9 chapter preview of Star Chosen

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A nine-chapter preview of

Star Chosen

a science fiction novel written and published by

Joe Chiappetta

2209 Northgate Avenue

North Riverside, IL 60!6, "#A$0%&'69&2099

(rinted boo)s of the full&length novel can be ordered

through the #tar *hosen website su++er 200 at-

www.joechiappetta.blogspot.com

.eel free to voice your opinion about #tar *hosen at

the above website as well/

#tar *hosen c1 200 by oe *hiappetta

http://joechiappetta.blogspot.com/




Chapter 4: A Fiery Circle for the

Nullifier

In the su++er, a covert operation too) place that

brought staggering conse3uences on not 4ust the

citi5ens of *hicago, but also upon the entire )nown

universe/ A s+all, unassu+ing spacecraft landed inthe +iddle of a cornfield in Illinois/ nown for its

genetically&altered cara+el corn crops, downstate

Illinois was one of the sweetest regions on the

planet/ 7he young +ilitary father fro+ *hicago, plus

two other +ilitary officers, one fe+ale and another

+ale, ca+e out of the craft and stepped into the

sugary aro+a of fresh cara+el cornfields/ 7he

fe+ale officer carried a pyra+id&shaped device

about the si5e of a large pu+p)in/

8ou )now, the original idea for this device ca+e



to +e in +y sleep,8 said the wo+an/ 8It:s true/ In +y

first wee) as a cadet, when I was deployed at upiter

#tation, I fell asleep at +y post/ ;y co++anding

officer caught +e and wo)e +e up/ I told hi+ the

sa+e thing< :#o+e of +y best ideas co+e to +e

while I:+ sleeping/: =ut that didn:t see+ to i+press

hi+/ In fact, he +ade +e do laps around the space

station wearing gravity boots set on high/ 7hat:s

what they call heavy duty/ Anyway, where do you

want +e to put down the Nullifier>8

7he young father pulled out a gun, ad4usted the

settings, and fired it in a spiral pattern on the

ground/ 7his only a+plified the honey&li)e scent in

the air/ ?ense corn stal)s in that area incinerated to

for+ a fiery circle, leaving a s+all open area of

s+oldering dirt/ 8(ut the Nullifier right there,8

replied the shooter, pointing to the center/ Away



fro+ his fa+ily, he was a soft spo)en, yet blunt and

inti+idating sort of fellow- the )ind of +an that

anyone would want on their side in a fight/

7he three officers entered the circle and the

wo+an placed the pyra+id device on the ground at

the center of the circle/ A case of nerves suddenly

+ade it i+possible for the fe+ale officer to contain

her fears any longer/ 8Let +e go on the record here,8

she e@clai+ed in a louder&than&needed voice, 8and

state that even though I designed this device, I still

a+ not convinced that using it is the best course of

action/ I cannot stress enough how dangerous it can

be if this thing +alfunctions/ It:s so powerful that we

can:t even test it/ I had to use unstable particles to

+a)e the Nullifier wor), and naturally, these

particles brea) down 3uic)ly/ =ecause of this

instability, we now either have to use it or lose it/8



7he older and senior +ale officer responded

without hesitation, 8.irst of all, you )now that none

of this can ever be :on the record/: owever, your

reservations are noted/ ;y apologies to you in

advance if this ends up destroying the universe, and

us along with it/ =ut I have co+plete confidence in

your ability to deliver/ I always have/8

8=eside that,8 continued the tall +an, 8this is war/

7he ene+y doesn:t even thin) twice when they

