Time for a Change

Time for a Change


A Short Story

Written By

SpaceFaction

     The screaming echoed throughout The Transfer Chamber. It came from about twenty-five seeable Jooflins crowded together on a large monitor next to Transferer Hulland. Hulland had his two upper hands covering his flat-against-his-face ears. His other two hands were about halfway down the sides of his body. Tapping away at the Transfer Control Panel in front of him. Suddenly, Hulland stopped tapping. The echoing stopped too.

     Hulland looked over at Commander Klimmona. “I’m ready to transfer the Go Team to Jooflin.”

     “What went wrong with our Transfer?” Klimmona asked.

     “I don’t know,” answered Hulland. “All I know is that the whole chamber went black for about ten seconds. Then it came back on. I checked, and everything is okay.”

     Klimmona looked at the Go Team standing on ten round flat circles on a large level platform. They consisted of six humans and four other alien races. “I don’t know why, but the Jooflins only want humans on their planet.”

     After the four other aliens headed for the entrance there, mumbling and complaining about not being allowed to go too, Klimmona was right behind them. She stopped just before leaving to look at Hulland. “Contact me as soon as the Transfer is complete.”

#

     Everyone in The Command Control Chamber stood up and faced Klimmona as she entered. Just as she was sitting down in a chair in the center of that chamber, Hulland replaced the image of Jooflin on the large monitor in front of her. “We have a big problem.”

     "The Transfer was a success on our end,” continued Hulland. “Only according to our Control Panel Monitor they never got to Jooflin.”

     After looking at all the shocked faces staring at her from the other crew member there, Klimmona returned her shocked face at Hulland. “What happened?”

     “I don’t know what is going on yet,” answered Hulland. “I’m already checking Transfer to make sure we aren’t the reason for what happened.”

     Suddenly, Klimmona sat straight in her chair and swiveled it to face Communicator Genon. “Have the Jooflins tried to contact us about why we haven’t sent our Go Team down there?”

     “No, they haven’t. At least not yet,” answered Genon.

     “That’s strange,” said Klimmona. “They should have contacted us about that by now.”

     Klimmona slowly started looking at everyone there. “I want answers. Where is our Go Team? What happened to them and why did it happen?”

#

     Four Minnones Go Team crew members had just appeared in an Open Area in a Wooded Area. They slowly look around them. “Where are we?” SubCommander Grandim asked. “We aren’t where we are supposed to be.”

     Grandim looks at the other Go Team crew members there. “Where are Binnan and Yani? Let’s split up. They may have appeared somewhere else. After all, we have.”

     The four Go Team crew members of The Minnone go in different directions. They are slowly looking around, cocking their heads slightly, as they do it. Suddenly, all four stop walking and looking, one after another. “Anyone find or seen Binnan and Yani?” After Grandim asked the other three Go Team crew members there, he got the same answer. No one had seen either one.

     “I don’t know where Binnan and Yani are, but I think I know where we are.” Investigator Pallica said as he was looking at a large Community.

     Pallica stepped out of that Wooded Area. “I’m looking at a large Community right now, and it’s advanced, but it’s not advanced as it should be. I think we are on Jooflin, but we have somehow time-traveled into their past.”

#

     “Finished checking out Transfer,” said Hulland from a large monitor in front of everyone there. “Haven’t found anything wrong with it.”

     “What about what caused the delay in the transfer of the Go Team?” Klimmona asked. “Did you figure out what caused it?”

     The image of Hulland shook his head slowly no. “No, I haven’t, but I’m not too surprised about that. That happens every so often. I don’t think it has anything to do with our missing Go Team.”

     “Neither do I,” said Klimmona. Klimmona turned to face Genon. “Have you been able to contact Grandim yet?”

     “No, I haven’t,” answered Genon. “They are several hours late in contacting us. That’s unusual for Grandim.”

     Klimmona shook his head yes. “Very unusual for him. Grandim is extremely good about contacting us. If anything, he contacts us too much.”

     “What about the Jooflins?” Klimmona asked Genon. “Have you been able to contact them yet?”

     “Not with them either,” answered Genon. “I have been trying to do that too ever since our Go Team went missing.”

     Klimmona shook her head sadly. “That verifies it to me. The Jooflins have them. The big questions are where are they and why have the Jooflins done this to them?”

#

     The others have joined Pallica. They were looking at a large community too. “I think you’re right,” said Grandim. “Somehow we have gone back into their past.”

     Just then a Jooflin appeared next to them. Grandim pointed his Hand Weapon at her. “What’s going on here?”

     “Your Hand Weapon is no good against me,” said Reami. “What you are looking at is only an image.”

     Reami waved her hands in front of her. Suddenly, they were in a large almost empty room. Binnan and Yani were there. “You shouldn’t have brought Young Ones with you, but maybe, it's a good thing you have done this. After all, they are a link to our present and our past.”

     With another wave of her hands, they were back next to the Wooded Area again. “As for why you are here, you’re here to help us with our sickness. This is where it is about to begin. We need you to stop it from happening.”

