Teacher laughed. “She was my first pupil when I still was Baltro, the Teacher and she gained true immortality without any association to the Cat. Deepa is an admiral and she is the commanding officer of NAVINT. As much as you are proud of your Gray Cats and the intelligence work done by them, I must agree in your assessment of the Union and much of what is associated with it, there is not much that is equal to NAVINT.”
“I always speculated the other Immortal Admiral, the one they call Highlander was the secret commandant of NAVINT.”
The ancient teacher laughed again. “Oh, this McElligott is as closely involved with NAVINT as can be.”
The Ancient Teacher got up on his feet in an agile fluid move, at the same time a downward leading stairwell was uncovered by a receding stone plate behind the now standing Ancient Teacher. Alegar knew about the many levels the Vault of Knowledge, and like every Saresii he knew of the fairy tales told of the Depository of the Forbidden. He never believed these archives existed, but now he too rose to his feet, stiff from sitting with crossed legs for so long.
The Abbot stepped forward. “You will not lead him to the Depository?”
Alameda turned already down the steps to his shoulders. “You, Candear must be thankful for being left alive. You will return to the top tier, purge all that is Black Cat from these sacred grounds and toss all who denied sanctuary to Alegar and his companion off the Bridge of Winds. I will return to the Upper tiers as well. Should I find one you missed, I will reconsider the mercy you received just now.”
Candear knew better than to argue or speak. He bowed, replaced mask and hood, and turned to mount the long staircase winding up the wall in the back of the cavernous Hall of the Cat.
Alegar also knew better, and followed the Ancient Teacher down the steps, hewn out of the mountain’s rock itself so it appeared.
The air was dry but had a musky smell. A light flickered over Alameda’s head, in color and appearance just like the light of a brightly burning torch, but the Ancient did not hold such a thing. Alegar wondered if this was done by Pyrokinetics.
The Ancient Teacher shook his head while descending further. “Not just Pyrokinetics Alegar, but a combination of several psionic abilities. I am tapping the source directly, but my old mind can’t simply think of anything else than the light of a torch. Once we are down at the first tier there are Lumi plates anyhow.”
True to his word there were Lumi plates attached to the ceiling and giving light to a room full of shelves. The shelves were apparently cut out of stone and holding stonewalled boxes with metal corners, looking very heavy.
The Ancient Teacher paid no attention and mounted the second flight of stairs leading down. He did explain the boxes, however. “Time is no friend of paper and vellum. These boxes are vacuum sealed and hold the books and scripts created by many centuries of Saresii minds.”
“Would crystal lattice storage not be a safer more convenient way of storing data?”
“You are a child of the Union, my dear.”
“I can’t deny it.”
“A Terran has been down here, many times.”
“A Terran Human?”
“Yes, another true Immortal. The first-ever married to a Saresii and still grieving for her passing, her name was Alegra Soneri”
“I think I heard that name somewhere, but I cannot recall where.”
“She was among the first Gray Cats of Saresii Intelligence.”
“I think she might have been mentioned in a class.”
“She was sent to Earth to monitor Freon activity, fell in love with a human policeman named Phil Decker who was Immortal already, long before there even was a United Earth.”
“Now that is a name I have heard as well I must say, but never gave much thought about it.”
As they descended the forth stairwell, the air smelled even staler than before. The Ancient Teacher was as agile and nimble as a young Seenian.
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He did not know how long he had cried and he must have fallen asleep. This time there was no dream of his mother. He was certain he imagined things but there was a warm heavy arm on his shoulder and as he looked up a man sat next to him, the energy curtain was gone and the marine that mocked him stood there with a black eye and with a face of pure fright. “Everything is going to be alright, Roy.” The man next to him wore an all-black uniform, his calf-high boots polished to a mirror shine....
The view was awesome, absolutely awesome. He could see the entire ocean of trees and far in the distance the shimmering of an ocean, a river meandered in a green valley far below. He saw tiny houses there and on the side of a mountain, he saw tiny dots sliding down that white stuff. On top of the other mountain was a building of sorts. Connected with little gondolas traveling up and down suspended on cables. He wondered what they were doing and said to Partner. “It’s freaking cold up here...
Roy returned to the hotel to find Cara in the sitting room of their shared suite. She was lounging in a comfortable chair with her legs up gathered in a feminine fashion. A field screen displaying apparently local news floated before her. Cara had her long silvery hair open and wore something soft caressing her curves. To Roy, she had always been an exceptional beauty of exotic grace, but now his mind compared her to his Tanya, and in his mind, no female could compare to her. Just as he was...
