Amazing Deb. Like the others I think there's only one real choice for Max but I can't wait to watch him make it. Thanks for posting.
-Ellie
TAT: In The Beginning (M/L, AU, Mature) (Complete)
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RoswellScripter
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And....the other shoe drops with a resounding thud. We knew it was coming, we just didn't want to believe it.
Sigh.......I don't even want to speculate. Just come back and put us out of our misery soon.
Sylvia
Sigh.......I don't even want to speculate. Just come back and put us out of our misery soon.
Sylvia
Lisa: Do we have any food that wasn't brutally slaughtered?
Homer: Well, I think the veal died of loneliness.
Homer: Well, I think the veal died of loneliness.
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BehrObsession
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I had a feeling that the others survived. Avona is already a pain in the ass! Max cannot leave LeeLee no matter what the others want him to do. He's found his true love and he needs to hold on with all his might. The only way for him to leave the planet is with LeeLee by his side. Come on Max, be the strong, decisive man we know you to be. Can't wait to find out what happens.
And....the other shoe drops with a resounding thud. We knew it was coming, we just didn't want to believe it.
Sigh.......I don't even want to speculate. Just come back and put us out of our misery soon.
Sylvia Oooh, {{{{{hugs}}}}} Sylvia, just because.
Ha ha! I knew it!
You didn't let us down, Debbi. 
Well, you know there's only one right answer here ....You have to fix it! Make it all better. Make those nasty, bad aliens go away; well maybe just that twit Avona. Can't wait to see how Max tries to explain his way out of this one. 
Loved the fun around the campfire. The beard catching on fire! Love these guys! The three Amigos/Stooges .
So glad you're back.
hugs ~ Dee ~
Sigh.......I don't even want to speculate. Just come back and put us out of our misery soon.
Sylvia Oooh, {{{{{hugs}}}}} Sylvia, just because.
Ha ha! I knew it!
You didn't let us down, Debbi. Well, you know there's only one right answer here ....You have to fix it! Make it all better. Make those nasty, bad aliens go away; well maybe just that twit Avona. Can't wait to see how Max tries to explain his way out of this one. Loved the fun around the campfire. The beard catching on fire!
Love these guys! The three Amigos/Stooges . So glad you're back.
hugs ~ Dee ~
Heya, I have been reading this story for a while, but for some reason I have never left feedback to this (but maybe I had? I'm not sure anymore 
). Anyway, but I just had to write a feedback this time, after such a wonderful update you wrote. Max needs to make a choice now. 
And I can't wait to see what he is going to do 
). Anyway, but I just had to write a feedback this time, after such a wonderful update you wrote. Max needs to make a choice now. And I can't wait to see what he is going to do -
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In The Beginning, Part 18
In The Beginning
Part 18
Kenny squatted at the edge of the watering hole. It was his job to refill the water pouches for the day, so the others wouldn’t get dehydrated during the hunt. He didn’t mind doing all the grunt work, he was the youngest, and therefore all the menial jobs fell to him. It was a rite of passage on his way to manhood, but he did look forward to the day when he would become a senior member of the hunt.
“Kenny.”
The boy looked up, hearing his name spoken by a familiar voice. He stood, looking around the dense foliage that thrived near the watering hole, seeing nothing at first, and then the leaves parted and Max stepped into view. He didn’t immediately notice the tense set of Max’s jaw, or the furtive glances he kept casting behind him.
Kenny held out a filled pouch. “Max ready for hunt?”
“Kenny.” Max drew the youth close, ignoring his question. “There’s something I have to do. It might take me a few days, so I won’t be able to finish the hunt with you –”
“Max no finish hunt?” Alarm in his voice.
“Listen,” Max squeezed the boy by his shoulder. “I have to go away for a few days –”
“Max go away?” Kenny said. Fear in his young eyes.
“Only for a few days,” Max tried to reassure him. “When you get back to the village, I want you to tell LeeLee I’ll be home soon. Tell her not to worry, okay? I will be back. Nothing could ever keep me away from her. Tell her that for me; that I love her, and I’ll be home soon.”
“Max okay?” Kenny asked. Soaking up the tension in the air like a sponge.
“I will be,” Max answered. Just as soon as he helped the others raise the ship for their return home. And found a way to tell them he wouldn’t be going with them.
* * * * *
“What have you been doing all these months?” Avona asked, sounding slightly breathless. She had to hustle to keep up with Max’s long strides. The burnt plains were far behind them now, but the inland sea was still a days hike away.
