The Noah Satellite

Chapter 1

A Viking Funeral

Off the coast of Jutland Denmark, in the North Sea the ocean was unusually calm. Except for a single low Cumulus cloud, the sky was clear and blue. For hundreds of miles around there were only gentle rolling waves as far as the horizon. Despite the north wind gently pushing on that particular cloud, it somehow managed to stay in place, as if locked in position.

Then and against the laws of nature, the mysterious cloud gently lowered to the ocean. Only a few meters from the waves, from the edge of the cloud appeared the head of a fierce dragon. A wide open mouth showed ferocious fangs. With such vicious teeth it was clear that even a stout Viking warrior would be no more than an appetizing snack. Fiery eyes that could start an inferno glared straight ahead to cast fear and an omen of death to all who dared defiantly stand in its path. As the head continued to drift out of the cloud, showing a long green neck, it became clear that it was only carved from wood, a masthead of a great Viking Dragon boat. As the Dragon boat continued to drift out of the cloud, from between the long row of colorful shields attached alongside the ship were oars hanging limp waiting to reach the water and propel it to a final destination.

Just inches from the waiting waves, from out of the cloud and directly above the Dragon boat appeared four space ships. Attached to the haul of each craft was a long cable hanging down and cradling the descending Dragon boat. Like cargo dangling underneath commercial helicopters, the Dragon boat was gently lowered into the waiting ocean. Then from the artificial cloud appeared three more space ships. As witnesses to the strange event, they drifted down to the side of the Dragon boat.

Once the boat bobbed freely on the waves of the North Sea, the four space crafts released their cables and pulled them back up to the mechanism underneath their hulls. They then flew over and positioned next to the other waiting space craft to form a circle around the Viking boat. When all was in place and as it should be, the boat drifting on gentle waves, all seven space ships dipped their prows as if mourners doffing their hats at a somber grave site.

In the Dragon boat was the body of an aged man with a full scruffy beard. Although resting in death with closed eyes, thick eye glasses were held in place by a bulbous nose. As per custom of a Viking funeral, the body was lined with flowers and valued possessions needed in the afterlife. Because he was a great man of knowledge and secrets, also in the boat with him was his computer, valued books and research papers.

Suddenly a narrow laser beam shot from two of the space craft and struck the boat. In the wink of an eye, high flames engulfed it and the body was well on his way to the Viking heaven of Helheim. He was not going to Valhalla, the heaven for warriors who had died in battle. There they would meet Odin. In the great Norse legends, wise and honored Vikings went to Helheim. Within minutes the hungry flames had devoured all there was of Zak Zander, at least all there was of him in this existence.

When all evidence of the contemporary Viking funeral was devoured by flame and ocean, the seven D-wings shot high into the stratosphere so fast that they seemed to disappear in the wink of an eye. The Cumulus cloud that members of the House of the Nazarene had used for cover now faded to become part of the clear sky. Dead in this world but hopefully alive in his dreams, Zak Zander was now on his way to a better place.

What just happened was a culmination of strange events. Zak Zander was a House of the Nazarene contemporary interpreter of biblical and antediluvian legends. It was his genius that correctly translated the language of the alien Great Gray Tribe that eventually led to an understanding of the Great Earth War between the Anunnaki and other aliens living on Earth before the dominance of man. If there was a translation or knowledge needed of those various alien tribes, it was Zak Zander’s knowledge that eventually gleaned that material.

He was a solitary and cantankerous man who lived vicariously through his research of ancient civilizations. His brilliance was matched only by his desire to be left alone with his scrolls and manuscripts of those ancient civilizations. As if he understood that one fateful morning would be his last on this Earth, when Maria found him slouched over his desk, she saw his last written request in a dead and limp hand. She was not surprised to read that he wanted to leave this existence through the ritual of a Viking funeral. As per that ritual, he would enter his next existence with his most valued possessions. In this case, not a sword and shield but rather his treasured research papers. Because all of those valued papers had been digitized and now in computers, there was no problem sacrificing the hard copies to the flames. As he now walked with the Vikings, his research lived forever in the archives of the House of the Nazarene.

