Stellarian

 

Chapter 7

The Continent of Mu

and Easter Island

Before leaving the doko, Thao fitted a mask on my head - a mask that was different from the one I’d worn previously. I was able to see colours that were much more vivid and much more luminous.

‘How do you feel in your new voki Michel? Do you find the light tolerable?’

‘Yes... it’s... fine, it’s so beautiful and I feel so...’ With that, I collapsed at Thao’s feet. She took me in her arms and carried me to the flying platform.

I awoke in my doko, quite astonished. My shoulder was hurting; quite instinctively I put my hand to the pain, and grimaced.

‘I am really sorry, Michel, but it was necessary.’ There was just a hint of remorse in Thao’s expression.

‘What happened to me?’

‘Let’s say that you fainted, although the word is not quite appropriate; rather, you were overwhelmed with beauty. Your new voki allows fifty per cent of the vibrations of colour on our planet to pass, whereas your former voki subdued all but twenty per cent.’

‘Only twenty per cent? - that’s incredible! All those marvellous colours I could see - the butterflies, the flowers, the trees, the ocean... No wonder I was overcome. I remember, during a journey I made from France to New Caledonia, we called in at the island of Tahiti. While there, I toured the island with family and friends, in a hired car. The islanders were delightful and made such a charming picture, with their straw hats constructed on the banks of lagoons amidst bougainvillea, hibiscus and exoras - red, yellow, orange and purple, surrounded by well-kept lawns and shaded by coconut trees.

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‘The backdrop to these scenes was provided by the blue of the ocean. We spent all day touring the island and I described it in my journal as having been an entire day of inebriation for my eyes. I was, indeed, intoxicated by the beauty around me; and yet, now, I admit all that was nothing compared with the beauty here on your planet.’

Thao had listened to my description with marked interest, smiling all the while. She placed her hand on my forehead and said, ‘Rest now, Michel. Later you will feel better and will be able to come with me.’

I fell asleep immediately and slept peacefully, without dreaming, I think for about 24 hours. When I awoke, I felt rested and refreshed.

Thao was there, and Latoli and Biastra had joined her. They had regained their normal size and I commented on the fact straight away.

‘Little time is required for such a metamorphose, Michel,’ explained Biastra, ‘but that is not important. Today we are going to show you something of our country and introduce you to some very interesting people.’ Latoli approached me and touched my shoulder with her fingertips, just where Thao had bruised me. Instantly, the pain vanished and I felt quivers of well-being run through my whole body. She returned my smile and handed me my new mask.

I still found that, outside, I had to squint against the light. Thao gestured to me indicating that I should climb on to the Lativok as our flying platform was called. The others chose to fly independently, fluttering about our vehicle, as though playing a game - and no doubt they were. On this planet, the inhabitants seemed perpetually happy; the only ones I had found to be serious - in fact, even a little severe, despite their air of benevolence - were the seven Thaori.¹

We flew at high speed, several metres above the water and, although my curiosity was constantly aroused, I often had to close my eyes to allow them to ‘recover’ from the brightness.

Still, it appeared I was going to become accustomed to it... I wondered how I would cope though, if it occurred to Thao to give me a mask which permitted seventy per cent of the light to penetrate - or even more?

We rapidly approached the coast of the mainland, where waves were breaking over rocks of green, black, orange and gold. The iridescence of the water, crashing against the rocks, under the perpendicular rays of a midday sun, created a memorably lovely effect. A band of light and colour was formed, one hundred times more crystalline than a rainbow on Earth. We rose to an altitude of about 200 metres and proceeded to travel over the continent.

 

1) Thaori is the plural of Thaora.

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Thao flew us over a plain on which I could see animals of all sorts - some were two-legged and resembled little ostriches; others were four-legged creatures, similar to mammoths, but twice as big. I also watched cows graze side by side with hippopotamuses. The cows were so similar to those we have on Earth, I couldn’t help but remark on it to Thao, pointing as I did so, at a particular herd, just like an excited child at the zoo. She laughed heartily.

‘Why shouldn’t we have cows here, Michel? Look over there and you’ll see donkeys and there, giraffes - although they are somewhat taller than on Earth. See how lovely those horses are as they run together.’

I was thrilled, but wasn’t I constantly thrilled by this experience -sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less? What really rendered me speechless, to the amusement of my friends, was the sight of horses bearing the heads of very pretty women - some blonde, others auburn or brown and even some with blue hair. As they galloped, they would often soar for tens of metres. Ah yes! In fact, they had wings, folded back against their bodies, which they made use of from time to time - something like the flying fish which follow or precede ships. They lifted their heads to see us and tried to rival the speed of the Lativok.

