The 12 tales of Christmas: The New Oregon Miracle
Welcome everyone to another edition of the twelve tales of Christmas. Well, we’re closing in on the finale. There are only three more stories to go. For the tenth tale of Christmas Izayoi Aki asked of me…for 10 and Poinsettia. Those are the prompts 10 and Poinsettia. And boy oh boy is this one going to be a big one.
In this story we’re going back into the world of Sci-Fi. On Christmas Eve in the year 2298 tragedy has struck humanity. Thanks to an insane cult which has taken over most of Human space. But in the Sigma quadrant there’s hope. Gerry Micheals is a deejay at an FTL radio station on the world of New Oregon.
On the heels of cataclysmic events hope for humanity will light anew. The New Oregon Miracle is coming up.
Gerry Michaels came into the FTL broadcast station that morning his heart heavy. The memory of last night still haunted him. He’d seen the holonet images from Earth and the other planets of what had been Terran space. Gone they’re all gone, he thought to himself.
“10 poinsettia plants Harlan,” he heard the familiar voice of Joseph Brolin ask.
He walked over to the office of Harlan Grant head of the station KYXZ on New Oregon. Gerry saw another dee jay there talking to the station manager. The manager shrugged. Then he explained, "Our green houses and the ground can grow poinsettia plants now. I figured I’d buy some to give this place a joyful Christmas feel.”
“Besides which we need something to cheer us up with the news from Terran space.” Harlan added.
The deejay nodded his agreement. “I know, I still can’t believe it! Earth, Alpha Centauri, Kenestra, Violar 7, all the worlds in Terran space. And as far as we know New Oregon holds the last of humanity.”
Gerry turned and started to head off. It was all he could do to keep the tears from flowing. Gone they're all gone, he thought.
He went to one of the rooms with recordings of the music the station played. He sank to his knees as he sobbed. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there when he heard someone come in. “Hey Gerry, you okay man?” came Joseph’s voice.
The Michaels male looked up to see the maple brown haired man with wire rimmed glasses staring down at him.
The black-haired deejay shook his head. “No Joseph I’m not okay!” he said in a shaky tone.
The 44-year-old’s face furrowed, “Want to talk about it?"
Gerry got to his feet and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “Do you know why I got sent out here to Sigma quadrant and New Oregon?”
Joseph shrugged and said, “I never asked, I figured you'd answer that question in due time. I’m guessing it has to do with those Fellowship of Techno Ascension psychos back in Terran space.”
Gerry nodded his confirmation then spoke up. “My own parents bought into the B.S. of that bastard fellowship leader McHale! They believed his promises of transcending death to immortality.”
That took Joseph by surprise. “Wait what, you have family?”
“Had, I had a family! I had a wife Carolyn who was a freelance trading ship captain. Before we lost contact with Terran space she’d mentioned she’d gotten a new ship. The Excalibur she called it, and she told me she was heading to Earth.”
“Go on,” The brown-haired man said.
The 34-year-old deejay took a breath then continued. “Long story short I got sent out here for speaking out against the Fellowship by my own parents! When they had me arrested and shipped out here, they stole my kids from me!”
“They what?” Joseph yelped as his face went pale.
Understanding dawned on the dee jay. “Oh hell, Gerry I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“This is why I’m so out of it! Those bastards in the Fellowship and my parents stole everything from me! And I can only assume my wife and her crew must’ve gotten killed as I haven’t heard anything from them!”
Joseph put his hands on his fellow deejay. “Hold on my friend, let’s not jump to any conclusions yet. Freelance traders are smart and tough. And if your wife bought a newer ship then she has to be good.”
The maple brown-haired deejay thought a moment. “Well considering the circumstances of what’s been going on, why don’t we talk about it on our program. We’ll be broadcasting all over New Oregon, and whatever's left of the galaxy.”
A dark look crossed the face of the brunette man. "And we'll pray any survivors hear our message.”
Gerry looked at his friend and fellow deejay in surprise. “You still want to do our show.”
The Brolin male nodded and said, “We’ve been like brothers since you came here. So, I get what you’re feeling. I'm one of the lucky ones as my family and I came to Sigma quadrant and New Oregon of our own volition.”
That took Gerry by surprise. “You came here of your own free will?”
The 44-year-old nodded his confirmation. “Yeah, my dad said it best. Those Fellowship of Techno Ascension people gave us the creeps!”
Gerry thought about it for a moment then nodded. “Maybe sharing this with our listeners will help ease things on what’s supposed to be a happy holiday. Though with all that’s happened there’s not much reason to be that way.”
Joseph nodded his agreement. “I hear you bro. Now come on Gerry it’s almost showtime.”