Chapter 2

The Black Knight

In northern India, between the Indus River and the Himalayan Range, in a small green valley sits an insignificant village called Desuya. Most of the village people live a modest life style as farmers or herders. In the village, there are no traffic controls governing the two intersecting roads. As anywhere else, when walking, ‘might makes right’. This included ox carts, motor scooters, bicycles and pedestrians. Along the narrow streets few buildings stood alone, most abutted to their neighbor and painted in contrasting bright colors. Canopies and large umbrellas shade the people who wander the crowded market street while haggling with the boisterous merchants looking for the best prices.

Across the river and precariously balanced on a high cliff sits a small forest of Deodar trees, the Himalayan Cedar. Although they are of no consequence to the people in the village, that would all change if they scaled the cliff and saw the three satellite discs camouflaged in the branches of the tallest trees.

In the village and at the end of a minor side street, one ramshackle building stands alone and insignificant. Except for the five bicycles leaning against the mud packed wall, one would naturally conclude that it was an abandoned old house. A hole in the middle of the dirt packed floor leads down into the darkness of a secret basement. The elderly man sitting on a decrepit rattan chair at the entrance to the hole, in fact guarding it, gave no indication of the great secret under his feet. If he knew the true importance of his job, he probably would not be sound asleep.

After precariously braving steep wooden stairs, one entered a dark room bathed in a soft green light. The only sound was the busy clacking of computer keys and humming computer terminals. Multiple ceiling fans hung precariously over five operators staring intently at their individual monitors. All have mouthpieces pressed to lips and earphones tight to ears.

It was impossible to tell who was communicating to the lone female chief officer monitoring reported data from the five men. Presha Bhat was a young woman dressed in the traditional Sari garment wrapped around her waist and shoulders. Long black hair was done up in a tight bun and like everybody else here in this secret laboratory, it was held in place by a hairnet. Suddenly an excited voice boomed through her ear pierce.

I have a hit on the polar orbital satellite we have been searching for.

When the location was sent to Presha, she stifled her excitement. After all, over the years, they had discovered many such ‘hits’ that only turned out to be registered satellites of various countries. As in all those times, she sought conformation and calmly said,

Bring the Nazarene satellite to that location and track it.

A few minutes later a different voice came through her ear phone.

I have the location. We are now parallel at approximately five hundred yards distance.

Give me a visual.

When seeing the image focus on her screen, her excitement was hard to contain and so shouted,

That’s it. Record, record! Make sure we are recording this visual.

She heard one of the men snidely comment to another technician,

It took us six years to locate this satellite. Why would she assume we are not recording what has not been seen in over 10,000 years?

Presha snapped back,

I heard that.

The advanced House of the Nazarene technology was able to transmit a hi-Def resolution showing that the satellite was as black as a lump of coal. Its body shape was that of a raven in a diving position, head down and wings tucked against its body for speed. Laser measurements indicated that it was a 100 yards long and 50 yards across the beam. Presha was filled with excitement and demanded,

Closer, get me a closer image!

However, as the crew initiated commands maneuvering the Nazarene miniature satellite closer to the mysterious Black Knight satellite, an array of what appeared to be solar panels spread out from the sides of the black body. It gave the impression of a Raven spreading its wings ready to take flight. A technician shouted,

It has detected us and powering up for a reposition.

The black satellite spread its solar panels and gathered power from the sun. With the Nazarene satellite racing closer, the mysterious object lifted into a higher orbit. A technician reported,

It has anti-contact and avoidance technology.

Then, as if by an unknown magic, it disappeared and another technician reported what Presha already realized,

It activated a stealth technology.

From her earpiece, she heard,

It’s gone!

Panicked, she snapped back,

Scan for a heat signature and image distortion.

As frantic fingers flew across many keyboards and the Nazarene Nano-onboard computers obeyed the commands, eventually the inevitable had to be reported.

It’s as if it knew we were scanning it and disappeared. It’s gone

Disappointed, Presha accepted the defeat, shook her head and said,

Very well. A glimmer of the Black Knight will have to suffice. At least now we know that the legends are real. Archive the previous orbit path and data leading up to the last known location and send it to me. I’ll transfer it to the House of the Nazarene. Maybe their more sophisticated alien technology can do something with it.

