Mesopotamia - The Redeemer by Yehuda Israely, Dor Raveh Page B

the depths of the Earth’s Indian Ocean. They passed beneath
the shadow of a giant manta ray, between crimson coral reefs and
over the mouths of dark caverns. Despite his anger about her
decision to break the taboo and allow a stranger into Samos, he did
not pass up the opportunity to watch her marvel at the beauty of
the ocean.
    “Who is the man?” asked Thales.
    “Good question. He himself does not
know.”
    “How is that possible?”
    “Amnesia. Janis says that
sometimes, people suffer from temporary memory loss during space
expeditions. It's likely that he is not used to space travel. There
are some people who become overpowered by the infinite abyss
surrounding them. What is that blue cove on the left?”
    “That is exactly where I wanted to
take you.” Thales veered the submarine to the left and down a dark
shaft, lit only by the submarine's headlights. “So, where do you
suppose he came from?”
    “He's not from Octavia—they would
have informed us. He doesn't look disheveled like the inhabitants
of Earth and he speaks Interstellar, so I figure he came from one
of the colonies.”
    Thales was silent for a moment to
marvel at a silvery flash of sardines that caressed the submarine
in a circulatory motion and continued forward. “I scanned the ship.
I did not find a single object, garment or instrument that would
enable us to identify him. Strange, no?”
    “What are you implying?” she
asked.
    “It's weird. He doesn't remember
who he is at all and there is not even one identifiable object on
his ship. And as if that were not enough, he was flying a stolen
vessel. Sophia,” Thales tried to formulate his words delicately,
“everything here points to the notion that he is highly suspect.
It's likely that he is a pirate out to steal our particle
processor, a Gnostic spy or someone else that I cannot identify.
But it is clear that his intentions are not pure.”
    “I believe that his amnesia is real
and so does Janis. Taking this into account, though, I agree with
you that the lack of identifiable objects is noteworthy, but could
also be attributed to less sinister reasons. Perhaps he was forced
to flee because of his identity and it's possible that Samos was
not even his intended destination.”
    “Sophia,” Thales made an effort to
respond quietly, “You know just as well as I that it is impossible
to get here by accident. We are not on any of the interplanetary
routes between the colonized planets; Samos' location is kept
completely and absolutely secret; and what's more, our station
continually emits jamming signals that keep us covered by
interfering with all types of detection technology in
existence.”
    Thales was right about the facts,
but she interpreted the situation differently. “His motives are not
sinister,” Sophia stated assertively. “The ways of the cosmos are
mysterious. We do not know why he was sent to us, with or without
his knowledge. For nothing happens without a reason and we must
therefore regard him as a messenger.”
    Thales hesitated and considered
whether he should express what was on his mind. A Pythagorean was
supposed to have faith in the cosmic order and see the positive
aspect in everything. He decided to say it. “As the chief scout
responsible for the station's security, I must say something.”
    “Speak!”
    “I have said it before. What if he
is only pretending to suffer from amnesia but is really a Gnostic
sent here to spy on our technological secrets, to learn about the
particle processor?”
    Sophia shot him an admonishing
look.
    “Even the infirmary found no
organic signs of amnesia,” he tried to argue.
    “Space amnesia leaves no
physiological symptoms like an injury would. The medical
examination revealed scars here and there but no ritual scars nor
any Gnostic tattoos or the like. I believe that he is not a Gnostic
and that he comes in peace.”
    “But what if he is an agent who is
not a Gnostic himself but was sent by the Gnostics?”
    “As chief