launch their attac)s on us/ 7hey don:t doubt whether

or not they should launch their physical or +ental

weapons against us< they 4ust do it/ Now it:s our turn

to attac)/ Activate the Nullifier, darling, now/8

7he young wo+an opened an access panel in the

little pyra+id device, typed a few co++ands, and

said, 8Nullifier progra+ countdown begin- @ +inus

three, @ +inus two, @ +inus one, launch Nullifier/8



7he far+land:s dar) of night transfor+ed into a

s)y saturated with tiny spar)les that e+anated

outward fro+ the strange device/ If not for the

destructive nature of the Nullifier, the sweet

s+elling and spar)ling at+osphere would al+ost be

considered as attractive/

8ahB8 the senior officer e@clai+ed as he put his

hand on the wo+an:s shoulder/ 8I:+ so proud of you/

*ontact with the genetically&altered corn is

accelerating the e@panding force of the Nullifier

even faster than your co+puter +odels predicted/ At

this rate, the +o+entu+ will be unstoppable long

before the spar)les even reach the Indiana border/8

7he younger +ale as)ed, 8Are you sure we don:t

need to ta)e cover, or at least close our eyes> ;y

wife would never forgive +e if I ca+e ho+e dead/8

87a)ing cover won:t change anything,8 the wo+an



replied/ 8I told you that already in the final briefing/

7he Nullifier will either wor) e@actly as planned

with no casualties, or things could get ugly in a

+atter of +inutes/ If the Nullifier doesn:t wor),

well/// the released co+ponents will destabili5e and

+ultiply in a deadly, uncontrollable fashion/ 7he

universe will +ost li)ely dissolve 3uic)ly, li)e salt

in water/ A hel+et or a bun)er won:t protect anyone

fro+ universal destabili5ation/8

As the spar)les e@panded everywhere, and see+ed

to pass har+lessly through the officers, the young

+an said, 8I:+ closing +y eyes anyway, 4ust in case/

7ap +e when it:s over/8

Chapter 5: Wipeout Like Never Before

7har3uinn 7hane, an aspiring teenage scientist, sat



typing by the window of his +other:s high&rise

condo/ e was an average loo)ing youth of +ediu+

height with big, wavy hair, 8but not too wavy,8 his

+other would add/

7he wall ad4acent to the 7hane:s )itchen had a

nu+ber of 7har3uinn:s school science awards and

also a hologra+ displaying pro+otional i+ages

fro+ so+e of his +ost widely distributed theories

and hypotheses/ is 8Cirtual Reality without a

angover8 poster holographically faded into 8Db4ect

Dpacity 7echnology for Living Drganis+s,8 then

8;agnetic I+plants for Life,8 and so on, in a

continuous loop of self&pro+otional scientific wall

decoration/

7he condo unit, currently overloo)ing the *hicago

River, was set at 8shuffle/8 7his +ade the whole

living unit physically rotate, albeit slowly, upwards



and then downwards, along with a trail of other

condo units/ #uch buildings loo)ed so+ewhat li)e

s3uare .erris wheels/ .or those who could afford

this living lu@ury, it was pro+oted as a roo+ with an

ever&changing view, ideal for creative types, the

adventurous, and those with attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder/ *o+bined with ob4ect

opacity technology DD 7ech1, which 7har3uinn

always set at transparent for his outer walls, this

+ade for a spectacular living e@perience/

87har3uinn, dinner is al+ost ready,8 his +other

ane called to hi+ fro+ the hallway/ 8Are you

slouching again> 7hat:s bad for your bac), you

)now/ Anyway, this afternoon I +et so+e of those

:Advocate: fol)s/ I accidentally dropped +y '?

