Earth

Lieutenant Yusef Ibrahim felt the roar of the fighter's engines as he accelerated down runway 13R at Shahrokhi Air Force Base. He rose above the shroud of smog, and a river of stars greeted him, making him feel small despite the 12000 pounds of thrust at his back. Banking his jet northeast, he set a course to intercept the anomaly sighted over Tehran.

Yusef listened incredulously to the radio as the lead fighter pilot, Lieutenant Fazel, reported that his instruments had ceased functioning. His UHF and intercom went out as he approached within five nautical miles of the target. Systems returned as Fazel aborted his approach. Knowing Fazel was not the best of pilots, Yusef assumed the problem was likely pilot error.

He systematically ran through his weapons readiness checklist as he approached within fifteen miles of the coordinates. He saw what looked like a bright star at his twelve o'clock—but physically more prominent than any celestial body should be. He adjusted the brightness on the HUD to compensate. His hand briefly touched the photograph of his wife and two-month-old child taped next to the tactical display, steadying himself before approaching the target.

Yusef adjusted his course to approach the unidentified object at an oblique angle to allow him more room to maneuver, and he hoped he would seem less threatening to whatever this object was. He continued to close at a speed of one hundred fifty knots. When he reached a point ten nautical miles from the object, it moved away from him, maintaining a constant distance between them. Yusef couldn't believe its size. It was enormous. But, because the light emitted from the object was too fuzzy, Yusef had trouble discerning its exact size or shape. It was like an optical illusion. It was like a smooth, symmetrical cloud.

The strange object then flew off on a northwestern trajectory, and Yusef continued to pursue it. Suddenly, a smaller object, just as bright as the primary object, broke off and headed straight for him at an incredible speed. Yusef reacted quickly. He keyed the radio mic, reported he was going weapons 'hot', and armed the AIM-9 missiles strapped beneath the wings. He was about to fire a missile when the weapons control panel died. UHF radio also quit working. Remembering what happened to Fazel, he initiated a sharp bank combined with a negative G dive, hoping to escape the impending object.

Yusef's eyes widened as he saw the strange object hurtling toward him. An oblong cluster of ever-changing colors, blue, green, red, and orange, strobed wildly in the darkness. As soon as Yusef had come about 180 degrees, the object changed its course without any turn or bank, like a cue ball ricocheting off the rail of a billiard table.

"Impossible!" He shouted in frustration. "That thing is a Djinn!"

The unknown craft was again on an intercept course with Yusef. It approached him rapidly from starboard. Before he could react, it was in front of him, filling his vision with an intense, blinding light. His eyes were unable to process what he was seeing. He froze at the controls. Forcing composure, he felt for and engaged the autopilot, hoping it would keep him from a violent encounter with the ground.

It took two agonizing minutes for his vision to return. He quickly spotted the shape of the parent ship, but the small craft that had come dangerously close to colliding with him had vanished. Without hesitating, he guided his fighter toward the main object, keeping a safe distance from what he judged to be its engagement threshold.

Once again, another small object detached itself and started descending toward the ground at breakneck speed, seemingly set on crashing into it. But instead of doing so, it surprisingly stopped, without slowing, just before impact, hovering right above the ground and illuminating the terrain with an intense brightness for several kilometers.

Yusef made a low pass over the mysterious object and reported its coordinates to the air base at Shahrokhi. He circled it for a few more minutes until it suddenly returned to the mother ship where it originated. Soon after, the parent object took off in a blindingly fast dash toward the west and was out of sight before Yusef could even blink.

Yusef began his course back to base. As he started his final approach, another of the small objects overtook him and positioned itself less than fifty meters directly above his plane. It was cylindrical with steady bright lights on either end and a single flashing light in the middle. He felt a chill slide down his spine. Just as he pushed the throttle to afterburner, all electrical systems on the fighter quit once again. He was helpless as he witnessed the mysterious object descend even closer.