Max looked up to check the sun’s location in the sky. Late afternoon slipping into early evening. He felt all their eyes on him, questioning and confused. They couldn’t understand why he was being so closed mouth, and how could he blame them? He decided now was as good a time as any to set up camp for the night, and to tell his companions about this world, and about the new life he’d found here.
“There’s a copse of trees up ahead. Let’s rest there for the night.”
In a few minutes they’d all understand better.
He hoped.
* * * * *
Max moved through the trees, gathering firewood as the sun sank low in the west. A brilliant sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and red, but it wouldn’t be long before that majestic spectacle would give way to midnight blues and black, best to get a fire started now before it grew dark.
And alone on his task, it gave him time to think, without the pressure of the others watching him.
He’d always been a leader, marked since birth, reared with an expectation he sometimes found difficult to live up to. He’d towed the line as a child, rebelled as a youth, and found his calling as a young man serving his required stint in the military. He’d quickly risen in the ranks, not because of who he was, but because of the caliber of the man he was.
And the nomadic life of a military man suited him. He liked the freedom of space, where he could map previously uncharted worlds, discover new and unusual life forms, see things no one had ever seen before. He threw himself into it wholeheartedly, knowing that in time, his responsibilities would tie him to one world, and freedom would be but a distant memory.
In space, he didn’t have to live up to any expectations, or adhere to any specific doctrine. He was free to be himself, to lead the men and women in his charge, and yet, a part of him knew the attraction of space was more than that. He was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, with a deep conviction that somewhere out there in the blackness of the universe he’d find the light his soul searched for, the spark that would bring him to life.
The fate his beloved mother once secretly confessed awaited him.
He’d been a child at the time, and she’d been in a melancholy mood, looking at him with deep sadness in her eyes. Like she was memorizing his face, as if it might be her last opportunity. She’d said something then that sent a chill down his spine, though at the time he hadn’t understood her true meaning.
“You’ll never succeed your father.”
At the time, he’d feared for his own life. War was in the distant past, but he was old enough to know peace could be fleeting, and political winds could change quickly. His mother had the gift of prophesy, passed down from her mother, and from her mother’s mother. It was only later, as she lay on her deathbed, that her meaning had become clear to him.
“You weren’t meant for this world, Zan. Your fate awaits you, out there, in the stars. You won’t know true happiness until you find it.”
A twig snapped behind him making his hand freeze on a piece of wood. It could be a predator, intent on eating man meat for its evening meal. Or one of the marauding tribes that roamed the plains, stealing and murdering as they went. He turned slowly, senses on high alert.
“How long have we known each other?”
Rafe stood behind Max with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet firmly planted on the ground. Max noticed his lieutenant’s warn and scuffed shoes, his tattered and sun faded flight suit, the way his hair and beard had grown out, giving his first officer a wild appearance. The image was in sharp contrast to Max’s memories of Rafe dressed in crisp, clean military issued uniforms, and by-the-book buzz cuts. But then, dressed in animal skins and a suntan, his own appearance must seem just as odd.
“Since we were kids,” Max rose to his feet, holding an armful of wood for the fire.
“And what was our dream as kids?” Michaels asked.
“To fly to the stars,” Max answered.
“To find new worlds, new adventures –”
“To find …” Max’s voice trailed off.
Michaels dropped his hands to his sides and stepped forward. “To find what?”
When Max didn’t respond, Michaels tried another tact.
“It was your father’s idea. Avona. He liked her, and since you hadn’t made any attempt to settle down on your own, he thought a little push, a trip out in space, close quarters –”
“What’s your point?” Max turned back toward the camp, but the next words out of Rafe’s mouth stopped him in his tracks.
“I recognize the stars.”
Max slowly turned around to face him.
Rafe glanced up at the sky. “You used to draw them in the dirt. Or paint them on your bedroom walls. You even gave them names: The Big Dipper. Orion. Pegasus, a horse with wings. I’d never even heard of a horse, let alone a winged one. But you knew them all. You said you saw them in your dreams.”
Max didn’t say anything. Michaels turned to peer at the southern sky.
“It took a while to realize what I was looking at. When we escaped the pods, I tried to chart our location, but the night sky was all wrong. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. At first I thought something must have gone wrong during the flight. That we got off course somehow, but then I saw that moon, and it all started to click. The only thing I don’t understand is how.”
Max took a deep breath, then said the unthinkable. “I violated the First Order.”
“You what?”
“Yes.” It felt oddly freeing to say it. No more secrets.
“For this?” Rafe swept his hands out to encompass the wild terrain. “You risked your life for this? Do you know what you’ve done?”
The First Order of the Priesthood. Use of the Granilith for personal gain was a capital offense, punishable by death. Max knew it well, trained at his father’s knee, groomed for the day when he would take his place as Protectorate, High Priest of the Granilith, his birthright.