Chapter 3

At a height far above the Earth, the seven D-wings that had attended the Viking funeral split off in different directions. Most ships continued southeast to the headquarters of the House of the Nazarene in Bulgaria. One D-wing entered a GPS location directly south to a location in the Sahara Desert to continue an excavation of an alien city discovered there. Another flew to a hospital in Switzerland to attend the newest birth of a member of the House of the Nazarene.

While on their way and Santo at the controls, Maria turned to him and with a sad voice said,

I’m not sure I approved of that ritual but will confess that it brought a tear to my eye.

While looking down at the Earth zipping by at a phenomenal speed Santo confessed,

Perhaps because I am a soldier, I agreed and understood the request of a warrior funeral. Let’s face it, by his research, Zak lived vicariously in many ancient civilizations and loved them all. Although I am surprised that he chose a Viking ceremony, nevertheless, it is the way he wanted to go.

Maria added,

I’m surprised too. I thought he would have chosen a Mesopotamian ceremony. He really loved that ancient culture.

Santo had the last word on the subject. Although not philosophical, it was profound nevertheless.

I guess when faced with one’s death, surprises are inevitable.

She sadly said,

I will miss him. However, as he believed, he is dead in this world and hopefully alive in dreams.

They were now hovering high above the Swiss hospital. While dropping straight down to its target, Santo entered the approach codes. Although officially registered as a secret military hospital under treaty with the Swiss government but heavily subsidised by Nazarene money it was by all intent a Nazarene hospital. This was where survivors of the Duchess’ great destruction of Ile de Celeste, the once headquarters of the House of the Nazarene were sent and treated for horrific injuries. It was also where many members of the tragedy died.

At a specific height, the onboard computer obeyed its program protocol and activated a stealth program. The approach was flawless, gently touching down on the giant ‘H’ landing pad. For added security and secret arrival and departure of Nazarene personnel, the platform was higher than the surrounding buildings. After scrambling out of the D-wing and walking toward the elevator silo, Santo pressed the remote in his hand sending the D-wing high into the stratosphere to await a return signal.

Another code was entered into the elevator door keypad and down they went to their desired floor. When the door opened, they presented their ID card to the scanner and access to the maternity ward was granted. As this was their third visit to Jessika Reynaldi’s private room, they already knew when to turn left and what long hall to follow before reaching her private suite. After a soft knock, a click was heard and the door gently opened. Jessika was sitting up in bed cuddling her swathed newborn son and the father, Kirk Waller stood proud beside her. Maria went directly to the mother. Santo shook hands with Kirk and said,

So that makes three children. When are you going to stop?

Although almost as exhausted as Jessika, Kirk managed a tired smile and said,

This is it. Although I swear she is so fertile just by shaking her hand, she gets pregnant again.

Santo’s solution was spoken in jest.

I guess putting on gloves is out of the question huh?

Hearing the two men jest, Jessika contributed,

We only want three.

Then with a look of scorn and only a hint of teasing, she looked straight at Kirk and added,

If I’m really that fertile, I guess we should stop shaking hands huh?

Understanding the threat, Kirk quickly changed the subject, looked to Santo and asked,

How is the weather out there? Still raining?

When Santo turned to see Maria standing by the bed looking down at Jessika holding the baby, he saw that look in her eye. It was the look of most women when seeing a baby, the look of pining for another. They had talked about this before, in fact, shortly after the birth of Belle, it was almost a constant topic of debate. Santo wanted another child but at that time both were field agents of the House of the Nazarene and as Marie had argued, at least right now there was no time for another child. As promised, perhaps someday, but sadly for Santo that day never came.

As it turned out, Maria’s second child became her work and both settled into being content with Belle. However, that did not stop Maria from stretching out her arms wanting to hold Jessika’s baby. When Jessika offered the kindness and Santo saw Maria’s yearning expression he wondered if that subject was not born again. If there was a mirror in the room, Santo would have seen a similar expression on himself. He dearly wanted to hold the baby too. Kirk saw his superior officer melt but was polite enough to understand and not mention the silly look on his face. After congratulations, idle chit-chat and a few hugs, it was time for Maria to begrudgingly return the baby to Jessika and leave the parents to rest.