Roy was quite angry, partially at the situation, partially at himself but mostly at Paul Masters, Yet he should have known better, he grew up sharing a home with Pau; Masters, who was according to human biology, Union law and common convention, his father, Roy, at first never saw anything unusual in the rather unsocial behavior of his father, but when he started school and heard about how other fathers treated and connected with their offspring, Roy knew his father was indeed not what one...
The Space Train terminal was located on the very apex of the truly gigantic station known as Sares Hub. Roy, while he started to become a seasoned traveler, still found places like this overwhelming. There was so much activity, this was by far the busiest place he had been so far. He had to admit he was glad Tanya was with him. She was not intimidated and seemed to know where to go. While he traveled with Cara, who also always seemed to know where to go and what to do, it was different with...
Ieshia pressed a sub-dermal contact on the base of her jaw and tapped it twice and with that she activated her Data Brain connection to GalNet. She now could make GalNet calls directly using her minds speech center without opening her mouth. It took a little practice to separate what you were thinking and what you wanted to say without using your vocal cords or your mouth, but she had been doing it for a long time and because of that she earned a very generous salary. She was an employee, but...
Roy never really thought he would ever meet the Eternal Warrior, the man Uncle Sam respected so much, and now he was sitting across from the legendary man and was questioned. Stahl appeared to be a normal human being but Roy’s back hair stood on end whenever he looked into the eyes of that man. It was just as if staring into deep space. The legendary Admiral wasn’t exactly friendly and his voice had a razor sharp edge. Cara had left to talk with the Wurgus delegates. Ship crew was starting...
“Nice to meet you, Sir. I have to tell you my mother is dead. She and my father were killed in a pirate attack, a little while ago.” The alien creature paid no attention to what Roy had said. “I am a very old Bellebee and I still get confused using the Avatar technology. This is why I wanted to meet you like this, young Masters. Let Cara and Ukdu talk while I show you a few magnificent sights.” Roy carefully adjusted the thrusters and slowly followed the huge being. “Alright, Mr. Moke-Die....
Celyciia Paydhal and Sergeant Ruddick sat on a picnic blanket in the soft ankle deep grass of North Africa Park, the largest Terran style park of Reckno City. The capitol of Recksnostal Colony. Ruddick said after he devoured another sandwich. “This is how I dreamed police work would be, before I ever joined the force.” Celyciia smiled. “Having a picnic in the park and eating while on duty?” He shook his head. “Of course not, I eat all the time on duty or not. No I mean us listening in on...
Roy had learned that the ship he was on was a Saresii Courier and officially operated under the charter of the Science Council. It was a Henjiitah Class cruiser and 600 meters long. It had the outer appearance of an elongated bulbous plant leaf and reminded him of the thick water filled fleshy leaves of the Glow bush. The ship was not green however but had an iridescent color of pearly pale orange. The ship was called the Gayimeera and since it was not a Union Fleet unit it did not carry the...
The trip back to Belle Station was eventless and so was boarding another long-range shuttle to the outermost planet of the system a few hours later. The intersystem trip would take only 35 minutes as the shuttle did have FTL engines and would bridge most of the six light hours in Quasi space. Sobyr did not even bother finding a seat and went straight to the shuttle’s small lounge for a burger. Roy was too excited to eat or feel hungry, so he opted for a cup of water. “What are they doing...
Siebzehfie, a high ranking Wizard in the Ministry of Information just finished consuming a detailed intelligence report and then looked up and noticed a new participant just taking a seat at the perfectly round, white table at the top of the Ministry of Information tower. There was a shocked hushed silence because it was the Supreme Wizard himself. No one knew how to react, this was unprecedented. The Supreme leader of all Kermac was accompanied by two other Kermac. The one to his right was...
The ship must have gone trans-light, so far they had not spaced anyone. Roy and everyone else had been left behind in one of the destroyers cargo holds. As Cara walked by Partner he saw something his four-legged friend has never done, he flashed his formidable teeth and growled deeply at the Saresii woman. From his animal, he received emotions of confusion and anger towards Cara. She hissed at Partner. “Shut up, stupid beast.” Then she walked out the door. Partner had always liked Cara,...
There were those who doubted the Union could win this war. The Galactic Council led and controlled by the Kermac, was a powerful entity, with hundreds of Thrall species, massive fleets and many millions of warriors. The Larkami were no exception, difficult to control but tremendous fighters. Ninsibfiv, the High Wizard of the Military himself had traveled to Lark, the homeworld of the Larkami to coordinate. He planned to use Larkami manned Kermac warships to counter-attack several Union...