ca+era down a sewer, and while I was all in a

flutter, a fa+ily ca+e up to +e/ 7he +an, who was



rather tall, said, :I:+ #ha+us/ 7his is +y wife #arah

and our daughter Reyna/ ou go on and en4oy so+e

girl tal) while I go and fish out that gi5+o for you,

young lady/ I don:t believe in luc), but if I did, I

would tell you that you are very luc)y because I a+

a fisher+an of sorts/:8

ane suspected that her son wasn:t listening, so she

spo)e louder< 8*an you believe that, 7har3uinn>

7he fisher+an called +e :young lady/: Isn:t that

nice> #o, #ha+us pops open an old sewer grid and

4u+ps in/ e reaches around in the +uc), bare

hands +ind you, and finds +y ca+era/ Now all the

while his wife and daughter are tal)ing to +e about

so+e sort of boo) club or so+ething/ 7hey weren:t

even watching #ha+us splashing around in the

underbelly of *hicago/ 7heir focus was on +e/ 7hey

were trying to invite +e to attend their boo) club/



7he daughter, Reyna, was very cute/ I thin) you:d

li)e her- 4ust your type, with long brown hair and

thic) eyebrows/ Ne@t ter+, she:ll be enrolling in the

science acade+y/ ou +ay even have a class

together/8

As 7har3uinn:s +other poured her son so+e soy

+il), she continued tal)ing, 8Anyway, Reyna gave

+e an invitation to that boo) club/ It:s a handwritten

note on a leaf/ *an you believe it, a leaf> I )ind of

felt sorry for the+/ 7hey can:t even afford electronic

paper/ 7he girl does have nice handwriting, though/

(en+anship&&now that:s a lost art/8

8;oreover, the funny thing about this boo) club is

that, apparently, they only tal) about one boo)-

so+ething called the .%th.ile/ 7he wife even

bea+ed +e a copy over to +y wrist co+puter and

said that I had to read it and then study it with her



for so+e sort of life&changing e@perience/ 7hose

people were so nice, honey/ A little odd, but +aybe I

should read their boo) so+eti+e/ 7har3uinn, are

you even listening> Anyway, dinner is ready/8

8D)ay, ;o+, I:ll be right there,8 said 7har3uinn,

8but 4ust give +e one +ore +inute/ As soon as I

finish this closing sentence, +y latest hypothesis

will be totally finished/8

8ou didn:t even hear +y story,8 replied ane with

a whine, 8but I:ll cut you so+e slac) because it:s not

every day that +y son finishes his ne@t great

+asterpiece/ It:s about ti+e/ ou:ve been wor)ing on

that thing for, what, the whole year>8

ust as 7har3uinn finished saying 8not 3uite,8 an

une@pected wave of spar)les crac)led its way

through the entire building/ 7he air outdoors was

infiltrated with spar)les as well/ In every direction,



the world loo)ed to be suddenly decorated with

wireless holiday lights/ 7he spar)les lingered for a

few +o+ents and then +oved onward, e@panding

out with ever&increasing radius fro+ their hu+ble

beginnings at the fiery circle in central Illinois/

8Ehat was that> ?id you see that>8 whispered

ane/ 8It:s outside too/ Eait/ Ehy a+ I whispering>8

8=ecause this is frea)y,8 +u+bled 7har3uinn/ 8It

was/// everywhere, but now the sea of spar)les

see+s to have passed through us and left us behind,

li)e a giant wave of +igrating fireflies/8

8ey,8 ane added, 8your hologra+ stopped

wor)ing/ And where:s the hypothesis you were

finishing on screen>8

7har3uinn:s eyes glared at his co+puter +onitor

with e@tre+e concern/ e tapped away at his

)eyboard, but with undesirable results/ 8It:s gone>



NoB 7hat can:t be/ *o+puter, retrieve +ost recent

hypothesis file/ *o+puter, ac)nowledge/

*o+puter>8

7he co+puter gave no response at first, but then

+ade a +ost dreadful sound/ 7he generic factory

default start&up 4ingle played, followed by the

