So now The Phoenix and the tales of Bennu's adventures have come to an end. But as there is an Ending, so there is a Beginning, and with the following words Phoenix: The Mission begins.
Bennu shook his head, partially in astonishment and partially in disbelief at the extraordinary turn of events the day had brought.
Mira: //So that was Premminger. How hard he must have made your life.//
Bennu: //He could have been much worse. Though a poor example of humanity, and quite misguided, he was not willfully Evil - and, in the end, he DID reject Yago.//
He and Mira returned to her mound, and there she filled him in on as much of his Training as she could. She was quite astonished to learn that her Partner really had pretty much figured out their entire Mission.
Bennu: //Undoubtedly, some special Training of mine is missing, but it will do. It will have to!//
Mira: //Bennu, you amaze me! Of course, the Wise also chose me for the strength of my mind, but I really don't think I could have carried on as you have, facing obstacles even they had not forseen, without your Training, alone, with no one to share your burdens - and then Yago, too.//
Bennu: //The worst was the loneliness. How hard it was to look at the stars and know that everything I hold dear was far, far away from me! Everything but you, and you were lost ... Horrible as Yago is, at least he is a fellow Eldebrani! Very small comfort that was, but it was something.
//At first I had hope to carry me through the troubles, but as things grew worse, and my search for you led nowhere, I had only my Faith left. Mercifully, The Light came to my aid - would you belive Premminger saved my life after a successfull attack by Yago? Of course he did it for selfish reasons - apparently my death would have ruined his career, and he paid a terrible price for his deed - but after a number of such strange occurences - the oddest had to be when Yago AND Premminger saved me! - it became obvious that I truly was under the protection of The Light. I realized that if I survived, He would lead me to you.//
Mira: // Those two stories you must tell me!//
So Bennu told her of the Second Chance and The Mindstone. Then he continued: //Still, all of this could have been avoided had they made our entire inner chambers of Impervite. It would not have been obvious to the natives, and made my resting place VERY hard to break in to. Oh, of course! I must be tired. They would have used explosives, and wrecked equipment, and maybe killed me, in the process of breaking in.
//The Wise surely did the best they could - who could have forseen that the tampering needed to force my sleep chamber to open did no physical damage, but interfered with the memory refresher circuits. Otherwise I would have been able to find you in a few weeks. And even there, they tried to make allowances - they located your chamber next to a local tribe with great Sensitivity - for this planet, anyway - and, by teaching its Healers much, persuaded the tribe to wait for the "Chosen One" - me - and guide me to the correct spot.//
Mira: //Of course, the tribe thought our ancestors were gods, and so were willing to keep watch.//
Bennu: // What else could pre-technological people believe? Their Legends are quite explicit. In fact, they're still convinced that I am one. I have promised them that I would show them that which they have guarded for so long. Let us greet them.//
Mira: //Surely the Wise set a similar watch upon your mound.//
Bennu: //They did, but as I was not Awakened there, but moved far away before being Awakened, I did not learn about ... de Varga!//
Mira looked at him curiously.
Bennu: //When the gods were very young, seeing that men lived like wild animals, they took pity on them, and sent to Earth a child of theirs, so that he might teach men the knowledge of the greatest of all gods - the Sun. So say the Peruvian Legends. Here, science rules and the Old Beliefs, for better or worse, are relegated to "primitive" Peoples. In Peru, where I was asleep, they still believe! He was the one primed to bond with me when he touched the Seal on my chamber - a highly respected archaeologist, and still head of the Peruvian National Museum. I needed his help to make my escape before I passed from the hands of the curious into those of the war makers, and had little time for discussions with him.//
Mira: //And he saw you SunCharge. His tale is not unique. I presume he has founded a church of the Sun-god?//
Bennu: //Peru already had a vicious rebellion ongoing - sadly, I learned from him that the tribe who watched The House of the Sleeper was wiped out by some of its members, which is what led to my discovery. Now the fight for power is three-sided. We came to bring Maturity and Enlightenment, and out of our efforts at Good comes Evil. Such are the actions of the Immature. Still, we are Missionaries to the entire Earth. Come. It is nearing the ending of a long day. Tomorrow will see the dawning of a new and glorious one. Let us begin our Mission!//
With that, they walked out of the chamber, closing it behind them, off the sacred platform, across the few miles to the waiting tribe, and into what promised to be a most interesting Future.
Copyright Feb 17, 2001 Three Cheeks Productions (Richard Kaplan)