*SONG* “Independence Day” by Carrie Underwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAGfKR8ea-o

The Thunders…The sound that filled the
Earth of the hooves of the Thunderbeasts…
A herd so vast it covered the land as
Far as the eye could see…
And amidst the Herd was the White Buffalo.
Snow white, a snowy Titan who
Thundered with his herd, and was never
Lost but stood out…One in a million,

Unlike all the rest…but they ran together
As one. Out of the Herd he stood, but
They saw him no different, no less
Important, no weaker than the rest…
By and by, when they ran, if truth be
Told, he was better than the rest…
Because he was different yet they were
All running equal as one…
One of nature’s first victory songs…
That ONE could be different and
Special yet at the same time be
Treated the same as any other…
And not be cast out, but instead
Make them all stronger because their
Eyes saw him the same as them…
The First Thunder would be this
Thunderbeast herd that ran wild
And free with ONE so special, yet they
Still ran together…
The White Buffalo…a leader would
Come this way, though a great noise
Would deny it…

The Earth doesn’t care what the Noise
Wants…The Earth wants its thunder
Back…And ONE day that great herd
Will roam again…so get ready for
That sound. Thunder and Lightning will
Deafen and blind the skies to the noise…
And snow shall fall so white as this
Buffalo to silence that noise ONE day…

Nothing can fight this, it was meant to be.

The pen turns the words over to
The Circle…The Circle round and
Shimmering.

“Write this down,” he says… “I apologize
For the commanding words…but duty calls.
Our time is measured you see…hands can
Only move so fast.” Varence explains with a
Nod. He’s standing tall and proud with a
Casual smirk; he doesn’t really want to be
Here. “Well, no not really…I really would
Prefer another piece of chocolate cake. I
Did enjoy that restaurant…but the
Noise was becoming…aggravating.”

“Whatever are you doing?” Ceres asked as
She strolled up beside him. “You are wasting
Time again. That is not the beginning we
Discussed you moron. Chocolate cake?
What is that, food or an anecdote?”

Varence nodded to the notebook. “She likes
Calling me names, do you see that?” He turned
To her. “It’s a dessert they have, Ceres.
One you might enjoy.”

She squinted at him and crossed her arms.
“He wrote about a beautiful White
Buffalo and you begin with some
Rambling about food? Do you know
How ridiculous you sound?”

“It was intended for someone specific.”
He told her sternly. “A man in black…
Whose assistant will pass the print out
Of this to his desk while he eats his
Lunch in his office…as he recalls ONE
Night…”

She eyed him viciously. “What was Brishan
Thinking to bring you back so soon? You
Could have just stayed there and kept
Eating.”

“I have good reason…” He said again
Firmly. “I have a special story to tell.”

“So tell the story then.” Ceres snapped.

“You were supposed to start more
Creatively than that…Chocolate cake?
Where did that come from, your
Stomach?”

He turned to me and smiled. “Do you see
The point she just made? My stomach?
Do you see?”

“Not that again!” She sighed and rolled her
Eyes up and around then back to him.
“Would you get over that please. They
Over-analyze. We discussed this already.
SO WHAT? Let them wander in aimless
Directions, that doesn’t matter. Will you just
Tell the story?”

He just stood there staring at her. He
Was obviously enjoying causing her
Aggravation in stretching it out. “No
Patience anymore, just tell me fast…no time
For learning or thinking…Just give me
The answer and get to the point.” He
Scowled at her.

“Oh I hate it when you’re trying to be
Reasonable.” She said turning away
From him to look at me, then the
Notebook. “Shall we weather his
Words or pray for a miracle to deliver
Us from this? What’s next, some
Scandalous space hopping giant aliens
In gray or green combing the universe
For intelligence? But alas, they have
Found Earth, a rare gem in an
Endless sea of worlds…because the
Minds here are so rampant with hormones
It entertains the masses that watch.”

He scowled, but was truthfully
Hiding a laughing look to his eyes. “Now
Ceres, it’s not that bad.”

She laughed once. “Oh how true…
Let me stand corrected.”

“Ceres…” Varence said, trying
To plead with her…

“What shall there be?” She said
Dramatically. “Oh let me see, yes they
Will sing songs of glee…of peace and
Harmony…and heal the world and
Then the universe with prayers of
Fantasy…and paint rainbows every-
Where as fantastic ships appear
From the stars to save them.” She
Scowled at him fiercely. “Your games
Are irritating…dazzle them with your
Words then…Why not promise them
Fantastic imagery with a hologram…
You’ve said it yourself…they hear
What they want to…believe what they
Want to…Truth has no meaning
Here. Now,” she pointed to me, to the
Notebook, “Stop playing games and tell
Him…NOW.”