fa+iliar default introduction- 8ello, I:+ your new

co+puter/ Five +e a na+e, followed by a few

co++ands of your choice and let ;ycro;a), the

universal leader in software, do the rest because we

do data best/8

7har3uinn hadn:t na+ed his co+puter when he

first got it, and he certainly wasn:t about to na+e it

now/ *onsistent with the surveys, the +a4ority of

+ales tended not to na+e their co+puters, while

+ost wo+en tended to na+e their co+puters/

7har3uinn frantically typed away at the )eys to do



a +anual search on his unna+ed co+puter, this ti+e

loo)ing for any scientific files, ne@t for any

narrative files/ 8No/ 7his can:t be happening/ 7his

doesn:t happen any+oreB ;o+, everything I:ve ever

written since/// well, since I was a little )id, and

every boo) I:ve ever collected, they:re all goneB Dur

whole library, and +y life:s wor)/// it:s all gone/

*o+puter, open hypothesis file :Cirtual ;agnetic

#)ates/:8

8I:+ sorry,8 said the co+puter cal+ly, 8but that

file does not e@ist/ ou can create it if you:d li)e/

=ut as your new co+puter, don:t you want to give

+e a na+e first> ;ycro;a) co+puters are fully

custo+i5able for all your///8

8No/ NoB *o+puter, your na+e is 4ust

:*o+puterB:8 shouted 7har3uinn/ 8Now search

bac)ups and sub&bac)ups/ #earch re+ote locations



as well/ #earch other co+puters and the Internet/

?isplay all narrative files, boo) files, and any other

te@t files written by 7har3uinn 7hane/8

8No 7har3uinn 7hane narrative files, boo) files,

or any other te@t files are found,8 said the co+puter/

7har3uinn:s +ind was racing/ 8ow could this

be>8 he thought/ 8Ehy would anyone wipe out only

+y wor) and +y collection, and how is that even

possible>8

is +other responded, 8;aybe it wasn:t 4ust your

wor)/ ;aybe everybody:s wor) was wiped out by

those little spar)le things/8

7har3uinn followed up with another co++and-

8*o+puter, search for any narrative files written by

anyone, anywhere in any +edia, on any hardware/8

7he co+puter replied, after a few +o+ents of

bleeping- 8I:+ sorry- none found/8



7har3uinn slu+ped deeper in his chair during

dinner while ane pondered aloud, 8*an you have a

boo) club without any boo)s> I guess I won:t be

reading that .%th.ile after all/8 As ane said this,

she tossed the handwritten invitation to the

Advocates: boo) club toward the recycling bin/

owever, she +issed the bin and the leaf landed on

7har3uinn:s foot/

7har3uinn pic)ed up the invitation and said, 8I

thin) I:+ going to chec) out this boo) club, ;o+/ If

a whole group is devoted to one boo), +aybe they:ll

figure out a way to restore their lost data, and then

+ine/8

8=esides,8 thought 7har3uinn, 8in the co+pany of

a very cute girl who is 4ust +y type, what have I got

to lose>8



Chapter 6: Goodbye Silly addy

7he younger of the two +ale +ilitary officers fro+

the fiery circle arrived ho+e 4ust before sunrise/

Assu+ing that his wife and toddler&age daughter

were still sleeping, the officer sat 3uietly in the

)itchen, trying not to wa)e anyone/ #taring blan)ly

at the glass of grape 4uice he had 4ust poured

hi+self, the +an clenched one fist with restrained

anger, and clutched the glass tensely with his other

hand/

8Eelco+e ho+e, honey,8 said his wife as she

4oined hi+ in the )itchen/ 8Ehat:s wrong>8 she

added/ 8I:ve never seen you so upsetB8

?ragging a pin) stuffed ani+al in one hand, their

little daughter Angie also entered the roo+/ #he had

a super&cute baby face, with chubby chee)s that

were usually irresistible to her daddy/ e al+ost



always greeted her with a )iss and a s3uee5e on the

chee), saying 87hat:s +y sweet babyB8 owever, no

