pdf file - Notes from An Alien

and he was always burdened with never having met you. Our meeting begins a new phase in my research."
Velu felt strange, elated and depressed, wanting to faint and hyper-conscious. She took three deep
breaths and said: "Morna... You have memories of my father..."
"Velu, I have many memories and many recordings."
"Recordings!"
Velu took two more deep breaths and nearly fainted.
"Morna, will you be my best friend?"
"It appears that your desire has been anticipated. I am to be your constant companion."
The Angan counter movement had suffered a few set-backs. Most importantly, they had lost more of
their original people to the priest's Offerings to their God. As things got worse, they tried to increase the transfer
of their people to Suva. The Disciples of Faith were more than happy to absorb these technological citizens and
made them extremely welcome.
The remaining members of the counter movement shifted their survival tactics to focus on the mentally
damaged, more recently arrived, Angans. It took them many months to find a method of reversing most of the
effects of the electro-shock treatment. Surprisingly, the priests were able to help. They possessed knowledge of
Anlan vegetation that bolstered the body's nervous system. Burlim was more conflicted than ever. He felt he was
swimming in a sea with predators who would make you feel better just before they ate you.
He'd had news of Xela's and Velu's collaboration and wished he could be closer to the action. He knew,
though, that he was right where he was really needed—maintaining development of weapons for the expected
Angan invasion and healing as many of his people as possible. Next would be their transfer to Suva, though that
was becoming much harder to do because the priests were starting to station more Protectors in their
encampment.
From what he could gather, the priests were only intent on getting more settlers. They didn't seem to
comprehend that seizing ShipTwo had assured the delivery of orbital weapons to their planet. He knew they were
spending enormous amounts of time directing their thoughts and feelings through the planetary plasma in
special areas left free of the cloaking plasmas his teams had installed. But he and his people were shut out. The
last thing they needed now was to have their endocrine implants reactivated.
Xela, Velu, and Morna sat at the entrance to a cave high in the mountains and waited for Angi to set.
Velu had been increasingly impressing Xela and Xela had been returning the favor. Morna was doing what
Morna did best, drawing deductions from their conversations and offering her analyses. As Angi dipped below
the horizon, Morna spoke:
"Xela, you are waiting for Pallos to rise, and Velu is waiting for Beli, and I am waiting for your
conversation to wander toward discussion of the various religions. I will help you. Velu, what do you know of
religion?"
"There is too much and not enough of it."
Xela chuckled as she said: "Velu has differentiated between the outer forms of religion and its internal
essence, Morna. What will you say to that?
"I observed religious fervor in the Haria on ShipOne and have studied what your people believe, which
includes more rationality than the Lord's Army or Faith of Eternity. I was also able to observe Akla and the
Narians. Akla seems to have an even more evolved ability to travel the plasma communication paths than Velu or
Zena. I predict a physical war between the Lord's Army and Faith of Eternity within two years. Religious war is
the most contradictory manifestation of any outward form of religion. Your Disciples of Faith leave room for
many outward expressions of their belief. Akla and the Narians are a puzzle I have yet to assemble."
Xela laughed softly again: "Morna, your normally perfect logical progression in your speech has become
infected with our propensity to follow emotional paths."
"I am trying to relate to you."
Velu giggled and said: "Morna, who designed you?"
"A scientist who was killed shortly after I became functional. Her name was Trulen Gestor."
"That explains it, then. You and my father were meant to find the key to successfully conquering this