[Atrocities]

Part XI (Origins)

It was getting late and Senator Owen Cassady was growing tired and fatigue after hours of searching and reading through many manuscripts, historical documents, religious writings, and old text. He was the only person in the Great Library of the Senate Complex and therefore could work undestrubed for hours. He could, if he so chose to, even catch a few hours of sleep in one of the private reading rooms. Something he had done many times before while on overnight information hunts. But today he could not for he was expected by his wife to attend a Senatorial Dinner. So with a great sigh he streached out slowly and stood while closing the large old looking book that he was reading. He would leave the old book on the table for tomorrow as it was doubtful that any one would venture into the Library, let alone this section of the Library, this late and disturb it.

He was slipping on his jacket and happened to turn, the evening light coming in through one of the distant windows was just right and he cought the glimps of something on the bookshelf beside him. He could see it through the opening that the book he was reading had left between the books on the shelf. It appeared to be another book that was sitting sideways in the back. “This is Odd,” Owen thought to himself as that would obsure it from view so he reached up and removed a few more books to gain access to the misplaced book when he noticed something even more odd; the book felt and appeared to be very very old.

He had seldom, if ever, read a book from this bookshelf for it was the bookshelf that contained the works of Borgan Rice, a scribe of Malcolm Cox the twelfth High Priest of the Salideen Religious Order. Borgan was put to death by order of Malcolm Cox in the year twenty-one fifty-eight for publishing his views on the origins of the Pandoran people. He had spent most of his life here in the Great Library recording history and other important facts of the time.

This bookshelf, tucked away in a secluded section of the Great Library, contained hundreds of Borgans books, most were historical books of little to no importance and some were books of astronomy that in Borgans day were considered masterpieces. However, his writings on the origins of the Pandoran people were considered the work of a mad man at the time, and were Banned from reading. Of his many published writings only about a hundred or so manuscripts still remained. Most of them right here on this bookshelf. Of those, only one, a book titled ‘Discovery’, was of any importance to Owen this day. This bookshelf contained the original book Discovery by Borgan, the one Owen was reading at the table, and many copies that had been preserved here in the Great Library for some untold reason for a couple of thousand of years.

It was ironic that it was Borgans writings on the origin of Pandora that had brought Owen to this shelf today. He was determined to find any reference, no matter how obscure, regarding the possibility that life existed on other worlds.

Borgan had been put to death for his ideals, and his writing outlawed because he had dared to say that life on Pandora had come from the stars. Many of his writings, and those who had read and believed in them, had disappeared into the vials of history not to be heard from or seen since.

The fact that the Great Library still had most of his published writings was an amazing discovery for a young Senator doing research for his first Senate bill. A bill that would eventually help clear the way for the people of Pandora to launch satellites into space. Odd how that seemed so blasphemous at the time, launching something as simple as a satellite into space and how the people feared that by doing so would invite Gods wrath back down upon them. As a supporter of the space program at that time, Owen was tasked with finding any written language forbidding the Pandoran people from sending anything into orbit around Pandora. He had discovered nothing in any of the ancient text, thus clearing the path for those who wanted to put the satellites into space. He was a cautious man and had even consulted Borgans writings, mainly his book titled Discovery, as a precaution. Having found nothing, he pressed his bill forward with the cautioned warning that even though there was nothing written in the ancient texts prohibiting the launches, one could never truly know whether or not it would offend God.

Owen looked down at the very old book he was now holding in his hand and could not help but shiver as he realized what it was he had just discovered.

“How could something like this have survived this long?” He asked himself in whisper. “How could this book possibly be here?” He looked back up at the spot at which it had been. According to the official record, the Last person to read from Borgans book Discovery was himself some hundred and four years ago. Since that time, the book had remained on the shelf undisturbed for centuries.

That could only mean one thing, that the book that Owen was now holding could quite possibly be more than two thousand years old. Owen began to sweet as he realized that this section had been sealed for nearly twelve hundred years following Borgans death as a precaution to the spread of his blasphemy. That when the section was reopened just over a thousand years ago, only a few high ranking members of the Salideen Religion had ventured in and read his works. Those members later stated publicly that Borgans writings were the confused works of a sickened mind. That Borgans book Discovery, held no revelations regarding the origins of the Pandoran people. The book was then submitted for printing and was moderately distributed. Most people agreed that it was a flight of fancy and disregarded it as a true historical source of information. The printed Version was a light Version of the actual book and many chapters had not been published. Owen knew this and that was why he chose to read the original book and not one of the copies or printed Version that he had at home.

From that time, no one had officially been in this section, or read a book from this shelf until Owen just over a hundred years ago. As the shivers subsided Owen turned the book over in his hands and glanced down. The cover was in poor condition, but the words were still visible and legible, although covered in dust. Owen brushed the years of silt from its surface and raised it up to his mouth and blew as much of the dust away as he could. Once most of the dust was cleared from the cover of the book, the title began to reveal itself. The lettering was in the standard tongue of the time and was gold embroidered and slightly raised out from the surface of the cover.

All of the color drained from Owens face as he read the title. He looked up and stared blankly at the wall of books before him, many of them copies of the book Discovery, the book he had been reading just moments before. Owen stood there, mesmerized by the shier weight of his discovery. All of these book, he thought to himself, all of them, were nothing more than fakes. For in his hands, he held the proof of this lie.

How many years had he believed that all of these books were the true works of Borgan, how many years had others thought this to? Chance had delivered onto him the truth. It was rumored that the Priests had rewritten the original book as a precaution to the truth. Owen never believed this, but now, as he stood there in silence, he could not help but believe. The rumor stated that Borgans original book had a different name and as Owen looked back down at the book that he held in his hands, he read that simple title of Borgans original book out loud; “Origins.”