Thao reduced speed and altitude, enabling us to approach within several metres of them. There were more surprises ahead of me, as some of these horse-women cried out to us in a language that was recognisably human. My three companions answered in the same language, and the exchange was obviously a pleasant one. We didn’t linger long at that low altitude, however, as some of the horse-women soared to such heights, they almost touched our vehicle, thereby risking injury to themselves.

The plain we flew over was, in places, embossed with small knolls, all of about the same size. I remarked on them and Biastra explained that, millions of years ago, these knolls had been volcanoes. The vegetation below us had none of the exuberance of the forest I had ‘experienced’ on my arrival. On the contrary, here the trees were grouped in small stands, reaching no more than 25 metres in height. As we passed, large white birds took flight by the hundreds, only to land again, a ‘safe’ distance away. A wide water-course flowed to the horizon, dissecting the plain with its lazy wanderings.

I could make out some small dokos grouped together on a bend of the river. Thao guided the Lativok above the river, reducing altitude to water level as we approached the settlement. We landed in a small square between two dokos and were immediately surrounded by the inhabitants. They didn’t scramble or push to get near us; rather, they stopped what they were doing and calmly approached us. They formed a circle large enough to be comfortable and for all to have equal opportunity to see an alien face to face.

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Again, it struck me that these people all seemed to be of the same age, apart from about half a dozen who could have been older. Age, here, did not detract but added a quality of surprising nobility.

I had also been struck by the absence of children on the planet; and yet, in this settlement and among the crowd that approached, I saw six or seven of them. They were charming and appeared to be quite level headed for children. According to Thao, they would have been eight or nine years old.

Since my arrival on Thiaoouba, I had not yet had occasion to meet so great a number of these people. Glancing around the circle, I could appreciate a calmness and reserve about them, as well as the great beauty in their faces that I’d grown to expect. There was a strong resemblance between them, as if they were all brothers and sisters; and yet, isn’t that our first impression when we encounter a group of blacks or Asians together? In fact, the same physical variety in facial features existed among these people, as exists within races on Earth.

In height, they varied from 280 to 300 centimetres, their bodies being so well-proportioned, they were a pleasure to behold - neither too muscular nor too puny, and without deformity of any kind. Their hips were somewhat larger than you would expect in a man, but then I’d been told that some of them gave birth to children.

All possessed magnificent heads of hair - most of a golden-blond colour, others platinum-blond or coppery-blond and occasionally, a bright chestnut colour. There were also some, like Thao and Biastra, with a fine down of hair on the upper lip, but, apart from this, these people had absolutely no other body hair. (This is not, of course, an observation that I made at the time but one which I made later, when I had occasion to see from quite near, a group of naked sunbathers.) Their skin-type reminded me of Arab women who protect themselves from the sun - it was certainly not the pale skin typical of blondes with such light eyes. So light, indeed, were the mauve and blue eyes around me, that I might have wondered if they were blind, had I been on Earth.

When I speak now, of their long legs and rounded thighs - they reminded me of our female long-distance runners, as well as their beautifully proportioned breasts, firm and shapely in every case, the reader will understand my error in believing Thao to be a female giant when first we met. It occurred to me that women on Earth would be most envious of the breasts of these people - and men would be most delighted by them...

I have already commented on the beauty of Thao’s face, and others in this crowd had similar ‘classic’ features; still others I would describe as ‘charming’ or ‘alluring’. Each face, though slightly different in shape and features, seemed to have been designed by an artist.

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Each had been given its own unique charm; but, above all, the quality most evident in their faces and in their manner and deportment, was the quality of intelligence.

In all, I could find no fault with these people who grouped around us, beaming smiles of welcome which revealed rows of perfect white teeth. This physical perfection did not surprise me, since Thao had explained their ability to regenerate their body cells at will. There was no reason, therefore, that these magnificent bodies should age.

‘Are we interrupting them in their work?’ I asked Biastra, who happened to be by my side.

‘No, not really,' she replied. ‘Most of the people in this town are on vacation - it is also a place where people come to meditate.’

Three of the ‘elders’ approached and Thao asked that I address them in French, and loudly enough for everyone to hear. I believe I said; ‘I am very happy to be among you and to be able to admire your wonderful planet. You are fortunate people and I, myself, would like to live among you.'

This speech released a concert of exclamation, not only on account of the language, which most of them had never before heard spoken, but also for the sense of what I had said, which had been telepathically communicated.

Biastra signalled we should follow the three ‘elders’, who led us into one of the dokos. When the seven of us were comfortably installed, Thao began; ‘Michel, I would like to introduce you to Lationusi.’ She held her hand towards one of the three and I bowed. ‘Lationusi was, about 14 000 of your years ago, the last King of the continent Mu on Earth.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘You don’t want to understand, Michel, and, at this particular moment, you resemble many of your peers on Earth.’

I must have looked troubled, for Thao, Biastra and Latoli laughed loudly.