After exiting the elevator and walking back to the helicopter pad, Santo signalled for the D-wing to drop back down to them. Because it was only a short hop from Switzerland to their Bulgarian headquarters there was no advantage in lifting high into the stratosphere taking advantage of the Earth’s rotation. Keeping the anti-detection and camouflage program running at top speed they would be home in twenty minutes.

As they sped south and high through Austrian air space undetected by radar, Maria turned to Santo and said,

This has been a day of strange extremes and I’m emotionally exhausted.

Confused, for he thought it was a relaxing day, he looked to her and asked,

What do you mean?

Well, in just a matter of a few hours we went from attending a Viking funeral to attending a Nazarene birth. A death and birth in just one day was hard to take.

Santo chuckled and said,

Welcome to the strange and wonderful world of the House of the Nazarene.

Maria, proud of her leadership in the House, fluffed up her feathers and said,

I wonder what adventure is waiting for us next.

Just then, a voice from Headquarters sounded through the computer.

There is a message for you from a Presha Bhat.

Confused, she looked to Santo. He had seen that lost look before and explained,

"She operates our classified satellite tracking headquarters in Desuya, India.

Maria directed her question to the computer and asked the command center,

Is it important?

Apparently, yes. It has something to do with locating an ancient satellite still orbiting the Earth.

Chapter 4

Once over the southern shore of Bulgaria and setting down in their estate, the computer took over landing procedures and gently put the ship down at the entrance to the hangar. Henrik Anderson, recently promoted to flight controller was standing there watching it automatically maneuver over to the other D-wings sitting on the floor. As Maria scrambled out of the cockpit, Henrik approached and asked her an embarrassing question.

Did you remember to congratulate Jessika and Kirk for me?

Not wanting to be seen lying, Maria waited to answer the question until turning her back and walking away.

You bet and she appreciated your thoughtfulness.

Over the last few years, Santo had managed to finagle his way out of having to stay and fill out performance reports and questionnaires regarding the function of the D-wing. He always thought that as Head of Security he was far too busy for trivial reports. Leaving that task to Henrik, he quickly caught up to Maria. Once outside and walking toward the main mansion, he produced a sly smirk and said,

Your list of harmless white lies is getting kind of long isn’t it?

Embarrassed at the avalanche of running the House of the Nazarene and how it had buried mundane matters, she was already painfully aware of that list. Her reply was quick and sharp.

Shut up.

At the front door of the ‘Lady of the Manor’ their massive residence, Maria stopped, looked at her watch, and made a snap decision.

I was going to come up stairs with you and change but it’s almost time for Belle to get out of school.

Already sensing the answer, she asked anyway,

Wanna come pick her up with me?

Suddenly Santo’s metaphoric avalanche roared down the mountain and buried him in a ton of duties and tasks to catch up on. There was a weak apology in his reply.

You know I would but I have a security meeting in a few minutes and then there is your mission meeting in an hour.

Then, hoping to alleviate the guilt, knowing that misery has always enjoyed company, he added,

Don’t forget you have an important call waiting for you from Presha Bhat in India, something about a long lost ancient satellite.

A frustrated stomp of her foot was her tempered reaction to the harsh reminder. Like Santo, constant duties of the House were drowning important family matters. Belle was now eleven years old and certainly did not need her parents picking her up after school. In fact, she hated it when they did. Not surprisingly, Maria loved that domestic chore.

When first moving their new Headquarters to the Bulgarian estate, thanks to the generosity of King Rhymen, the children who survived Duchess Josephine’s maniacal destruction of the original headquarters and whose parents stayed with the House now went to school on the estate. In the beginning, because Waldorf was busy setting up House of the Nazarene laboratories throughout the world, Helga was put in charge of the children’s schooling.