He stood there pretending to be shocked,
Intimidated to play with her. “Now?
Now, you want ME to tell a story?”

“Tell him…or…” Ceres began as
Suddenly and quietly Brishan strolled
Into the light. He moved quietly and
Strong. The man was a muscled tower in
His light blue uniform; it almost looked
Like some super form-fitting costume. He held
This intense, concentrating expression as
He eyed them both, his long straight
Blond hair that fell to his waist moved
As he walked slowly…Then he grabbed
A chair and pulled it up beside me
And sat down. He smiled at me
Very friendly, a feeling of protectiveness
In his eyes. Then he eyed them both
Ferociously… “You were going to speak?”
Neither of them said anything, though Ceres
Smiled with her chin held high at
Her riddlesome associate. “Tell the story
As we discussed…Tell it…NOW.”

An awkward silence. Then Varence
Became more humble. His expression
Fell and eyes surrendered beneath
Brishan’s mighty glare; who could fight
That. At once there was no more
Wasting time.

Varence stepped closer, again his
Expression changed…hard to describe,
His eyes were glassy, hopeful…and
This strange far away look of wonder
And gentle thinking to his face…
His words began…

“There was a time…I have observed
Many things you see, how could I not?
For you history is but some
Characterized rendition of words in
Books…written by scholars, scholars
That have traditionally been wealthy
Or rather the children of wealthy
Comfortable living parents. No humble
Man ever recorded history until
Recently…For ages as time you know
It has been this way.
The poor had no voice…the unfortunate
Were pitiful tales of rich men
Endowed with time to philosophize…
Yes, they studied…but still every
Word they wrote was abstract,
Tainted by their own opinions…

“The poor that did tell tales, told them
As tradition always did…over
Meager evening meals and quiet
Campfires…The lost stories of the
Generations scholars never knew. That
Is why your world is filled with so
Much doubt…Much has been lost
Or conveniently left out because it
Did not suit one bully’s opinion…

“And the few poor men that did tell
History long ago…did so with religious
Conviction. Monks in monasteries…
Prophets in religious texts…Spiritual stories
Are always the first to be recorded
On any world you see…In countless
Forms…The wrath of God commands
It so!” He laughed dramatically,
Gesturing to the invisible above.

“Ask them to question editing…to
Reveal the secrets buried away in
Museums and church vaults…and
You will find contradictions that betray
Your entire history…You will rarely
Find truths in books today other
Than in an occasional poignant
Autobiography…

“But…the intuitive knows the
Truth when they hear it…when their
Spirit’s voice reads it to their mind.”
He held up his finger pointing like
It directed victory. “The truest songs
Are told by artists…in their paintings,
In their artwork…in their poems,
And epic tales…the music that moves
Them to create and express it. That is
A magnificent passion. It can not
Be contained. It can not lie. It’s
Pure and endless. And the Heavens
Reach out to speak to us this way.
THAT…is how WE learn…

“THAT is what we look for and who
We reach out to. Do you see? Do you
Understand? There are more clues to the
Universe in the Arts than you will ever
Know…

“One day your science will see this
And build the bridge between this
Chasm of the mind and the universe
And THAT is when your world will truly
Grow…It has always been this way…

“And that is what we are doing here…
Trying to help you build that bridge.

“Now…the story…
Yes, I have been an observer. But
On occasion I have…stepped in to visit
Here and there.” He paused to
Withdraw a reddish-orange crystal
From his pocket to show me. “This…
Is a travelling crystal. Sometimes
Called an Astral crystal. With it, we,
Even when bound by command not
To leave the ship…can use this crystal
To…travel, within distance…and
Walk where we like…how we like…
We can even alter our appearance
To a degree. And can appear in
Solid form…for a while.

“But this must be done so carefully
Precise…for any fault would be
A mess…I hope that is clear, because
I can not explain it further. And no,
If anyone asks, they can not have one.

“Are you writing this clearly?” He
Nodded. I barely had the chance to
Agree. “Alright…now…

“Eyes and ears out there pay attention…
Build this image in your mind…

“It was an age of struggle without
Fairness or reason…The rich were
Always getting richer…The poor were
Always working hard…Beauty was
An envied treasure, coveted and
Fought over…Gossip was a daily meal
Of survival and entertainment…And
The leaders sat in such high out
Of reach positions common people
Rarely saw them. It’s a good thing
The world has grown a lot since then.”
He grinned sarcastically.