such greetings were given out on this occasion/

8I:ll be fine, Gdenisia/ ?on:t worry about it,8 the

husband replied to his wife, trying not to appear

upset/ 8I:+ surprised you:re both up at this hour/8

8Eith all the activity, we couldn:t help it,8 replied

Gdenisia/ 8ou should have seen this place earlier/

7he +ost bi5arre ar+y of little spar)les spread

throughout our entire ho+e, and apparently all over

the universeB Dn the news they:re saying it:s so+e

sort of deliberate attac) and that historical records,

literature, and +ost culture has been irrevocably

wiped out/ Ehat )ind of sic) people would do such

a thing> ow could they even live with

the+selves>8

At that, the +an:s grip on the glass tightened



uncontrollably, and the glass bro)e into hundreds of

tiny pieces, spraying the dar) 4uice all over the

roo+/ 7he cup was s+art&glass though/ #o the

frag+ents 3uic)ly began to draw bac) together and

reshape itself into its original cup for+/

7he 4uice, however, was another +atter/ It

splashed all over the stuffed ani+al, and sent their

daughter into a loud bout of over&tired crying/

8ou wrec)ed +y Hoo Hoo dollB8 Angie

e@clai+ed in dra+atic anguish/

Ehile pic)ing up Angie to console her, Gdenisia

ca+e to a stunning conclusion as she watched her

husband:s odd behavior/ In a flash of intuition, she

declared to hi+, 8ou had so+ething to do with the

attac), didn:t you>8

7he absence of a 3uic) reply fro+ her husband

confir+ed it for Gdenisia/ 8ou didB Ehat were you



thin)ing> I don:t thin) I even )now youB Ehat )ind

of +ad+an are you>8

#he didn:t wait for an answer/ Instead Gdenisia

handed the baby to her husband and said, 8old

your daughter while I find so+ething to clean up

this +ess/8

In an atte+pt to get his daughter to stop crying,

the +an said to his child, 8Eatch this< Hoo Hoo doll

)nows I:+ thirsty/8

7he +an proceeded to ta)e the soa)ed stuffed

ani+al and hold it above his head/ 7hen he s3uee5ed

it, opened his +outh and a strea+ of 4uice poured

into his +outh and all over his face/

"tterly surprised, Angie paused for a +o+ent and

started laughing/ 8#illy ?addyB8 said Angie as she

gave hi+ a big hug/ 8ou:re +y silly ?addy/8

7his high point of conversation ca+e to an abrupt



end after they put their toddler bac) to bed/ Gdenisia

de+anded answers fro+ her husband, 8I )now

you:re stressed out/ I )now you:ve been up all night,

and I )now the +ilitary e@pects you to )eep your

+outh shut, especially in war ti+e/ =ut honey, I

need to )now the truth, and I need it now< what

e@actly has you:re involve+ent been with these

destructive spar)les> And why would you want to

destroy all of society>8

8ou )now I can:t discuss +y wor),8 the +an

stated fir+ly, but with a heavy heart/ 8;y hands are

tied/8

8I was afraid you:d say that,8 replied his wife/

Gdenisia really did loo) afraid&&afraid of what she

felt she had to do/ Later that +orning, while her

husband was in the shower, Gdenisia pac)ed up

so+e bare essentials, too) Angie, and left/ is wife



and daughter:s face would fade fro+ the fa+ily

+an:s +e+ory as an endless flow of painful and

lonely years ca+e and went/ e wondered if he

would ever see the+ again/ is dear daughter:s last

words that day would never leave hi+< 8#illy

?addy/ ou:re +y silly ?addy/8

Chapter !: "he Wife Who Stole #er

#u$ba%d&$ Space$hip

?espite the fact that her own spacecraft was +ore

co+fortable and )id&friendly, Gdenisia too) off at

top speed in her husband:s personal spacecraft/ 7his

was very strategic/ Dver the years, her spouse andhis +ilitary buddies had +odified his ship off the