“How?” Rafe asked, baffled beyond understanding.
“I fed the drawings into the Granilith,” Max admitted. “I instructed it to keep searching until it found a match. It took years, but finally, just before this mission, it produced a set of coordinates. After liftoff, when you were already in stasis, I reprogrammed the ship’s computers. I entered in all the data generated by the Granilith, but …”
“But what?”
“You’re right, Rafe. Something did go wrong during the flight. When I came out of stasis, the computer was registering our flight status. Sector, planet analysis, star date. There was so much happening at the time it didn’t all sink in, but …” Max turned to face his boyhood friend, only now realizing the enormity of it.
“The star date was all wrong, Rafe. A million years wrong. The Granilith didn’t just take us to the far side of the universe. I think it took us back in time.”
tbc …
Part 18
Kenny squatted at the edge of the watering hole. It was his job to refill the water pouches for the day, so the others wouldn’t get dehydrated during the hunt. He didn’t mind doing all the grunt work, he was the youngest, and therefore all the menial jobs fell to him. It was a rite of passage on his way to manhood, but he did look forward to the day when he would become a senior member of the hunt.
“Kenny.”
The boy looked up, hearing his name spoken by a familiar voice. He stood, looking around the dense foliage that thrived near the watering hole, seeing nothing at first, and then the leaves parted and Max stepped into view. He didn’t immediately notice the tense set of Max’s jaw, or the furtive glances he kept casting behind him.
Kenny held out a filled pouch. “Max ready for hunt?”
“Kenny.” Max drew the youth close, ignoring his question. “There’s something I have to do. It might take me a few days, so I won’t be able to finish the hunt with you –”
“Max no finish hunt?” Alarm in his voice.
“Listen,” Max squeezed the boy by his shoulder. “I have to go away for a few days –”
“Max go away?” Kenny said. Fear in his young eyes.
“Only for a few days,” Max tried to reassure him. “When you get back to the village, I want you to tell LeeLee I’ll be home soon. Tell her not to worry, okay? I will be back. Nothing could ever keep me away from her. Tell her that for me; that I love her, and I’ll be home soon.”
“Max okay?” Kenny asked. Soaking up the tension in the air like a sponge.
“I will be,” Max answered. Just as soon as he helped the others raise the ship for their return home. And found a way to tell them he wouldn’t be going with them.
* * * * *
“What have you been doing all these months?” Avona asked, sounding slightly breathless. She had to hustle to keep up with Max’s long strides. The burnt plains were far behind them now, but the inland sea was still a days hike away.
Max looked up to check the sun’s location in the sky. Late afternoon slipping into early evening. He felt all their eyes on him, questioning and confused. They couldn’t understand why he was being so closed mouth, and how could he blame them? He decided now was as good a time as any to set up camp for the night, and to tell his companions about this world, and about the new life he’d found here.
“There’s a copse of trees up ahead. Let’s rest there for the night.”
In a few minutes they’d all understand better.
He hoped.
* * * * *
Max moved through the trees, gathering firewood as the sun sank low in the west. A brilliant sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and red, but it wouldn’t be long before that majestic spectacle would give way to midnight blues and black, best to get a fire started now before it grew dark.
And alone on his task, it gave him time to think, without the pressure of the others watching him.
He’d always been a leader, marked since birth, reared with an expectation he sometimes found difficult to live up to. He’d towed the line as a child, rebelled as a youth, and found his calling as a young man serving his required stint in the military. He’d quickly risen in the ranks, not because of who he was, but because of the caliber of the man he was.
And the nomadic life of a military man suited him. He liked the freedom of space, where he could map previously uncharted worlds, discover new and unusual life forms, see things no one had ever seen before. He threw himself into it wholeheartedly, knowing that in time, his responsibilities would tie him to one world, and freedom would be but a distant memory.
In space, he didn’t have to live up to any expectations, or adhere to any specific doctrine. He was free to be himself, to lead the men and women in his charge, and yet, a part of him knew the attraction of space was more than that. He was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, with a deep conviction that somewhere out there in the blackness of the universe he’d find the light his soul searched for, the spark that would bring him to life.
The fate his beloved mother once secretly confessed awaited him.
He’d been a child at the time, and she’d been in a melancholy mood, looking at him with deep sadness in her eyes. Like she was memorizing his face, as if it might be her last opportunity. She’d said something then that sent a chill down his spine, though at the time he hadn’t understood her true meaning.
“You’ll never succeed your father.”