The airbase tower had Yusef on the radar as he began his approach. The controller witnessed the object come up on the fighter, and they appeared to merge into one. The object was so bright that the tower could not see the fighter, even though its landing lights were on. The object continued straight toward the airbase control tower and flew directly over it. As it did, all electrical equipment in the tower quit working. The object continued in a westerly direction. When the power returned to the tower, there was no sign of the object or Yusef's fighter.

 

Raquesti

Two Raquesti guards led the Ibrahim family down a long corridor with an elliptical cross-section. The Raquesti guards had a humanoid appearance, with heads that were more elliptical along the vertical axis. They lacked hair, had small ears, and had large eyes.

The corridor was well-lit, but the source of light was not discernable. Lieutenant Ibrahim Yusef thought the tunnel's sides might emit a soft glow, but it was not too bright to look at. He noticed no shadows and not a speck of dirt anywhere. The soft footwear that the guards required them to wear didn't make any sound.

As the group reached a tee junction, Maryam, carrying their toddler, suddenly sagged from fatigue. One of the guards tried to steady her, but Yusef violently pushed him away and demanded to know where they were being taken. Before the guards responded, Yusef swung his fist and hit the Raquesti in the upper body. The guard, unhurt, stepped back in surprise.

Maryam turned away to protect the child and shield it from what was happening.

Yusef charged the other guard, but they quickly wrapped him in an embrace he could do little against except kick his feet in the air as they lifted him off the floor. Yusef's squirming slowly extricated him from his captor. As he prepared for another attack, another Raquesti arrived at the altercation.

This Raquesti gave a slight hand signal to the two guards as he said, "As-salamu'alikum." Everyone immediately stopped.

Stunned by the greeting, Yusef demanded, "Who are you?"

"I am the Prime Elder. Please do not continue this altercation. I will answer all your questions." A door opened a few meters away. The Prime Elder gestured toward it and said, "Respectfully, please accompany me."

The Prime Elder was tall and thin, like the two guards. However, even though his clothing was simple, it was not a uniform as the guard's clothing seemed to be. While the guard's uniform was a unitard with an emblem just below the right shoulder, The Prime Elder wore a long jacket with a standing collar. The bottom edge of the garment ended fifty centimeters above the floor. Beneath the coat are pants of the same light blue material. The pants extended to enclose the feet. A dark translucent jewel clasped the jacket's neck.

The Ibrahim family, father, mother, and toddler, followed the Prime Elder into a windowless room. "You may sit down there," he pointed to the seats that ringed the walls of the enclosure. This trip will take several minutes." The room was round, and the walls were concave as if part of an incomplete sphere.

Yusef felt the room moving vertically and leaning as if he were on a bus that had just departed. The sensation soon dissipated. Maryam sat in a seat close to where they entered. Yusef stood, his hands balled at his side. "Are we moving?"

"Yes," the Prime Elder confirmed. "We are in a sub-surface conveyance. It is our primary means of transportation on Raquesti. It can take us to almost any location on our planet in a few minutes."

"Then, I am not hallucinating. We are no longer on Earth."

"That is correct."

The Prime Elder waited for Yusef's next question as Yusef tried to process the confirmation and its implications.

Yusef felt the room gently stop and then continue in another direction as he pondered his situation. After a few minutes, he resumed the conversation. "Where are we?"

"We call our world Raquesti. Our civilization has existed here for over forty thousand years, measured in Earth time." The room shuddered. The Prime Elder lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Unfortunately, our civilization is not what it once was. Our knowledge has developed gaps. We are finding it difficult to repair our existing technology."

"You said you were Prime Elder. What does that mean?"

"It is my title. I am the leader of the Raquesti, as we refer to ourselves. I bear the ultimate responsibility for you being here. I made it one of my priorities to learn about the people of your planet. I speak several of your languages; I hope you are comfortable with English."

"So you captured us for your amusement? I don't know what you think we are. We will not willingly submit to being displayed in a 'Zoo.' We will not be willing participants in some nefarious experiment. Humans have existed long enough and developed enough pride to value their freedom. I will warn you now that you will not have our willing cooperation, whatever you may have planned for us."