In the beginning, when the children were younger, Helga’s duty of taking them to school and picking them up was a welcome distraction to missing Waldorf when he was away. Although it was a somewhat fulfilling duty, that now changed. Robert, like Belle started to resent not having their independence recognized and hated being escorted to school like some helpless little child. Although a trusted member of the inner circle and having high level security clearances, she now more than ever felt left out and under used among a hive of brilliant scientists. When Waldorf comes back from setting up another laboratory, she made up her mind to ask him for a more meaningful duty.

Chapter 5

After changing, Maria walked through the kitchen and was not surprised to see the new cook leaning over the counter chopping vegetables. Albina was the prefect version of a jolly old cook. Her apron was tied high and tight around a bulging stomach that she defended as an occupational hazard of slurping and testing her recipes over the years. Maria hired her as the household cook for many reasons. Albina’s insistence that she be the one to go into town and purchase just the right and ripe ingredients was one of them. Her pleasant and forever jolly attitude was also a considering factor. There was also the fact that when she used her secret recipe on broccoli and Brussel Sprouts, surprisingly Belle and Santo, rather than shoving them aside, actually ate them.

Albina turned to see her new boss approaching the fridge and true to her grandmotherly nature sternly said,

Supper will be ready soon. You don’t fill up too much now.

Smiling, knowing she had hired the right person for the job Maria opened the fridge door and said,

I’m just after the orange juice. I have a short meeting and will be back in time for supper.

Turning back to chop more vegetables, and to indicate who the boss of the kitchen was, Albina said to the omnipotent leader of the House of the Nazarene,

You don’t be late for supper again.

The House of the Nazarene meeting room was in the mansion just off the main downstairs family room. It was a large room done up in dark wood with a ceiling of arches and high rafters. If it was not for the massive chandeliers hanging high, it could easily be mistaken for a room filled with cavorting Knights and Kings. The large round oak table with twelve upholstered chairs matched the number of the Nazarene department heads.

This time, because she had only intended to hear the recording from Presha Bhat, all the chairs were empty. As she entered the room she placed a coaster on the table and put a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in front of an empty chair to the right of where she was going to sit. Maria was fuelled by caffeine and hated orange juice.

She then walked to the refreshment table at the far wall. She was not after a snack or fruit but rather the coveted coffee urn. After filling her mug to the brim she walked back to the table and placed her coffee on another coaster next to the glass of orange juice. While waiting, she gulped down what to others seemed like boiling hot coffee. Of the many things Professor Maria Espinoza was known for, the most startling was her ability to guzzle hot coffee unscathed and lots of it. After another gulp, the door opened and in walked the love of her whole existence, Santo.

Because they were the only two in the conference room, decorum was set aside and he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. Loving it, she coyly asked,

Did you miss me already?

As was his nature, a bit of a stoic military personality coupled with a love of teasing her, he replied in a cold manner,

Nah. I just wanted my orange juice.

Understanding his ways, she took what she could get. When he sat beside her, she said,

The kitchen smells like Albina is preparing her famous goulash.

He loved her goulash and almost with a drool added,

I know, I smelled the paprika from the hall. I hope she throws in some Brussel Sprouts.

The purpose of the meeting was to hear Presha Bhat’s communication from India. However, as was Maria’s custom, she wanted a reminder of Intel first. That was the job of her Head of Securities, Santo. He accessed his computer and read,

Two years ago before his death, Zak Zander entered into his library data base an unknown alien species occupying Earth. Because the writing was unknown and not in his translation database there was only a partial understanding of it. However, from what he could glean, it was akin to other stories in other ancient legends.

In a rare gesture, she put her coffee mug down and asked,

Did he mean like the story of the great flood being told in other and earlier cultures or the prolific ancient stories of the creation of man through the efforts and attempts of other gods?

No. This ambiguous and unknown writing referred to something he translated to mean ‘black bird’ or ‘a bird of the night’. Apparently this mysterious and unknown alien culture had in their legend a black bird flying around the planet containing all living things in the world, animals as well as plants. It also reported back to them all the things happening in other alien tribes around the world at that time.

After another sip of juice Santo was going to continue but Maria again cut in with her thoughts.

Sounds like maybe a black spy satellite was in use. I guess such a thing was not uncommon or unexpected from various alien cultures who occupied this planet way back then.

