They heard nothing from Bok for one agonizing week, other than brief replies that all was well. Nisha woke up on the eighth morning and heard Bok walking around outside the tent. It was cool and dry early November day.
“Bok, I’m happy to see you,” she said.
She hugged him. He towered over her now, but he didn’t resist the hug. Rachel came out and gave him a hug too.
“Bok, we’ve been worried sick about you. We’ve been watching your colony grow every day. Twenty big towers are now completed. How are you?”
“I’m a little better now. I hid away and meditated for the entire time. I read Patanjali and other ancient human texts. They have universal merit and are like Omanji ancient texts. I thought about what I want for my life and for the new colony. I’ve decided I want to live a free life. So do the 20 million on my waiting list.”
“Congratulations,” Nisha said. “This is a big decision. What made you decide on a free life? It’ll be difficult.”
“I made my decision based on what you two are telling me about having an independent mind. My life will be more chaotic than the structured life I’d lead within the collective, and I won’t be able to access all the resources, but I can make my own future. Everyone who comes to my colony can do the same thing.”
Nisha got an incoming message from General Sherman.
“Hold on Bok. How are you General?” she said.
“I’m doing well but I think you better get back here to the big colony. Something is happening. Hundreds of thousands of young Omanji are wandering around at the perimeter of the colony.”
“Hold on General while I assess the situation,” Nisha said as she connected the video feed to a large monitor in her tent. “Bok, come over here. What’s happening?”
Bok and Rachel watched the video feed for a while in silence.
“I know what’s happening,” Bok said. “They wish to live in my colony. For the time being they haven’t been cut off from the collective awareness as I was. Elder Zon is currently preventing them from leaving. If you pay close attention, Omanji security guards are standing in front of the crowd. I encouraged them to be peaceful. I don’t want violence. I don’t want to repeat the past of Oma here on this planet.”
“I’m thankful for that Bok,” Nisha said. “General, do you see the guards?”
“Yes, they’re holding back the crowd, but it’s growing. We estimate the size to be about 300,000.
“Bok is encouraging them to be peaceful. However, advise the President to take precautions in case things go bad. Based on their history, things can get extinction-level ugly.”
“Yes, I’m closing the viewing areas and sending all non-essential personnel away from here. They have no place on a battlefield.”
They spoke for a while longer and disconnected.
“Bok, what do you think is going to happen?” Nisha said.
“I don’t know. If they’re like me, they want to get out of the colony immediately. I still can access the historical records. I’ve downloaded everything I can. Situations like this have unraveled in the past into wars. However, wars never started with young ones like us. Therefore, I doubt this will be a problem on that scale. I’m forming a temporary government based on a combination of Omanji and human concepts. I’ll communicate with you later.”
Bok walked out of the tent. Nisha and Rachel watched the video feed of the crowd of young Omanji for the rest of the day. Later they had another look.
“It’s getting bigger Rachel, don’t you think?”
“According to the crowd estimator app, it’s grown to 400,000 now.”
“Do you think we should get out of here?
“Not yet,” Rachel said. “Let’s watch the situation closely. If conditions become dangerous, we’ll get out. How are Priya and her friend doing at the new school? They’ve attended classes for over a week now.”
“Oh, they love it. They finished the first half of the first semester in all the classes in this past week.”
“Wait a minute,” Rachel said. “Are they saying that at this rate, they’ll finish a semester of schoolwork in only two weeks?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, so you know me now,” Rachel said. “I like to calculate everything. You’re telling me they’re sophomores in high school, so they will finish the entire year in a month or so. Is this right?”
“Yes, that sounds correct.”
“In three months, they’ll be out of high school?”
“It’s possible,” Nisha said.
“Four months later, they might earn their university undergrad degree. Less than a year after that, they could have their Ph.D.’s. So, by the age of 18 or 19, they will be where I was at 28? Amazing!”
“Well, I think that’s being too optimistic, but who knows. We’re making assumptions and they’re only 16, but they do learn quickly. What’s more important to me is they’re happy and they’re not getting bullied.”
They talked for a while longer and fell asleep.
Nisha woke up to the first light of the sun on the roof of the tent. She blinked into her eyepiece to connect to the video stream of the main colony and display it on the big monitor.
“Rachel, come over here.”
Rachel rubbed her eyes and studied the screen.
“What’s happening on the ground there in the colony? Are those all Omanji?”
“I’m zooming in. Can you run an estimate now?”
Rachel took some images and processed them through her crowd estimator app.
“Over five million Omanji are walking around at the edge of the colony. It’s strange because the scale of the place makes five million seem like a modest number.”
“Yeah, I guessed a million at most,” Nisha said. “The huge towers dwarf the crowd. I’m impressed that—”
“Sorry, I think I hear Bok outside,” Rachel said.
She opened the door. Bok walked in and shut the door. Nisha pointed to the screen.
“What’s going on?” Nisha said.
“The crowd is getting bigger. They’re upset because they want to come here and live but they’re still being held back by the security guards.”
“Did you speak with Zon today?” Nisha said.
“Yes, Zon asked me to tell them to return to their families. I told them to be peaceful. And, if they wish to return to their families, they would be welcomed. That seemed to prove to Zon I wasn’t trying to cause an insurrection. He’s been patient up to this point. However, I think he can be tough when he wants to be. He’s in control of a lot of power and he has the backing to carry out his wishes. He knows history. I understand his position now.”