‘Don’t look like that, Michel. I just meant to jostle you a little. Now, in the presence of Lationusi, I am going to explain one of the mysteries that elude many experts on your planet - who, I might add, would do better to devote their precious time discovering more useful things. I am going to unveil not one, but several of the mysteries which obsess them.’

Our seats were arranged in a circle, Thao sat next to Lationusi and I sat facing them.

‘As I already explained during our journey to Thiaoouba, the Bakaratinians arrived on Earth 1 350 000 years ago. Thirty thousand years later came the terrible cataclysm that gouged out seas and caused the emergence of islands and even continents. I made mention also, of an enormous continent which arose in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

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‘This continent was called ‘Lamar’ but is better known to you as the continent of Mu. It emerged virtually in one piece, to be shattered 2000 years later, by seismic shock, into three principal continents.

‘With the passing of years, vegetation established on these continents, large areas of which were located in equatorial regions. Grass grew, forests established and, gradually, animals migrated across the very narrow isthmus that bound Mu to North America.

‘The yellow race who had better managed to come to terms with the disastrous consequences of the cataclysm, were first to construct ships and explore the seas. About 300 000 Earth years ago, they landed on the northwest coast of Mu, where they eventually founded a small colony.

‘This colony barely grew over the course of centuries as there were difficulties in expatriating, which would take too long to explain and which does not concern us now.

‘About 250 000 Earth years ago, the inhabitants of planet Aremo X3, on which we stopped to take samples during our journey here, embarked on an interplanetary voyage of exploration penetrating your solar system. After having skirted Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury, they landed on the planet Earth in China, where their spacecraft caused considerable panic among the populace. Their legends refer to ‘fire dragons’ descending from the sky. The fear and mistrust of the Chinese, led them eventually, to attack the aliens, who were forced to use violence in order to defend themselves. This they hated, for they were not only technologically advanced but also highly spiritual people who abhorred killing.

‘They moved on, continuing their exploration of the planet. It turned out, that the continent of Mu had most appeal for them for two main reasons. First, the continent appeared to be virtually uninhabited and second, by virtue of its latitude, it was a veritable paradise.

‘They had become particularly cautious since their confrontation with the Chinese and felt it would be wise to establish a base to which they could retreat, should they encounter further hostilities of a serious nature from Earth people. I have not yet explained that their reason for exploring Earth was their intention of resettling several million people from Aremo X3 - a planet that was becoming uncomfortably overpopulated. This operation was much too serious to take risks of any kind. Thus, it was decided that their base of retreat would be set up, not on Earth, but on the moon, which was quite close and considered very safe.

‘Fifty years were spent establishing the lunar bases and it wasn’t until they were ready that emigration to Mu began. All went well. The small Chinese colony that had existed in the north-west of Mu had been totally destroyed some decades after their first visit, so in effect, they had the entire continent to themselves.

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‘Work began immediately on the construction of towns, canals and roads, which they paved with immense flagstones. Their usual means of transport was a flying chariot, not unlike our Lativoks.

‘From their planet, they imported animals such as the dog and the armadillo - which they were very partial to on Aremo X3, and also the pig.’

When she told me about all those imported animals, I remembered how astonished I’d been to see pigs and dogs on that famous planet during our earlier visit. Suddenly, everything was very clear to me.

‘In height, these people averaged 180 centimetres for the males, and 160 centimetres for the females. Their hair was dark, their eyes of a beautiful black and their skin lightly bronzed. You saw some of their kind when we stopped at Aremo X3 and I believe you have already guessed them to be the ancestors of the Polynesians.

‘So they established settlements throughout the length and breadth of the continent, including 19 large cities, seven of which were sacred. Small villages were also numerous, for these people were highly skilled farmers and graziers.

‘Their political system was modelled on that of Aremo X3. They had long ago discovered that the only way to govern a country properly was to place at the head of government, seven men of integrity, representing no political party, but sincerely committed to doing what they could for their nation.

‘The seventh among them was the Supreme Judge whose vote on council was worth two. If four were against him and two with him on a particular issue, they were at deadlock, and hours or days of debate would ensue, until at least one of the seven was persuaded to change his vote. This debate was conducted within a context of intelligence, love and concern for the people.

‘These high figures received no great material benefits for leading the nation. It was their vocation to lead and they did it for the love of serving their country - this avoided the problem of hiding opportunists among the leaders.’

‘The same can’t be said of our national leaders now,’ I remarked with a hint of bitterness. ‘Where were such men found?’

‘The procedure was as follows: In a village or district, a man of integrity was elected by referendum. No one with a record of bad conduct or a tendency towards fanaticism could be chosen - the chosen one would have demonstrated integrity in all spheres. He would then be sent to the nearest town, along with other representatives from neighbouring villages, and there, further elections would be held.

‘For example, if there were 60 villages, there would be 60 men elected by the people for their integrity and not for promises which they made, but couldn’t keep.

 

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