us.”
Trevor sneered, “You are not as evolved as you think. There is nothing standing here that I have not seen before. I’ve seen arrogance and pride. I’ve seen those who do because they can and not because they should. I’ve seen architects of destruction move people about as pawns. I’ve seen the so-called greater good be the good for a few. I’ve seen cold, calculating ‘logic’ translate into misery. I’ve seen it all before because while I may not know much about time, I know history. And I’m seeing it all over again.”
“Insolence.”
“A lack of perspective.”
“How dare you speak to us this way.”
“This is a far too complicated matter for your limited intellect.”
Trevor continued, “It is not complicated at all. You wish it to be so, so that you could hide behind the idea of gray areas and different perspectives and oh, the complexity of it all! But it is simple. It is war. It is war for pride’s sake. It is a war waged because of whispers in ears, because of promises of greatness, because you have come to know that despite how great you are, you are humbled in the face of the forces of nature, of the universe.”
Alenna peered at Trevor as if searching for clues on his face and said, “You speak in riddles. How are we-the greatest of all living things-humbled?”
“Because you don’t know all the answers. You have kidded yourself into thinking you created all the pieces for your little game, but you haven’t, have you?”
“Nonsense!” spat the Hivvan
“Really? Tell me why I command armies of canines?”
All of the children appeared ready to answer, but stopped. Their collective mouths shut.
“Yes, that’s what I thought. You don’t know, do you? Something in my genes. Something put there; another gift added into the chain you manipulated. Someone spiked your little concoction, didn’t they?”
“A part of evolution, nothing more,” the Witiko tried to sound sure but did not.
Trevor told them, “You put life on trial-nature-and that nature, that power of life defends itself through me. That is why on each Earth a helper species evolved. A defense mechanism, rooted in the truth that all of life sprouted from one organism.”
The Duass spat, “Nonsense.”
“Really? Tell me, on your home worlds in the original universe, did your people develop such an ability? I know Alenna’s father commands the Behemoths on the Chaktaw’s version of Earth. What is it the Witiko have on their side on their Earth? Or the Hivvans? But in your original universe- nothing. ”
Trevor thought of Nina and Armand and added, “Why is it that among my people there are those who have been waiting for this fight? Why are some destined to be champions?”
Alenna cocked her head as if trying to hear a distant, faint thought. “Are you suggesting that Voggoth did this?”
“The Chaktaw should refrain from feeding these fantasies!” came a shout from the young Witiko.
Trevor shook his head. “No. Not Voggoth. Something else. Something greater. The power of life itself. What some might call nature, others might think of as God, or the greater plan of the Universe. Forces beyond your comprehension. Beyond your control.”
“Speculation!”
“Ridiculous!”
“Foolishness!”
Trevor circled the ring of children again. They followed with their eyes.
“I don’t know the answers. I am content not to ask for all the answers. I was content to live my life. You took that from me. From all my people. You took it because you have been manipulated, used.”
“That is not true,” the Duass child said. “This undertaking is the result of our different races reaching the conclusion that evolution would be best served by determining which way of life is the strongest and that only the strongest would be worthy of Voggoth’s favor.”
The Geryon agreed, “Each of our races is different. Our environments vary greatly. Each, however, evolved into a higher life form. Through this conflict, the differences between our races will become clear and the strongest will survive.”
Stone concluded, “I’ve read about it time and again in the history books of my people. You are no different from my world’s Hitler or Genghis Khan, or Napoleon. You think you are superior; you think that if your race wins this challenge then you will impose your will on the others.”
The Centurian echoed, “That is the way of things. The strong survive.”
Trevor pleaded again, “No! You are doing this because you have been used! You look to Voggoth and somehow, for some reason, you see something that you think is better than what you are. And so he has used that against you. He has convinced you to fight one another with the victor promised the chance to learn what oh-so- mighty Voggoth knows of the universe. ”
“Voggoth is perfect! He is immortal. He is not confined to the physical universe!”
Trevor countered the Centurian’s claim in a shout, “He is not allowed in the physical universe! Look what happened when a child of life touched it! It was banished from this place in an instant! It has no real power, only the power you give to it!”
The children shook their heads, some violently.
“Listen to me! See! For the sake of life-see!”
Alenna threw her eyes to Trevor and asked, “What do you mean, for the sake of life?”
Trevor’s anger morphed into anguish. Sadness. Pity.
He strode slowly to Alenna, knelt, and touched a hand to her cheek.
“We-you-and I-all of us-we are the living. We are life. Voggoth is-Voggoth is death. He was never like us. He did not evolve into an immortal entity, he has always been that way. It’s his prison! He is the same now as he was at his creation. Static and dead. No evolution. No reproduction. No purpose. No challenge.”
The Duass meekly answered, “He is immortal. We can-we can become immortal, too.”
The Witiko insisted, “If only we can understand ourselves. If we can find out what makes us different-who is strongest and why.”
“Immortal,” Trevor explained, “is not better. It is our very mortality that makes us special and unique. It is our mortality that makes us strive to improve ourselves. It is what makes us want more for our children; for our next generation. Yes, you are evolved and great, but you stand on the shoulders of all of us who came first. All the steps in the process. All the stages of life. You owe it to those who came before you to cherish that life given to you. To champion life, and protect it.”
The Hivvan said, “Voggoth is a being of immense power. He can manipulate life itself.”
“Is that true? Can Voggoth do that? Or is it you letting him manipulate life. Power, is never taken, it is given. What has Voggoth been able to do without you? I suggest, nothing. He could not start this war, he could only make you start it. He cannot evolve you into beings as powerful as he, but if you let him he can change you; make you into warped, lifeless reflections of yourself. He has no life. He cannot create, he can only destroy. Because of that he envies you, to the point that he wants you destroyed.”
“Voggoth is supreme,” came the voice of the Geryon.
“No, Voggoth only has what you give him. He thrives on your arrogance and pride, on your vanity. He feeds you lies and manipulates you. He awes you with his age and makes you covet what he has even though he truly has nothing at all. He is evil. Evil itself, in every way. He enjoys inflicting suffering on the living out of his envy for that life. He is shallow and empty but projects an image of power. Yet it is all an illusion.”
The Centurian objected, “Evil? We are beyond such absolutes. There is no evil, only facts and science. Only truth that waits to be discovered.”
“You are wrong,” Trevor told them. “Evil exists, as surely as good does. I know, I have seen both.”
He glanced into Alenna’s eyes and held his hands low and palms out, still pleading.
“He has convinced you of your differences. Told you that your ‘life patterns’ are distinct. He has made you wonder if one of your ways is better than the other.”
The Witiko agreed, “Yes. To grow to our full potential we must discover why we are so different and which way is best. Throughout the universes even the most basic living creatures compete for survival. From civilizations to microbes, those entities that are superior eventually win such competition.”
