The Noah Come Ashore

My story of the Noah has taken a firm seat in the back row as I worked on other stories and ideas.  I think it's time for these aliens from a world covered in oceans to continue their quest to save humanity.

With everyone else on the base running around packing, Darryl made his way into the communications room to see if he could ask the Noah to translate the unusual signal his cousin had found.  The equipment was still active, but the Private that usually operated it was nowhere to be seen.  That was very unusual since messages may come in from the Noah or governments at any time.  Darryl didn't dwell on the situation much as he takes the seat before the console and enters the commands to transmit a signal to the Noah.  He included the signal his cousin had detected and requested any additional information the Noah may have on its nature.  In all honesty, Darryl figured it was simply a relay signal from the Noah themselves.

The captain of the Noah ship initiates the final DNA scans and collection procedures to save the various species of Earth.  Collection systems and biological storage tanks are readied for the humans to occupy them while in suspension.  There are enough tanks and space for every human being on Earth, assuming they can all be evacuated before the Drag'kon arrive.

The communications officer on the Noah ship received the new signal from Earth.  The first part of the signal was simple enough.  The attached audio file did cause some alarm.  The communications officer quickly alerted the ship's captain and began reviewing earlier scans of the solar system.  There she finds the Drag'kon scout ship's ion trail.  More to her dismay, she sees the Drag'kon attack fleet as they emerge from the asteroid belt in full attack formation.

Small, swift attack craft surround the rest of the fleet.  Their energy weapons primed to harass any defenses the fleet might encounter.  Any major damage would be dealt by the disruptor arrays and missile launchers of the larger ships.  The single Noah ship, even a battlecruiser, would be hard pressed to defend itself against such numbers.  Keeping the Earth safe while evacuating the planet would be nearly impossible.

There are still some elements of the story I wish to use.  It's just a matter of figuring out how to get them to fit in naturally.

The Source of Sorcery

Magic has been a part of fantasy stories for as long as humanity has been telling them.  From tales of mysticism during the Dark Ages to magic being wielded by superheroes in comic books and movies.  While the source of all the different magics varies, the common thread is that the user controls and shapes the energies to their will.  What if the source took a human form?  Would that person have a will of their own or would it be the will of the energy itself?  Would it be influenced by the wishes and desires of all the magic users?  How would that person be viewed by other people?

While I can't come up with all the answers today, I will do my best to answer that last question.  I have long thought about the conversation two wizards might have when confronted with a sorcerer that is literally the source of their power.

"Jack, you see that guy over there?"

"Which one?"

"The one leaning against the tree looking relaxed."

"Yeah, I see him.  Now that I look and really See him, there is something odd about him."

"Are you telling me you don't know who he is?"

"I feel like I should, but I don't."

"He's the One.  The true sorcerer.  The one living person that has been in The Chamber of The Ancients."

"No!  It can't be.  That is just an urban legend.  Nobody knows where that is.  That's where all the magical energy in the world comes from.  Legend tells us that the Life Crystal down there is what lets us cast the spells we do."

"Exactly.  The Ancients discovered it centuries ago and they were able to manipulate the massive wild energies found in that cavern into a crystal that could be controlled and manipulated.  Generations later those same Ancients sealed the cavern and crystal."

"Right.  It's said they saw magic being used too much and feared the energies would be drained for no reason.  From that day on magic vanished from the world, the battery removed before it could be drained.  I even heard there are giant statues of The Ancients down there, although nobody's ever seen them."

"Nobody but that guy over there.  I heard he was called to the desert and he fell asleep in the dirt.  When he awoke, he was in The Cavern.  The statues of the Ancients spoke to him.  They asked about the state of the world and the people in it.  Without any fear in his heart, he told them of the struggles and difficulties humanity faced.  The Crystal before him started to glow and he instantly knew what had to be done to bring magic back to the world.  The Crystal gave itself to him completely.  That's what I heard anyway."

"That can't be the same guy though.  He's too young.  He looks like he's barely older than my daughter.  The schools of magic were established a couple of decades ago, and magic had been reappearing in isolated spots long before that."

"If you didn't just wield power, but were the embodiment of power itself, do you think you would age much?"

"Probably not.  I still don't think that's him.  I See that he is in control of quite a bit of power, but I don't think he has that much."

"That's just it.  He doesn't have the power, he IS the power.  It doesn't flow through him, it comes directly from him in the form he wants it to be,"

"I still don't think so.  There is too much legend behind what he is supposed to have done for him to be just leaning against a tree in the middle of our town.  Now that I think about it, I don't remember a tree ever being right there before."

"Well, I guess we'll never know if it's him or not.  He's leaving.  Off to some grand adventure I'm sure.  Besides, you're right.  There wasn't a tree there before.  If you look, there isn't one there now either."

Comment below and let me know if you think magic entering our modern world would solve many of the problems we have, or make them worse.