The Prime Elder lowered his head again and sighed. "I am sorry if all that has happened has led you to believe you are captives."

"You mean you didn't abduct us?" Yusef said sarcastically.

"Our method was necessarily abrupt—please forgive me. No, Mr. Ibrahim, this place is not a zoo or a scientific study. You are our honored guest and are here for a special purpose. We hope that you, specifically your child, may assist us. We need your help."

"What do you mean, 'need our help'?"

The Prime Elder's attention shifted, and he apologized, stating that they had arrived at their destination and must pause their discussion. The Ibrahim family exited the car where the Raquesti transport had stopped. They found themselves at a spiral ramp leading upward to an ample open space resembling a European city rail station. Their guide gestured them to follow him as he walked down a street that encircled a park. On the outside edge of the street, there were townhomes and commercial establishments.

Walking down the small street reminded Yusef of a wealthy neighborhood he once visited in London. Townhomes line the street, and there are shops or non-residential buildings approximately every ten townhomes. The residents of this community have easy access to a grocer, restaurant, gym, library, theater, doctor's office, school, and other amenities they might need. Yusef noticed no gaps between the homes and shops enclosing the neighborhood. He suspected the backs of these buildings would have no windows or doors and that they would form a solid barrier around the village. The side-by-side buildings created an outer ring that sequestered the neighborhood. If his guess were correct, the residents are effectively incarcerated here. Looking up, he wondered if the sky above was real or a facade meant to look natural.

Anticipatingly, the Prime Elder said, "Whenever you wish, you may visit other parts of Raquesti, escorted, of course. Our world has many attractions that I think will interest you. We encourage you to get to know us and experience our civilization. You will discover that we are friendly. We also want to broaden your knowledge. One of our goals will be to see that your child has the best learning opportunities. Here, your child will receive an education far superior to what he would have otherwise."

During the walk, Maryam noticed other humans, men, women, and children of diverse Earth ethnicities in the park. Some of them politely waved at them as the Ibrahims passed by. Maryam waved back. The Ibrahim child—taking the cue from its mother—also waved.

After a one-kilometer walk, they came full circle back to the station. They turned around to retrace their steps for a hundred meters. "And here we are at your new home."

"We can replicate any furnishings you desire to decorate your home to make it most comfortable. We have the means to produce various goods—at no cost—to whoever may want them. This technology has helped us create a post-scarcity economy that allowed us to eliminate poverty long ago. With your direction, we can reproduce practically any item."

"You will find a wide variety of nourishment options. All of our food is plant-based—thus Halal. It will be exactly like the meat you are accustomed to. Our replicators can also produce other foods. Also, there is a limited food supply brought from Earth to Raquesti. It may help you transition to locally produced items. If you require anything else, please ask us."

They climbed a few steps to the front door of a two-story, smooth stone house that would have gone unnoticed in the affluent streets of London. Lt. Ibrahim suddenly stopped halfway up the steps. He had an angry demeanor.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Ibrahim?" the Prime Elder inquired.

Yusof confronts the Prime Elder. "You said you need our help. Why?"

"The Raquesti once had a vast store of knowledge. We knew the exact nature of the universe. This information allowed us to do great things. Unfortunately, much of that knowledge is lost, and we have reached an impasse in rediscovering it. The children we have gathered from Earth are a diverse group. I want to teach them what we already know in the hope that they will eventually be able to help us in our quest to rediscover what we lost."

"I don't trust you," Yusof replied.

"I understand. We abruptly took you from your home and brought you here without your permission. I can only ask that you permit me to try to change your mind about us.

"The philosophy to which I subscribe has a simple code of ethics. It is better to help others than to harm them. One's actions always fall between these two absolutes. Do one's actions help or harm an individual or society? Where those actions fall along the scale is how we judge ourselves. I desire to help your son, as an individual, and also Raquesti society to the best of my ability."

Yusef does not like it but is resigned to his fate. "We'll see. Just know I will do whatever I must to ensure my wife's and child's safety."

"I expect no less."