Earth

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

Yusef listens incredulously to the radio as the lead fighter pilot, Lieutenant Fazel, reports that his instruments have 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 is not the best of pilots, Yusef assumes the problem is likely pilot error.

He systematically runs through his weapons readiness checklist as he approaches within fifteen miles of the coordinates. He sees what looks like a bright star at his twelve o'clock—much larger than any celestial body should be. He adjusts the brightness on the HUD to compensate. His hand briefly touches the photograph of his wife and two-month-old child taped next to the tactical display, steadying himself before approaching the target.

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

The strange object then flies off on a northwestern trajectory, and Yusef continues to pursue it. Suddenly, a smaller object, just as bright as the primary object, breaks off and heads straight for him at an incredible speed. Yusef reacts quickly. He reports he is going weapons 'hot' and arms the AIM-9 missiles strapped beneath the wings. He is about to fire a missile when the weapons control panel dies. UHF radio also quits working. Remembering what happened to Fazel, he initiates a sharp bank combined with a negative G dive, hoping to escape the impending object.

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

"Impossible!" He shouts in frustration. "That is a Djinn!"

The unknown craft is again on an intercept course with Yusef. It approaches him rapidly from starboard. Before he can react, it is in front of him, filling his vision with an intense blinding light. His eyes are unable to process what he is seeing. He freezes at the controls. Forcing composure, he feels for and engages the autopilot, hoping it will keep him from crashing into the ground.

It takes almost two agonizing minutes for his vision to return. He quickly spots the shape of the parent ship, but the small craft that has come dangerously close to colliding with him has vanished. Without hesitating, he guides his fighter towards the main object, keeping a safe distance from what he judges to be its engagement threshold.

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

Yusef makes a low pass over the mysterious object and reports its coordinates to the air base at Shahrokhi. He circles it for a few more minutes until it suddenly returns to the mother ship where it originated. Soon after, the parent object takes off in a blindingly fast dash toward the west and is out of sight before Yusef can even blink.

Yusef begins his course back to base. As he starts his final approach, another of the small objects overtakes him and positions itself less than fifty meters directly above his plane. It is cylindrical with steady bright lights on either end and a single flashing light in the middle. He feels a chill slide down his spine. Just as he pushes the throttle to afterburner, all electrical systems on the fighter quit again. He is helpless as he witnesses the mysterious figure descend ever closer.

The airbase tower has Yusef on the radar as he begins his approach. The controller witnesses the object come up on the fighter, and they appear to merge into one. The object is so bright that the tower can not see the fighter, even though its landing lights are on. The object continues straight toward the airbase control tower and flies directly over it. As it does, all electrical equipment in the tower quits working. The object continues in a westerly direction. When the power returns to the tower, there is no sign of the object or Yusef's fighter.

Raquesti

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

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

As the group reaches a tee junction, Maryam, carrying their toddler, suddenly sags from fatigue. One of the guards tries to steady her, but Yusef violently pushes him away and demands to know where they are being taken. Before the guards respond, Yusef swings his fist and hits the Raquesti in the upper body. The guard steps back in surprise.

Maryam turns away to protect the child and shield it from what is happening.

Yusef charges the other guard, but they quickly wrap him in an embrace he can do little against except kick his feet in the air as they lift him off the floor. Yusef's squirming slowly extricates him from his captor. As he prepares for another attack, another Raquesti arrives at the altercation.

This Raquesti gives a slight hand signal to the two guards as he says, "As-salamu'alikum." Everyone immediately stops.

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

"I am the Prime Elder. Please do not continue this outburst. I will answer all your questions." A door opens a few meters away. The Prime Elder gestures towards it and says, "Respectfully, please accompany me."

The Prime Elder is tall and thin, like the two guards. However, even though his clothing is simple, it is not a uniform as the guard's clothing seems to be. While the guard's uniform is a unitard with insignia just below the right shoulder, The Prime Elder is wearing a long jacket with a standing collar. The bottom edge of the garment ends fifty centimeters above the floor. Beneath the jacket are pants of the same light blue material. The pants extend to enclose the feet—a dark translucent jewel clasp at the jacket's neck.

The Ibrahim family, Father, Mother, and toddler, follow the Prime Elder into a windowless room. "You may sit down there," he indicates the seats that ring the walls of the enclosure. "This trip will take several minutes." The room is round, and the walls concave as if part of an incomplete sphere.

Yusef thinks he detects the room moving vertically and leans as if he were on a bus that has just departed. The sensation soon dissipates. Maryam sits in a seat. Yusef stands, his hands balled at his side. "Are we moving?"

"Yes," the Prime Elder assures him. "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 waits for Yusef's next question as Yusef tries to process the confirmation and its implications.

Yusef feels the room gently come to a stop and then continue in another direction as he thinks. After a few minutes, he resumes the conversation. "What planet is this?"

"We call our world Raquesti. Our civilization has existed here for over forty thousand years, measured in Earth time." The room shudders. The Prime Elder lowers his head and closes 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 lowers his head again and sighs. "I am sorry if all that has happened has led you to believe you are captives."

"You mean you didn't abduct us?" Yusef says 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 has shifted, and he apologizes, stating that they have arrived at their destination and must pause their discussion. The Ibrahim family exits the car where the Raquesti transport has stopped. They find themselves at a spiral ramp leading upward to an ample open space resembling a European city rail station. Their guide gestures them to follow him as he walks down a street that encircles a park. On the outside edge of the street, there are townhomes and commercial establishments."

Walking down a small street reminds Yusef of a wealthy neighborhood he visited in London. Townhomes line the street, and there is a shop or non-residential building 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 notices that there are no gaps between the homes and shops that enclose the neighborhood. He suspects that the back of these buildings will have no windows or doors, and they form a solid wall around the village. The buildings are side by side, creating an outer ring that sequesters the neighborhood. If his guess is correct, the residents are effectively incarcerated here. As he looks up, he wonders if the sky above is real or a facade meant to look natural.

Anticipatingly, the Prime Elder says, "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 notices other humans, men, women, and children of different Earth ethnicities in the park. Some of them politely wave at them as the Ibrahims pass by. Maryam waves back. The Ibrahim child—taking the cue from its mother—also waves.

After a one-kilometer walk, they have come full circle back to the station. They turn around to retrace their steps for one 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. However, some of it will be exactly like the meat you are accustomed to. Our replicators can also produce other foods. Also, there is a limited supply of food brought from Earth to Raquesti. It may help you transition to locally produced items. If you require anything else, please ask us."

They climb 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 stops halfway up the steps. He has an angry demeanor.

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

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, that knowledge was 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 do good than to harm. One's actions always fall between these two ideals. Do one's actions help or harm an individual or society? Where those actions fall along the scale is how we must judge ourselves. I desire to help your son, as an individual, and also Raquesti society to the best of my ability."

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

"I expect no less."