“There was this land…A lush, beautiful
Continent full of hope and promise. It
Had been settled by colonists from an
Old world of rigid beliefs and a strict
Religious code…

“In one sense it was an ambitious
Freedom dash to colonize a simple
Untamed land. That is one perspective.
But for its natives…it was a hostile
Invasion by an aggressive strict
Religious people looking to expand
Their territory and own the world…

“There was no way too stop this from
Happening, one could only watch and
Hope…hope that somehow it all
Worked out over time.

“But instead the colonies grew and
The natives were pushed out of their
Lands…And 13 strong colonial states
Were eventually established…

“Now dates as you know them
Are different for us, we measure them
By progress, the numbers differ…But
For you it was a historical era…1776.

“Various scholars recorded this time…
But as I have said scholars record
Things their own way. Many details
Can be lost this way…Especially if
It was a time when men were
Chiefly in power…Poor men, women,
And those fortunate with a pen
Would be entirely overlooked for their
Insights, experiences…or opinions.

“But we won’t explore those personalities,
Enough names have been recorded.

“The point is…it was an age of great
Unrest…Here you have this brave new
Land growing fast with new settlers…
While the natives were being slowly
Pushed out. The sense of it all was
Rather ironic…The pursuit of freedom,
To claim a land that was already
Claimed…To break free of an
Oppressive ruler that was taxing
These settlers, these early colonist
Invaders from a distance without
Knowing much about them. They didn’t
Care, they only wanted to reap
The rewards of their labors…and
Ignore any strife that it cost. The
Monarchy that imposed this…
Colonial invasion was greedy…as most
Are…ignore their cries and work them
Hard, that is what dictators do…

“In a world where the wealthy
Whine for more, and call that
Justice…and the poor are overlooked…
What can anyone do? The rich and
Educated will note and record and
Proclaim their lives greater than
Any other…While the laborers
Keep working…There’s no time to
Fight for change when you must
Keep working…convenience does
Allow for so much complaining, so
It always gets heard.

“Not that I am trying to insist a
Point there…It’s just a trademark
Of time with ruling powers.

“So let me see…Yes, it was a time
Of great strife…There was this brave
Colonial land of 13 colonies…Full
Of men and their families struggling
To survive against harsh odds…

“To tame a wild land and make it
Suitable for farming…To raise crops
In all sorts of strained conditions
With meager means…The weather was
Unpredictable…The people were
Unnerved and disgruntled…They
Had to contend with managing their
Lives, their own survival…To provide
For their families, contend at the
Fringes with the natives who were
Growing increasingly difficult to
Handle…and yet produce enough
To harvest to live off, send back
To their own native homeland…and
To be taxed as well…

“To be taxed for struggling…what
A concept…That was the final
Act that broke the colonists…When
They had had enough…Now you must
Realize these colonies…These
Colonial territories, or states as you
Would call them were growing fast…
They were made of many people,
All with their own beliefs and
Traditions and backgrounds…with
New ones too that emerged in this
Dawning new world…They had
Many differences, and many
Similarities…but for ages they
Could not quite get along…Perhaps
Being forced to work so hard and
Struggle was too much for them,
They had no time to organize complaints
And no strength or nerve to do so.

“But as their numbers grew, class
Systems emerged…The first families
Became old families that became
Wealthy families…and within them
More of a backbone grew. Poor
Men evolved into a new upper
Class of their own. And to survive
In a new land they required new
Laws and new law givers. Magistrates
And scholars of a new world began
To form a new nation. And they
Wanted recognition for their hard
Work and labors. They were building
A new land…full of hopes and
Promises…and they did not want
To be taxed or told what to do.
And most importantly there was
One great ocean that stood between
Them and their ruling overseers…
A very comfortable distance, and
Often difficult journey between
Where they lived and where they
Took orders from…It often took
Months just to have simple
Communication, and by the time a
Response could be received it was
Often POINTLESS.

“So eventually it came to a point
Where the colonists…who more than
Colonists now, they were citizens of
A new world…could not take it any
Longer…So the wealthy noble
Families of this new land organized
Their own magistrates, law makers,
And scholars to come together to
Forge a union of their new
Community home…

“It was quite a sight to see really…
All these territories, who were in part
Rivals…come together in a union
To agree they were tired of being
Oppressed…Yet it was a new
Aristocracy that was emerging that
Was organizing this…Previously poor
Men that had become powerful
Were now speaking for the laborer?
Many voices were involved, everyone
Wanted to be heard…Yet still the
Wealthiest had the greatest voices. Now
With all that ego how could anything
Get done? It took some time…a lot
Of organizing…The ironic thing was
Again, it was a lot of rich people
Telling others what to do, what to say, what
To think, how to think…All
Crying for the voice of freedom…
It was ridiculous at times really…

“A bunch of new aristocrats crying
The song of the laborers…while they
Gave instruction on how to do this,
How to complain…how to fight…
They were organizing a mutiny
To become their very own monarchy.
Do you see the point here?

