Chapter 17
“In that last set of Fantastic Fifties, you heard “Summer Thrills” by Clandestine, “Storm Horizon” by Permanent Marker, “Rocket” by James Leroy, Bitter Boyz featuring Jamie on “A Thousand”, and Exclmation’s cover of “Stranger In Town”, said the voice on the speaker Jim had playing in the barn. “You’re listening to KNCK radio, live, on the air, in your ear and everywhere! And I’m your host, Johnnie Blackburn.”
“Now you could probably guess the theme for that last set, my intrepid listeners,” Johnnie continued, “and I know I promised to keep the music playing here, since those of you who want to watch or listen to the launch would long-ago have switched to some other cast. I won’t go back on my word, since what good is a man who can’t keep his word. But, dammit, this is a big day with a big event, so let me share my thoughts as the launch of that first set of colonists is just fifteen minutes away.”
Jim pulled his head out of the planter box he was repairing and looked at the speaker with a questioning glance.
“We feature a lot of older music on this cast since that is what you’ve told us you want to hear.”, the caster said. “It’s music with lessons to teach. Music to remind us who we are. Now those people who climbed aboard that ship over the past few days, I’m not sure they’ve been listening very well. I’m not sure they know who they are or where…”
Jim threw his socket wrench towards the voice. “Speaker, off!” he shouted, and then he stomped out of the barn into the open air of the mid-spring Kansas day.
Marvin, his dog, followed Jim slowly and at a safe distance back. Jim started pacing in the grass outside the barn, and Marvin stopped, his ears up and alert.
“Why can’t he just play the music!”, Jim suddenly shouted. “I mean, all he has to do is just click and let the next song play. I don’t give a damn what he thinks. If I wanted opinions, I would have tuned into The Kansan.” Jim’s arms made wide, gesturing movements and his hand turned a giant dial in the air. At this, Marvin turned around and slunk back to the door of the barn and laid down, his head on the ground, watching Jim pace.
“If I wanted current events, I’d listen to Plains News. If I wanted to be guided and advised, I would have brought up Our Daily Bread. But I didn’t want any of that, now did I,” Jim continued and turned to Marvin.
“No, I didn’t! I wanted to listen to music. So I turn on a music station, but nooooo, they can’t play music, can they? He has to talk about the damn alien ship like every other freakin’ person on this planet!” Jim finished, punching the air in front of him for emphasis.
He stopped his pacing, looked at his dog, and breathed in and out very deeply and loudly for a few seconds.
“And here I am complaining to you about it, Marv,” Jim said in a much calmer voice. The dog lifted his head from the ground. “C’mere,” Jim called and the dog trotted over.
“Well, I am glad you’ll listen to me rant, ya old dog.” Jim said as bent down and scratched the dog behind the ears. “The last person that bothered to pay attention to anything I said was…” but Jim paused without saying a name and then straightened up. Marvin the dog put a paw on his owners thigh. Jim said ‘Maybe later” and walked back into the barn to find the socket wrench he threw at the speaker earlier.
Five minutes later he emerged from the barn again, whistled for the dog, and walked over to his truck.
Jim’s farm was decent size but the media, police, armed services and gawkers that had descended around Seneca and especially around his land were crowding him in. He drove down to the end of the lane connecting his farmhouse to the county road and pointed his truck towards the location of the alien ship, and parked on the road. He got out and went to the front of the truck, with his dog following him.
Jim pulled out his commblock, looked at the time, glanced towards the alien ship and then tapped a few icons on the screen of the commblock.
A female voice started speaking:
“Hello. My name is Luna. I imagine you want to delete and move onto your next message with a name like mine, but I truly do respect your land, which is why I ask you to finish this message.”
“My family originally came from the Winnebago Reservation. We understand the value of home, the importance of land, the relationship that people have with their ground, and the disrespect that comes from not appreciating and recognizing that relationship.”
Jim pressed the jump-forward button, and Luna’s voice continued.
“My Grandfather passed away when I was a little girl. I love many of the things my Grandfather cherished and honored, but something he never quite understood was the interest and desire I had to study and bond with the stars and planets and all that is seen when looking into the sky at night. I’m not sure it was coincidence, fate, or a self-fulfilling prophecy that came with my name, but that interest was there ever since I can remember. Even Grandfather recognized it and called me his little Loonie Bird because of how much I was always looking up at the sky and telling him how I wished I could be up there. So when the alien ship arrived this past Sunday, and the message about the possibility of visiting those stars and planets became a reality, I began wondering if this could actually happen for me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was more than a chance to see another world. It was the chance to establish a new homeland for me and my descendants, a way to claim what my ancestors had lost, and a way for Grandfather to be proud of what his granddaughter could bring forth.”
“And as I was getting ready to drive the 150 miles from Fremont to Seneca and pull right up to the alien ship, I heard my Grandfather speak to me. No, I didn’t actually hear a voice, but I felt him tell me not to follow the example of the Fremonters who barged into the Nebraska Territory without concern of who was there already, or the example of the alien ship itself that took no interest in whose ground it was landing on. I felt him tell me to offer the respect that others hadn’t, and ask permission first.”
Jim looked up just in time to see the alien craft lift off with the load of full load of colonists on board.
Luna’s voice played as Jim watched the craft streak into the sky. “Jim Kaufmann, I am asking for your permission to come onto your land and seek out my future. I will await your response and respect your decision, but I pray that you will see my sincerity and grant my request.”
Jim watched the craft as long as he could. When it disappeared from sight, he looked back down at the commblock with the image of Luna looking at him from the end of her message, wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye, and slid the block into his back pocket.
“Come on, Marv. I’ve got to finish planting that field before the rain comes tonight”, he said as he got back in the truck without another glance towards the sky.