Space bus travel was subsidized and tightly regulated under the Travel Assistance Act of 2224. Union Citizens took this service for granted, as it connected virtually every possible destination within Union Space, but the envy of so many other societies. Roy had his head turned to the viewport on his right, rather than using the field screen he could have activated. The local sun was settling behind the distant horizon and sent its last rays of light over a sprawling orderly Union city....
Cara and Roy had left their seats for a ight meal in the main lounge. Partner insisted to be there as well. While the huge black animal never wanted for any sort of food, it was happily consuming the leftovers and wrappers Roy tossed its way. Cara had finished most of her Muuhn cakes, which were a traditional Saresii lunch item. She educated him, that these vegetarian-based air baked protein dumplings were considered spicy on Sares. He tried, and to him, it was as if eating something...
Paul no longer looked like a slave. He was clean, well-groomed and wore a loose-fitting, light brown colored shirt and pants combination underneath an open seamed dark brown dust cloak, that was so common on Alvor’s Cove. The belt pouch contained an Alvor’s Cove resident license, officially purchased and verified. The colony officials selling these and a host of other permits and licenses only cared about the Iridium chips or the Fullweights they charged and did not ask any questions at...
Kukur Nurop found himself covered with bruises from a severe beating and completely naked in the lizard scat composter. His hands tied to his back, it took him quite some effort to get his head over the lid, only to receive a shovel load of more of the revolting greenish lizard poop into his face. He yelled and cursed on the top of his lungs and his racket alerted an Oghr overseer. “What have we here? Trying to escape by hiding in the shit box? Couldn’t handle the stench eh?” I am Kukur...
The Unth had reached Bhrama Port and rested against the long mooring arm. Groghr nu Trrmphka, the Togar shipmaster stood by the open passenger hatch, accompanied by his Kakth Oghr mate. He watched the tall human debark. “Have a nice time on Brhama, Human and thank whatever gods you may worship that we actually made it.” Sam turned. “I noticed the alarms, but it seems you mastered the situation, whatever it may be.” The Togar shipmaster brushed over his whiskers. “Turned half my fur gray,...
Nijaii plaza was just like everything else, a perfectly groomed, perfectly clean open space multi-leveled space connected with sweeping two or three-step stairs. Interconnected with water features, gurgling fountains and more of those artistic shaped, but not very natural-looking trees. There wasn’t a single leaf on the ground, no one walked or sat on the carpet like grass. Some of the grass was not even green, but pink and peach-colored. The TMT Gazebo centrally located on that plaza had...
Martha and her new friends did not run into anyone as they made their way to the hangar deck. While the Union scientist would have never found anything on this alien ship. It was evident Geha did not have the same problems. She unerringly used elevators and corridors as if she had been raided on this Karthanian. Geha said as they emerged from an elevator shaft. “I wonder where the rest of the crew is. I am sure there are more than the dead goons up in Command and Control.” “There aren’t...
The subject of that angry interchange inside the hidden chamber beneath the tower of Wizards was strapped into his command seat, a good 60,000 Light year distance. Einulsiebzwe was a Kermac, and like the current Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu he could trace his roots all the way back to Koken and he was proud of his heritage. As his T-cruiser, the very latest of its kind with the finest and best technology the Galactic Council had to offer, was accelerating to punish that impudent Union Police...
Two hours just weren’t enough to find a man who knew this rock and did not want to be found. Sam knew the Bennett’s were quite serious about their warning. Even with Charles, he could not win. This wasn’t an open planet where he could hide in the wilderness somewhere. This was a closed environment with areas not accessible to him, and with too many eyes and ears. He had asked all the usual sources and while they all knew something about Dimon, no one really knew where he was. Sam did find...
Roy found himself waking in a huge bed, Tanya snuggled close to him, Partner behind them both like a giant living pillow. The window across the bed provided a vista over a green mountain meadow. It took him a moment to get oriented and remembered taking a shower and crawling more tired than he realized he was into this bed. A glance on his Wrist-com told him, that was six hours ago. The enormous bed, greatly expanded to accommodate Partner was part of this uber-lux master bedroom. The window...
This was the first time Supreme Wizard Zwhehzwheneu noticed that the seven xenomorphs in their hidden chamber right beneath the Tower of the Supreme Wizard were not as arrogant and aloft as they usually acted. It almost seemed the seven were disturbed and perhaps even afraid. They had summoned him and he of course obeyed. “I have heard your call and here I am.” “Our assets, the eyes we have developed within the society known as the Union disappear at an alarming rate. We lost contact with...