At the time, he’d feared for his own life. War was in the distant past, but he was old enough to know peace could be fleeting, and political winds could change quickly. His mother had the gift of prophesy, passed down from her mother, and from her mother’s mother. It was only later, as she lay on her deathbed, that her meaning had become clear to him.
“You weren’t meant for this world, Zan. Your fate awaits you, out there, in the stars. You won’t know true happiness until you find it.”
A twig snapped behind him making his hand freeze on a piece of wood. It could be a predator, intent on eating man meat for its evening meal. Or one of the marauding tribes that roamed the plains, stealing and murdering as they went. He turned slowly, senses on high alert.
“How long have we known each other?”
Rafe stood behind Max with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet firmly planted on the ground. Max noticed his lieutenant’s warn and scuffed shoes, his tattered and sun faded flight suit, the way his hair and beard had grown out, giving his first officer a wild appearance. The image was in sharp contrast to Max’s memories of Rafe dressed in crisp, clean military issued uniforms, and by-the-book buzz cuts. But then, dressed in animal skins and a suntan, his own appearance must seem just as odd.
“Since we were kids,” Max rose to his feet, holding an armful of wood for the fire.
“And what was our dream as kids?” Michaels asked.
“To fly to the stars,” Max answered.
“To find new worlds, new adventures –”
“To find …” Max’s voice trailed off.
Michaels dropped his hands to his sides and stepped forward. “To find what?”
When Max didn’t respond, Michaels tried another tact.
“It was your father’s idea. Avona. He liked her, and since you hadn’t made any attempt to settle down on your own, he thought a little push, a trip out in space, close quarters –”
“What’s your point?” Max turned back toward the camp, but the next words out of Rafe’s mouth stopped him in his tracks.
“I recognize the stars.”
Max slowly turned around to face him.
Rafe glanced up at the sky. “You used to draw them in the dirt. Or paint them on your bedroom walls. You even gave them names: The Big Dipper. Orion. Pegasus, a horse with wings. I’d never even heard of a horse, let alone a winged one. But you knew them all. You said you saw them in your dreams.”
Max didn’t say anything. Michaels turned to peer at the southern sky.
“It took a while to realize what I was looking at. When we escaped the pods, I tried to chart our location, but the night sky was all wrong. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. At first I thought something must have gone wrong during the flight. That we got off course somehow, but then I saw that moon, and it all started to click. The only thing I don’t understand is how.”
Max took a deep breath, then said the unthinkable. “I violated the First Order.”
“You what?”
“Yes.” It felt oddly freeing to say it. No more secrets.
“For this?” Rafe swept his hands out to encompass the wild terrain. “You risked your life for this? Do you know what you’ve done?”
The First Order of the Priesthood. Use of the Granilith for personal gain was a capital offense, punishable by death. Max knew it well, trained at his father’s knee, groomed for the day when he would take his place as Protectorate, High Priest of the Granilith, his birthright.
“How?” Rafe asked, baffled beyond understanding.
“I fed the drawings into the Granilith,” Max admitted. “I instructed it to keep searching until it found a match. It took years, but finally, just before this mission, it produced a set of coordinates. After liftoff, when you were already in stasis, I reprogrammed the ship’s computers. I entered in all the data generated by the Granilith, but …”
“But what?”
“You’re right, Rafe. Something did go wrong during the flight. When I came out of stasis, the computer was registering our flight status. Sector, planet analysis, star date. There was so much happening at the time it didn’t all sink in, but …” Max turned to face his boyhood friend, only now realizing the enormity of it.
“The star date was all wrong, Rafe. A million years wrong. The Granilith didn’t just take us to the far side of the universe. I think it took us back in time.”
tbc …
Behr's Bitch
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Morning Dreamgirl
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Wow!
I have to admit that I didn't expect to see that one coming!
I can't imagine how they're going to react when they find out that Max/Zan isn't going to be going back with them.
Although, I have to admit that I'm sure you have more hidden away - especially with that last little twist.
It should be interesting to see how they all take the fact that not only is he staying, but he's married and has a child on the way.
So is there any way to get you to post the next part tonight too?
Couldn't help but ask.
I hope that you're feeling completely better darlin and that if not, you continue to get better as the days go by.
Loved it!
Ashley
I have to admit that I didn't expect to see that one coming!
I can't imagine how they're going to react when they find out that Max/Zan isn't going to be going back with them.
Although, I have to admit that I'm sure you have more hidden away - especially with that last little twist.
It should be interesting to see how they all take the fact that not only is he staying, but he's married and has a child on the way.
So is there any way to get you to post the next part tonight too?
Couldn't help but ask.
I hope that you're feeling completely better darlin and that if not, you continue to get better as the days go by.
Loved it!
Ashley
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Breathless
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