“Now while the cause was noble,
They cried freedom…In truth they
Were forming another new
Government of aristocrats…There
Were still poor men that had no
Voice…But many still fought for
The chance to be heard…

“Now fortunately there were some
Truly noble men of principle of
The colonies…So they organized this
Grand sort of town hall meeting
In a well known town where
All the colonial territorial aristocrats,
Forgive me…leaders…could meet
To decide how they would organize
This mutiny against their great
Sovereignty across the
Ocean…

“It was one of the greatest historical
Events ever…A group of colonies
Coming together to proclaim their
Independence…Defying their monarchy
To become a New Nation of their
Very own…

“Men came from far and wide for
This event…All the greatest families…
The greatest land owners, the biggest
Names…lawmen…scholars…men of
Infamy, respect…and fear…But to
This meeting hall also came many
Brave men of lesser accord…Farmers,
Masons, laborers of good name…They
May have been less wealthy but
They were not short of nerve as
They knew all the great names
Coming together as they helped to
Make them great by working for
Them…Yes, many men came
Together for the event of a lifetime,
An era…for History…

“The town and Meeting Hall was
Clustered, full of men and loud voices
All talking over one another, everyone
Insisting on being heard…While an
Assembly gathered to be their audience,
The lesser men who also wanted to
Be heard…

“There were a lot of ideas, lots of talking
And heated debate on how to conduct
This mutiny of Freedom…It went
On endlessly. It was a room of men
Who could not stop talking or listening
To themselves talk…Every rich man
Knows everything you see…And when
It comes to Freedom the scholars,
The aristocrats and famous
Names always have the biggest
Voices because they are experts on
Everything…While the lesser men
Sit by and do a lot of nodding
And shaking their heads…

“But the truly smart leaders, the
True geniuses in power
Know how to manage this…They
Listen to the lesser men…Probably
Because all the scholars, aristocrats
And famous names are too obnoxious
And can’t stop talking…

“So it came to this Great Hall
Meeting…that a mystery man…
A rather tall, good looking man
For the time stood out amongst
The crowd…He seemed to appear
Out of nowhere, dressed cleanly,
Simply but sharp…Nothing too
Exceptional to note other than
He was rather tall and good
Looking among the other men…”

“For Heaven’s sake,” Ceres interrupted,
“Do you ever spare yourself a
Moments praise!”

Varence continued… “As I was
Saying…This man appeared and
Caught their eye…He raised his
Hand and stood up…He immediately
Caught everyone’s attention, being
So handsome of course…

“And so he says, ‘Sir John,’ to
The noblest man in the room…
‘John…that is your name sir
I Believe?’

‘Yes,’ The noble man answered…

‘Forgive me,’ the mystery man
Said with great poise and this
Humble yet strong voice… ‘But
May I beg your pardon to interrupt
You fine Sir…For I am but a
Poor man…I own just a small piece
Of land far to the west…
Far away from any important
Eye…I beg only to be heard
A little…’

‘Go on good Sir,’ the noble John
Said…as the entire assembly in
The hall stared upon the man…
The aristocrats rolled their eyes,
The scholars listened, and the poor
Men and laborers were in awe
Of the stranger’s nerve.

‘But what you need,’ the mystery
Man said, ‘Is to put your voices
Down on paper…You have all such
Great wise things to say…You each
Have a voice…May I suggest
You come together to write it
Down on paper…by hand…A
Formal written document…A
Declaration of Independence if you
Will…recording each and every
One of your points...Of all our
Views and beliefs on these matters.
For if we are all to be treated
Equal, we are created equal and
Have the right to be heard…You
Should write it down…So as
Nothing is lost in what you say.’

‘His words have brilliant meaning.’
The noble John nodded with a
Cheerful roar of acceptance from
Everyone…

“And this is what they did…They
Of course became so immersed in
Their own opinions of this process
They forgot the mystery man
Entirely…Very typical. When there
Is so much noise they always
Forget the little things…

“My point? My meaning here?” Varence
Asked. “well I am sure you see it
Clearly…or at least you should…
But if not let me spell it out
For you…

“There is a lot of noise right now…
As there once was. Noise is meaningless.
The noise right now is meaningless.
No one is paying attention to the
Real problems…And I believe I
Just showed who and what you’re
Dealing with. Believe it, don’t believe
It…Either way, you never saw
It coming and won’t see what’s
Coming next. Play nice now, please.
This is not a political speech, that
Matter was settled months ago…”

Valiant