     How do you want us to do that? Grandim asked.

     “We want you to kill those who are about to do it,” answered Reami. “That’s another reason why we haven’t sent the Young Ones back with you.”

###

     Grandim led the way as the Go Team were heading for the large community below them. They were about halfway there. Reami was walking right next to him. “Why do you need us to do this?”

     “Because we can’t change our past,” answered Reami. “Only someone else can do that.”

     “That isn’t exactly true,” said Grandim after he and the others stopped walking. “You can change your past. It’s just easier to make us do it. Isn’t that the real reason why Binnan and Yani were left in the present?”

     Grandim continued a few seconds later. “Binnan is only twelve and Yani is barely eleven. They are just beginning their learning on The Minnone so they can decide what they want to do the rest of their lives.”

     “Of course, we aren’t using them,” said Reami. “You are doing it because you agreed to help us, and this is the best way to do it.”

     Grandim and the others started walking again. “What if we don’t want to do this?”

     “If you don’t, we will be forced to find the cure our way,” said Reami. “That’s why we only wanted humans to come down here.”

#

     Klimmona was looking over the shoulder of her Data Information Specialist Illiane to see what she was doing on the small monitor in front of her. “Have you found where our Go Team is on Jooflin?”

     “I haven’t found them, and I have looked everywhere,” answered Illiane. “Especially around their Leadership community where they are supposed to be. If they are down there, they are very well hidden.”

     “They are down there,” said Klimmona. “I’m sure of it. We just need to find them.”

     Klimmona leaned over slightly for a better look at what Illiane was doing. “Have you checked underground?” Klimmona asked.

     “Yes, I have,” answered Illiane. “I have gone all the way to their core, and there are billions underground, but none of them are humans.”

     After Klimmona started pacing behind the three crew members up on that upper open level of Command Central, she stopped when she got back to Illiane. “What about looking for any parts of a structure or a whole structure you can’t get in to check out?”

     “I haven’t thought about that,” answered Illiane. “That would explain why I can’t find them.”

#

     Reami was no longer with them. The Go Team were alone as they stayed in the darkness of an oblong structure they were walking down. They were about halfway down that structure when they stopped. “Where is an entrance to this place?” Grandim asked.

     “It’s not on top of it,” continued Grandim. “We would have seen it coming from the Wooded Area above. It isn’t on the side behind us either. So, it must be on the side that is opposite us or around the next side.”

     “What are we going to do when we get in there?” Pallica asked. “We aren't going to do what the Jooflins want us to do.”

     Grandim looked at Pallica with a shocked look on his face. “Of course, we aren’t going to do that, but Reami did give me a thought when she threatened us with what they will do if we didn’t do what they wanted us to do.”

     “What’s that?” Pallica asked.

     “Those who are about to create this sickness probably already have created a cure for this sickness. Just to be sure something like what is about happen doesn’t happen. All we need to do is find it.”

#

     Klimmona turned her chair around to face Illiane. “Have you found them?”

     “I have, sort of.” Illiane tapped a few buttons on her control panel. The image of Jooflin changed on the large monitor there to several sketched structures. Most had some gray parts in them, but only one was completely gray.”

     “You were right about checking for any structures that didn’t want to be checked,” continued Illiane. “It wasn’t easy checking them, but I found two from our Go Team. From the look of the size of their body heat, it looks like I have found Binnan and Yani.”

     Klimmona was still looking at the large monitor when she asked, “What about the other four on the Go Team? Have you found them yet?”

     “Unfortunately, I haven’t,” answered Illiane. “I’m still looking for them.”

     “What about Binnan and Yani?” Klimmona asked. “Can we see them?”

     Illiane didn’t say anything. She just started tapping away at her control panel. A few seconds later Illiane stopped tapping and turned to face the large monitor as an image of Binnan and Yani appeared on it. Everyone there had shocked look on their faces.

#

     The Go Team there barely got back into the Wooded Area when Reami appeared. “Have you done what we have asked you to do?”

     “If you mean did we kill anyone, the answer is no. We have found a cure for it, though,” said Grandim.

     “It’s not what we wanted you to do, but it’s better than nothing.” Reami waved her hands in front of her and everyone there disappeared.

     A few seconds later they reappeared where Binnan and Yani used to be. Grandim points his Hand Weapon at Reami. “I don’t think you are only an image this time. Where are Binnan and Yani?”

     “No need for your weapon,” said Reami. “Binnan and Yani are already back on your spaceship. They went back there several hours ago. If you are ready, we can send you back there too.”

     “We are ready,” said Reami. After waving her hands again, the others on that Go Team disappeared too.

     A few seconds later Reami walked behind a large wall where all six of the Go Team were on floating Sleepers. “I hope their duplicates kill all of them before it’s too late to stop it. Maybe the next race will do what we ask them to do. The cure will help us now, but not having the cure at all is even better.”

Word Count = 1,991