Yes, contributed Santo, most notably legends of the aliens to the north, the Aesir tribe ruled by Odin. Legend says that he had two black ravens flying around the world spying on the nine other alien tribes located on this planet.

Maria again cut in,

Like I said, most likely spy satellites, except the humans at that time had no understanding or words to describe a black satellite accurately, instead just saying black raven.

Yes, but the reason Zak drew a connection to other cultures with a similar godlike black bird or raven was the parallel writings stating the raven’s ability to, and I quote, ‘to spread its wings and circle the Earth.

As Maria nodded her agreement, Santo continued,

The human tribes in North America have similar legends of crows and ravens as servants to the gods who helped develop their culture. In ancient Japan a crow served as a messenger and advisor to Japan’s first emperor. In ancient Russia, Greece and Australia there are legends of crows or ravens guiding humans to a specific task. It is not unusual to come across an ancient culture giving credit for their success to this so-called mysterious black bird flying around the Earth.

Maria had the last word on it,

I guess one has to wonder what the real purpose of the raven was.

Getting back to the purpose of the meeting and the reason the House of the Nazarene had financed and set up a secret lab in the village of Desuya in Northern India, Santo got back on track.

Well, you might be right when thinking a more pragmatic interpretation for a black bird circling the planet would be a satellite. Mostly because of a misinterpretation or proper understanding of the language, the names and legends of the black birds and their influence on human culture changed through history. According to Zak, the first and correct interpretation came from that mysterious alien culture who also interpreted them as black birds. Apparently other interpretations for the satellite eventually entered the legends as ‘black as night’ or more currently, a mysterious satellite orbiting the Earth as the Black Knight.

Although it was two years ago and during a busy and hectic time in the House of the Nazarene, it slowly came to Maria why she had approved a project to search for an ancient and elusive black satellite orbiting the planet. A contemporary clue was discovered in the secret notes of the genius, Nikola Tesla. While experimenting with the Earth’s magnetic field he claimed to have made contact with an orbiting satellite. What made it a far-fetched observation was that in the 1930’s there was no such thing in orbit, at least by current science. Nevertheless, his observation and contact corresponded with the legend of Odin’s ravens as well as the ongoing myth of the Black Knight.

Maria remembered that it was by the urging of Zak Zander and others that she accept a possible validity to the legend of a black bird orbiting the planet. After all, the Great Grays had satellites orbiting the planet even 6,000 years ago. It was the technology of the Great Grays that gave the House of the Nazarene their remote controlled miniature satellites no bigger than a soccer ball. After the destruction of the House, they still managed to control of a handful of them. So, at least to Maria, it was not an unbelievable story from Nikola Tesla that in the 1930’s he had located a satellite orbiting the planet. She currently had five miniature satellites orbiting, spying and observing every country’s military communication and banking transactions. She had assigned one of those satellites to Presha Bhat and her team of technicians to search for that mysterious satellite.

After being reminded of Presha Bhat’s mission, she looked down at what only appeared as a piece of flat glass on the table. There were no visible keys or commands on this computer and none were needed. She calmly said aloud,

Access and approve communication codes for Presha Bhat.

Almost instantly a holographic light beamed upward from the glass. When the ionized pixilation had focused and the transmission codes approved, an image of a faraway dimly lit computer room in northern India formed. Answering the approved transmission, sticking her head into the beam appeared a perfect 3-D image of Presha floating above the glass.

Presha’s smile showed a great reverence to the Head of the House of the Nazarene.

Professor Espinoza, it is a great honour to communicate with you. If I have interrupted your daily burden of leadership please forgive the intrusion. nosing

Accustomed to such overzealous fawning and admiration, Maria simply accepted it in kind. She projected an accepting smile and nodded her approval of the intrusion. She then said,

It is my understanding that you have managed some success in locating this elusive black satellite. What can you report?

Maria expected to see a look of proud accomplishment but she was instead subjected to lowered eyes and a sullen reply.

Well, in this case, success is subjective. Yes, we had managed to locate the satellite and even managed high definition pictures of it.

Again Maria projected an approving smile and nod. As if looking for something to her side, Presha’s face turned away from the projection and then quickly returned to focus. She said,

"I have just streamed the