They headed to the room with their table and microphones. Gerry booted up the chat feed for the show. They then put on their earphones. Looking to one of the windows they saw a black-haired woman working the controls. It was Lisa Emmitt the engineer for their program.
She said through her microphone, “You okay Gerry, you look like hell.”
“Feeling like hell Lisa. How are you holding up?”
The woman sighed and said, “Right now, my entire family are counting our blessings we came to New Oregon. I’ve had friends and neighbors who are very distraught over what happened in Terran Space. They had family who were on those worlds.”
Joseph nodded and said, “Yeah, and that’s why for this program we should be honest with our listeners.”
Gerry nodded his agreement to this. “We should, it’s what’s allowed us to become as popular as we are.”
“Lisa, can you keep the comm lines open?’ The older deejay asked.
“No problem, Joseph but why?”
“Call it an act of blind faith.” Was his answer.
Lisa said, “The Planetary Governor…or rather the president of New Oregon will be tuning in.”
Gerry sighed and said, “This new hierarchy is awkward to say the least.”
Joseph nodded his agreement. “Yeah, it is.”
The two men looked at the holo-clock on one wall. “Get ready partner because we’ve got about one minute to 9 AM New Oregon time. It’s almost showtime." The Brolin male noted.
Gerry took a breath and sighed. Now was the time to show why even before his exile from Earth he’d been one of the best deejays out there. As the Christmas song concluded Lisa turned a dial on her end. The standard announcements got made and then Lisa turned another switch. She pointed at them as their cue.
“It is 9 o clock New Oregon time. Welcome everyone to the Micheals and Brolin show. Where we talk about current events and play you the music you want to hear.
"Though on this day we have to talk about a very tragic set of events that have occurred.” Joseph said.
Gerry took up what he'd said earlier. “As….as many of you know 12 hours ago, we lost contact with Terran space. And space probes from there have shown Earth and the worlds from that quadrant dead. Along with the mutating virus the Fellowship of Techno Ascension created.”
“As of now,” Joseph put in. “We’re unable to learn about how the mutating virus got destroyed. But it’s a miracle that damned virus didn’t make its way all the way out here to Sigma Quadrant.”
Gerry took a breath and spoke up. “For me…this is a personal matter. Before I came to New Oregon, I was a prominent Deejay back in Portland, Oregon. My own parents bought into the lies told by the Fellowship.
"They had me arrested and sent out here. And while at it they took my daughter and son from me. As far as I know my children died along with my parents thanks to that damned virus and whatever happened to it.”
Gerry took a shaky breath before he continued. “My wife Carolyn is a freelance trader who’d bought a new ship the Excalibur. Last I heard she was heading back to Earth for what she termed a special run. What that was I don’t know, I can only assume she and her crew died along with everyone else thanks to that virus.”
“Gerry what did I tell you earlier? Don’t underestimate freelance traders. They’re smart and tough, they have to be to survive in space.”
“But it doesn’t change the fact that so many here have lost loved ones. All because our so-called leaders bought into the lies and false promises of that damned cult. I got sent out here because I spoke out against them.
"I never believed their talk about the great ascension.” The black-haired deejay said with more anger in his voice than intended.
Gerry took a breath to calm down. “A long time ago I had a high school teacher who gave me a good piece of advice. If something seems too good to be true it is. It’s best to trust your gut and go your own way.”
Joseph nodded and said, “That’s what my father always taught me Gerry. But then again, my dad has always been something of a free thinker and skeptic.”
Gerry felt the weight of his emotions coming off him as he’d been speaking. He took a long breath as he felt all the emotion unburdening itself from him. Joseph said, “And with that how about we get to some music. Something to provide us with a sense of faith. Here is from days long ago Manheim Steamroller with Silent Night.”
The song started playing as Lisa turned another dial on her controls. Gerry let out a long sigh. “Feeling better?” Joseph asked.
The black-haired man nodded his confirmation. “Talking about it has proven therapeutic. But it doesn’t exactly take away the pain.”
“Betrayal and loss are never easy things to have happen good buddy.” Joseph pointed out. "But we should count our blessings we’re all still here. And at least on one planet in the universe humanity lives. And while we live there’s hope.”
The two men said nothing more but listened to the beautiful music. Lisa turned her attention to her own controls and her eyes widened. “Um guys…" She ventured.
The two men looked up at her. “Don’t look now but we have a caller on one of our interplanetary lines.”
Whatever they’d expected it hadn’t been that. “Put it through as soon as we’re back on the air.” Gerry said in excitement his heart jumping for joy hoping this meant what he hoped it did.
As soon as the song ended Lisa switched them back on. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Joseph Brolin said in a matter-of-fact tone. “We have a listener on one of our interplanetary lines.”
The black-haired man pressed the control pad on their table. “This is the Micheals and Brolin program, go ahead.” Gerry Micheals stated.
