The Days of Peleg Read Online Free Page A

now call the Great Awakening! Believe me. We have done the calculations, and I assure you this is the case!”
    He finished with exuberance and aplomb, smiling warmly and raising his arms. The applause was immediate and decisive. The High Minister certainly had all the answers. Peleg wondered if “We” meant the High Minister and his Academicians, or if “We” referred solely to himself and his office.
    Mentor Salah’s hand went up again, quieting the clapping; and without waiting for the mediator, he spoke.
    “Excuse me, your Honor, but I was there .”
    Embarrassed silence gripped the auditorium. History was generally an avoided subject that was only discussed in the most clinical, scientific environment. Well-mannered people didn’t sit around discussing what happened in years past. It was much more socially acceptable—and expedient—to discuss and plan for the future. But worse than that, discussing one’s personal history—and where one used to live—was just plain vulgar and was the height of ego and self-aggrandizement.
    Reu-Nathor’s eyes snapped towards Salah. There was nothing paternalistic about his countenance now. Without the slightest pause he said, “Then you are a victim of a backward education and received your instruction in a tongue which Nature saw fit to eradicate.”
    His normally white face reddened with outrage, clashing with his thin, sandy hair. His angry gaze stayed fast on Salah.
    “Our research proves conclusively that all events in society, history, and pre-history occurred without the need or benefit of your ‘Other Worldly’ intervention!”
    This last was projected toward Salah with pure venom. It attacked the core of his Cosmic Plurality , and was meant to portray him as living in the pseudo-scientific fringe. The crowd winced. No one ever spoke like that to a Mentor. But there was also a sense of relief since they had all known it was deserved—especially in light of his tasteless outburst.
    “That was just plain gross ,” the lady said to her friend, referring to the Mentor’s rude personal history remark which obviously reflected his lack of modern social values.
    “Serves him right,” the man responded. “I don’t care if he was a Mentor.”
    The awkward pause continued over the audience, but Reu-Nathor raised his arms, embracing the entire assembly with a sudden warm smile.
    “Friends. We are not here to divide or make enemies. We are here to celebrate new discoveries, delight in new answers, and look forward with anticipation to tomorrow’s visions, taking advantage of the latest findings to make preparations for future investigations and research. The world is ours! To that end, I now present a proposal. A project of global proportions which is now possible and takes advantage of the diversity and opportunities afforded us by the Great Awakening.”
    The hall filled with murmurs of expectancy and excitement. The High Minister was about to announce a mission! Peleg glanced over at the young lady and was startled to see her eyes gleaming as they focused on Reu-Nathor. He turned to study her face more closely and realized that the gleam was not one of admiration or respect, but one of impassioned, almost feverish adoration. The kind of adoration that one imagined the ancients reserved for their mythical demigods. Or perhaps one witnessed in the theater; or when a young fanatic is willing to die for the cause of his military leader. Not the most scientific of emotions . He turned away and waited for more from the object of the lady’s devotion.
    “I propose that we explore our new world to its fullest. I wish to dispatch four vessels, fully equipped for trans-oceanic travel. Their mission will be to map the continents, catalog and investigate new colonies, and document the activities, achievements, and new technologies of our brothers and sisters who have left to build lives and civilizations based only on the dictates of their new enlightenment.”
    He paused