“Is Zon a dictator or King?” Nisha said.
“No, he is elected by all those connected. Every 8 earth years. So is his cabinet.”
“We’re getting worried,” Rachel said. “Should we leave?”
“I think you’re okay for now. Zon will avoid harming humans if possible.”
“But what if it’s not possible?”
Bok paused to consider the question.
“I’m not sure what would happen in that case.”
Nisha glanced at Rachel with wide open eyes.
“Should we stay?”
“I guess for now we can,” Rachel said. “Bok, you’re still building new towers. Soon 30 of them will be finished. Do you think 30 million will live in your colony?”
“I estimate a minimum of 30 million will live in my colony out of the 55 million which are in the two-year age of dissonance. I’ll build a few more to be on the conservative side. I have 32 million on the waiting list and 500,000 are here at this moment.”
“How are you feeling?” Nisha said.
“I’m better now. I made my decision, and this is my life from now on. I may never again communicate with my parents but that’s their problem. They say I’m embarrassing them. They care more about their social standing than about me.”
“This happens with humans sometimes too Bok,” Rachel said. “So how are you organizing the colony?”
“Soon, a government will be in place. I’ll lead for one Earth year. Someone else will be elected after my term has expired. We’re trying to base things on Earth time from now on. This reminds me that I must go and take care of some disagreements among those I chose to lead with me.”
Nisha laughed.
“Your government is already sounding human.”
“Yes, some resemblances exist. This is more difficult than I first thought. I didn’t realize that relationships between individuals are more complex than antimatter containment.”
Bok walked out of the tent. For the rest of the day and into the evening, Nisha and Rachel studied the crowd as it grew. That put extra urgency into their efforts to get all the Yoots up to their redwood compound and out of harm’s way. They went to sleep, hoping for the best.
Another cool but sunny desert morning dawned as the days got shorter. Nisha woke up and connected to the video feed of the colony.
“No way.”
“What Nisha?” Rachel asked as she woke up.
“The crowd is much bigger now.”
Rachel studied the screen and her eyes opened wide.
“Let’s find out how many.”
She activated her crowd estimator app.
“About 20 million of them are standing at the edge of the colony.”
“I wonder if Bok knows about this,” Nisha said.
“He does and so does Zon. Hey, zoom in on the left side near the huge cylindrical artsy thing. Keep going. Yeah, right there.”
“Hmm,” Nisha said. “The crowd is pushing past the guards. Yeah, they’re running through the opening. The entire—”
“What’s wrong with them?” Rachel said. “They stopped running. Some are on the ground. My crowd estimator is saying 100,000 of them are lying on the ground. They’re not moving. The guards are pointing those black orb-things at them.”
They watched for a few minutes in silence.
“Rachel, they’re breaking through on the right side now. The effect is like a tsunami overcoming a sea wall. The whole crowd is moving forward now.”
“Yeah, they’re all running, 20 million of them. And the ones which looked dead or frozen are up and running now.”
“Zon must be letting them go,” Nisha said. “He can do whatever he wants to do with them. He could stun or kill them, but he’s chosen to allow them to leave. They’re heading out into the desert in this direction. If they run in a straight line, it’s only 20 miles away because the colony has expanded rapidly. The distance used to be 60 miles away.”
“They’re like an enormous herd of wildebeest in Africa,” Rachel said. “They’re heading in this direction. I wonder if they find it easy to run, since Earth’s gravity is much weaker than the gravity on Oma.”
“I think it’s easy for them. they’re not slowing down. Rachel, how long will it take for them to reach us at the current pace?”
“I’d guess about three to four hours if they slow down a bit.”
Bok made noise outside the tent and slowly opened the door.
“I’m sorry to bother you so early in the morning.”
“That’s okay, come in,” Nisha said. “We’re watching what’s happening on the monitor over there. How are you doing?”
“I’m processing a lot of information right now. They decided to break the barrier and come here. I haven’t encouraged them. I hope Zon doesn’t do anything.”
They watched on and off for four hours as all 20 million of them ran across the desert. The first of them arrived at Bok’s colony.
“This is not how I envisioned the events to proceed,” Bok said. “I thought one by one, they would come, and we could build the colony. I’m glad I built the extra towers as a precaution. Now at least they have a place to live. I put plans in place, so they’ll be taken to their quarters in groups of a few hundred at a time. Fortunately, we have 500,000 greeters.”
Nisha and Rachel laughed.
“Why do you laugh?” Bok said.
“We’re laughing out of astonishment,” Nisha said. “Everything you do is massive.”
“Yeah, each one of the half-million can take 40.” Rachel said.
They continued to arrive for the rest of the day and into the evening. The light from the new colony acted like a huge beacon for all those coming from the dark desert. The half-Moon also provided good light for a species evolved to live with a dim red sun and 10 days of darkness for every 20.
Nisha and Rachel fell asleep at midnight.
At first light, Nisha looked outside the tent. They were still arriving, though in fewer numbers than earlier. Nisha watched the monitor as a constant stream of thousands of young Omanji walked across the desert. Some had racers. By the end of the week, 30 million had joined Bok’s colony.