“This is Winston Tyler, former Planetary Governor now Prime Minister of New Coventry. God save humanity, the sun will not set on us yet!” Boomed a proud voice with a distinct British accent.
“Holy,’ Gerry whispered and then said, “Lisa you’re sure this is legitimate.”
Over her own speaker the female engineer spoke. “Very sure, the tracing device led to coordinates Zeta 9 dash 1. That’s the Wilshire system in Sigma quadrant.”
The two men’s faces paled in shock. “Mister Prime Minister,” Joseph tried to sound respectful his voice shaky with emotion. “We welcome you sir to the program. It’s nice to know there are more humans who survived.”
“Be rest assured gentleman if you’ll pardon my language I would speak in candid form.”
“By all means sir go right ahead.” Gerry said trembling himself.
“You weren’t the only ones who saw the Fellowship of Techno Ascension for the danger they were! All that talk of ascending to godhood they had…nonsense! The people of New Coventry realized what they were saying was self-destructive.
“So, we wanted nothing to do with them. We banned the bastards from our world and sent them and their hellish devices packing!”
Gerry turned and saw Lisa giving them hand gestures for planetary line 1. He nodded and flashed his own hand signal for “Put it through.”
Joseph said, “Mister Prime Minister we have someone else on the line who wishes to speak.”
A new voice rang out. “This is President Glenn McCoy of New Oregon. Good to see there are more survivors here in Sigma Quadrant. I know that one of my people is from New Coventry and we’re pleased to know you guys are alive.”
“Alive and quite proud of that fact mister president.” The Prime Minister said.
Lisa then said over her speakers, “Um…gentleman I apologize for interrupting. But we have more signals coming in on the Interplanetary lines. These come from New Lyons and New Arkansas.”
“Put them through,” Joseph said.
A French accented voice spoke up. “This is Charlamagne Francois Legault president of New Lyons Vive l’humanite.”
“Charlamange you bloody croissant eating bastard you’re alive?”
“Qui tea drinker, New Lyons is alive!"
“Ya’ll weren’t thinking of having this party without the president of New Arkansas, were you?”
“Henry Caldwell, you’re also alive old chum?” Winston Tyler ventured.
“You're damn right Brit! This southern boy and his people ain’t going into the night quiet. We’re alive and uninfected by the techno virus.
"We horsewhipped those Fellowship psychos and sent them running back to their worlds! In fact, it looks as though Sigma Quadrant sent them packing!”
Gerry felt his heart surge knowing New Oregon wasn’t the last of humanity! There were more people out there from Terran space who were alive. Joseph said, “I admit I’ve never been much of a believer in religion or God. But I have to say if ever there were a sure sign of a miracle this is it. Sigma Quadrant lives, and humanity lives."
“Qui mousier Brolin, we too are free of any sign of the techno virus. Those Fellowship freaks we drove from our world!”
Gerry then noticed Lisa’s face pale as she was on the line with someone. She looked up her voice trembling. “Gerry, you need to take this, it’s important.”
The Micheals male prepared himself for whatever was about to come. “Put it through.” He stated.
Another voice came on. “Hey Gerry, it’s Frank from the space port.”
That took the deejay and show host by surprise. “Frank, why are you calling me up in the middle of my show?”
“I’m calling because you need to get down to the space dock in Evergreen Valley quick as you can!”
A faint spark of hope ignited in the black-haired man. “Why, what’s going on?” he asked his voice shaky with emotion.
"The Excalibur has landed at the port. She’s clean of any sign of the techno virus as are the crew and passengers. And your wife, son, and daughter are on board and very much alive!”
Gerry almost fell out of his seat as everyone in the room went near stunned silent. He recovered himself as he looked at his friend. “Joseph, I hate to do this but…’
The maple brown haired man shook his head. “No, it’s fine, Lisa and I will handle things. You get your butt down to the spaceport.”
Gerry nodded and said, “Frank, tell Carolyn, Tim, and Janet I’m coming as fast as I can!”
“I hear you, I imagine they’ll be eager to see you."
The voice of the Prime Minister spoke up. “Go to your family Mister Micheals and go with God’s good graces.”
“That goes for us all,” the president of New Oregon stated.
“Thank you everyone. Joseph will take over for a while.”
Gerry took off his earphones and raced out of the studio. In moments he was out of the station and raced to his car. He turned on the hovercar’s engine. He headed for the space port and the family he’d thought he’d lost.
I don’t know how it’s possible but they’re alive. My wife, my children they’re alive, it’s a miracle.
Thanks for reading this short story, everyone. I hope you’re enjoying the twelve tales of Christmas. But there are two stories left before the twelve tales comes to a close so stay right here. Meanwhile let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Did you like this story or think it needs work.
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Next: Story #11 - It's only a human
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