record for e@tra stealth/ 7he vehicle was co+pletely

untraceable/ It was this ship that Gdenisia and Angie



+ade their secret and sad e@it within/

8Ehere are we going, ;o++y>8 as)ed Angie as

the ship left Garth:s airspace/

8I don:t )now,8 replied her +other/ 8I:ll tell you

when we get there/8

8;o++y, where:s +y Hoo Hoo doll>8 as)ed

Angie/

Gdenisia loo)ed around 3uic)ly and then huffed in

reali5ation as she said, 8I forgot it, Angie/ I:+ sorry/8

In between bouts of crying, Angie whi+pered

repeatedly, 8I want +y Hoo Hoo doll/ Fo get it/8

8Ee can:t go bac)/ I:ll get you a new doll,8 said

her +other/ 8=ut we can never go bac)/8

Angie as)ed in confusion, 8Ehat about ?addy,

;o+> 7his is ?addy:s ship/ e never lets you drive

it/ Let:s get ?addy/8

8Ee can:t do that,8 replied Gdenisia/



8Ehy not, ;o++y>8 as)ed Angie as she stopped

crying/

87his is ;o++y:s ship now,8 replied Gdenisia,

so+ewhat distracted/ 8Now Angie, I really need you

to )eep 3uiet for a little while/ ;o++y needs to

figure out e@actly where we:re going, and to do that,

I can:t be tal)ing/8

.ro+ the blac)ness of space, Angie as)ed in

surprise, 8ou don:t )now where we:re going> Are

we lost>8

8If you )eep 3uiet,8 replied her +other, trying to

stay patient, 8then we won:t be lost/8

8D)ay, ;o++y,8 replied Angie/ 8Loo) at +e

now/ I:+ being 3uietB8 7hen Angie added, 8=ut if we

do get lost, I:+ sure ?addy will find us/8

8No he won:tB8 thought Gdenisia with silent

deter+ination/ 8As long as I can help it, that +an



will never find us again/8

Chapter ': La$t ay$ of the Faith War

7hose old enough to re+e+ber have a saying< 8the

.aith Ear started in secrecy, e@panded with a

spar)le, and ended with a bang/8 7his short but

unconventional war was nearing its ghastly end/ In

every +a4or city around the universe, all the

registered non&religious citi5ens received free

pac)ages in the +ail on the sa+e day/ About the si5e

of bowling balls, these unassu+ing pac)ages ca+e

with si+ple instructions///

8(ut the enclosed gas +as) on i++ediately/ 7his

is not a drill/ ?o not re+ove gas +as) until the all&

clear signal is given/ If you have received this

pac)age, then your city is on the target list/ 7hough



it is not advisable to re+ove your +as), if you do

re+ove your +as) in order to eat or drin) during

this period, watch for the co+ing of a red gas and

put on your +as) without delay/ =oing&Hoing

*orporation:s +as)&+anufacturing division shall not

be held responsible for any deaths or side effects

resulting fro+ +isuse of its products/8

It was within this chaos that two +en fro+ very

different religions stood atop the world fa+ous

7elepho+ic 7ower in *hicago/ 7hey had +anaged

to escape the gas attac) by retreating too high for the

ground&deployed poison vapors to reach the+/

owever, a +ilitary hovercraft spotted the+ and

swooped over to entrap the+/ Against their will,

these two +en were now bac)ed up to the edge of

the roof of the 7elepho+ic 7ower/

7he wind at this height was relentless, and it was a



long way down/ ?ue to an oppressive ca+paign

against all religions, the two +en were un)nowingly

the only re+aining religious leaders left alive in the

)nown universe/

#ha+us Radd, that sa+e +an who fished out the

'? ca+era fro+ the sewer before the spar)le attac),

was one of these +en/ e was a tall and respectable

loo)ing fellow with short hair, e@cept for the top of

his head, which had a long section of wavy loc)s in

the front/ 7he other +an was his religious rival,

=aala- short, s)inny, and serious loo)ing/ =efore this

+o+ent, the pair would agree with deep conviction

that they had nothing at all in co++on/ et with

their heels both at the edge of a building once the

tallest in the world, the two +en suddenly had too

+uch in co++on/

Eith waning confidence, #ha+us wished he had



stayed with the rest of his people, )nown at the ti+e

as the 8Advocates/8 ;inus #ha+us, the Advocates

were hiding out in the deep, secret tunnels of the

outlying forest preserve, far beyond *hicago city

li+its/ #ha+us: friend *huc) Heller had gone to

great lengths to construct those unregistered tunnels,

and right now, they see+ed to be the only thing

protecting his people fro+ e@tinction/

Eith so+e regret, #ha+us recalled what *huc)

Heller warned hi+ of the last ti+e they spo)e in the

forest/ ust before #ha+us left for *hicago, *huc)

cautioned, 8I built these tunnels so that our people

could live together in ti+es of trouble/ #urely, below

a s)y filled with hostile warships, this is one of

those ti+es/ All our other leaders have been )illed/

ou are the only one left/ Ehy give your life away

when you )now you can save it>8



8#alvation is fro+ the Advocate,8 replied #ha+us/

8ou )now that/ I believe that going out there to

represent the Advocate is his will/8

8I believe the first part of what you said,8 *huc)

stated, 8but that doesn:t +ean you have to wal) into

a trap/8

87i+es co+e,8 said #ha+us, 8when what a +an

believes to be right beco+es the +ost unpopular

course of action/ 7his too you )now/ Ehen you first

invested in building these tunnels, everyone thought

you were a fool/ Gven your new bride was against it

at the very beginning/ et loo) at all of us now,

surviving in what was once called :*huc) Heller:s

#illy *ellar/:8

8I )now/// and no one calls +e :#illy *ellar Heller:

any+ore/ 7hat very point is all the +ore reason to

trust +y instincts,8 replied *huc)/ 8I believe that if



you go into *hicago now, you will be attac)ed and

our world will radically change/8

8I believe the sa+e thing,8 said #ha+us, 8but I

have faith that great things will co+e fro+ +y

stepping out there/8

Chapter (: Chica)o Sho*do*%

7hat conversation between dear friends only

deepened #ha+us: desire to enter the windy city/

Inevitably, he was lured to downtown *hicago by

the false hope of a +ilitary&offered peace treaty/ 7he

+ilitary generals clai+ed that this treaty could end

the war for good/ In reality, it was a cunning tactic

to draw the re+aining religious leaders out into the

open, force the+ to renounce their god or gods, and

integrate with the rest of society/ It was either that or



death, as the religious leaders of the world,

including #ha+us, soon found out/

Dn the streets of *hicago, the electronic billboards

were synchroni5ed to announce, in unison, an

ulti+atu+/ Eith soft techno +usic pu+ping in the

bac)ground, the billboards declared, 8Attention,

people of faith, act now/ 7he cities of the world are

obligated to present you with two free choices-

Dption 1 ?eath by poison gas, or///

Dption 21 Renounce your religion i++ediately at

the nearest (ublic Dpinion ios), and you will

receive a co+pli+entary gas +as), courtesy of

=oing&Hoing *orporation, while supplies last/8

It was an eerie sight to see +ost people going

about their usual activities with gas +as)s on, while

an unwavering few wal)ed the streets in defiance,

breathing in the windy city air/ 7he registered non&



religious were shopping, sociali5ing, and doing their

4obs fro+ behind the filtered screen of a gas +as)/

7he sidewal)s beca+e deserted when the red gas

was finally released< but right up until that point,

people went about their business/ #ha+us and

=aala, who )new of each other, but had never +et,

had the sa+e idea when they heard the

announce+ent- get to high ground and pray for

deliverance/ Dnly one of the+ would achieve both

goals that day atop the 7elepho+ic 7ower/

7he +ilitary hovercraft that faced these two

cornered +en wasn:t 4ust any hovercraft/ It carried

so+e of the top leaders in the +ilitary- Feneral ?on

=esto, his beautiful young daughterinventor,

Lieutenant ?arla =esto, and their chief pilot, )nown

only as Archilli/

8#tay in the hovercraft, ?arla,8 Feneral =esto



ordered his bron5e&s)inned daughter/ 8"se facial

recognition to run off a list of )nown associates for

these +en, including recent converts/8 As ?arla

started pressing buttons, ?on =esto and Archilli

hopped down to the roof of the 7elepho+ic 7ower

and +enacingly approached their prey/ Archilli

cornered #ha+us, while ?on =esto cornered the

other religious leader, =aala/

?on =esto had to yell to be heard above the wind

at this height/ 8I:+ sure we gave both of your people

plenty of chances to renounce your various religious

practices and integrate with the general population/

et still you refuse/ ow has such defiance helped

you> Ehere is your god now>8

8ou will see,8 said =aala, 8and you will hear the

thunder of his wonderful voice/8

.ro+ his +any years trying to convert all sorts of



+isguided people to the truth, #ha+us recogni5ed

=aala:s cryptic state+ent/ It was a diabolical threatB

Chapter +,: ealt a eadly #a%d

.ro+ the +ilitary +en:s distance, it loo)ed li)e

=aala had his hands above his head, clasped

together in so+e fanatical prayer/ =ut to #ha+us,

who was a little nearer to =aala, one of =aala:s

hands loo)ed unusually stiff/ =aala suddenly yan)ed

on this stiff hand, proving it to be a phony/

?etaching it 3uic)ly, =aala threw it toward ?on

=esto/

8Fet downB8 yelled #ha+us as he instinctively

dove into Archilli, )noc)ing hi+ to the ground as

=aala:s fa)e hand e@ploded in +idair/

7he blast sent one of the tower:s two giant



antennae ripping down the side of the building and

then crashing to the ground below/ #ince the streets

beca+e +ostly deserted when the poison gas was

released, no one was around to have a large building

appendage fall on the+ fro+ on high/

Atop the 7elepho+ic 7ower was a different story/

Feneral ?on =esto was )illed instantly by the blast/

?arla leapt out of the hovercraft screa+ing and

shooting repeatedly at =aala until he lay +otionless/

#tanding over =aala:s s+oldering body, she then

turned her gun to #ha+us/ e was laying on the roof

ne@t to Archilli/ =oth +en were still stunned by the

e@plosion/

8And to thin) I:ve even read so+e of your

precious verses loo)ing for answers,8 ?arla =esto

said bitterly to #ha+us fro+ the barrel of her laser

pistol/ Li)e her father, ?arla taunted, 8Ehere are all



your answers now>8

#ha+us didn:t +a)e a +ove, but cautioned ?arla

in his southern accent, 8oung wo+an, +ove away

fro+ that fanatic:s bodyB Eith his )ind, usually

where there:s one bo+b, there:s always a bac)&up

bo+b too/8

#ha+us only )new this because he and *huc)

Heller had recently helped to convert so+eone fro+

=aala:s fanatical group over to the way of the

Advocate/ 7he new convert had confessed this bac)&

up bo+b practice as #ha+us went through the

Advocate study series 8(ri+o (rinciples8 with hi+/

7he Advocates were big on confession/

As ?arla was three steps into heeding #ha+us:

warning, sure enough, another concealed bo+b went

off fro+ =aala:s body/ 7he blast brought ?arla to

her )nees, but not to pray/ It crippled her for life and



left #ha+us and Archilli unconscious/

Chapter ++: "he -iddle

#ha+us regained consciousness first and stu+bled

over to ?arla/ e did his best to put what was left of

her legs in tourni3uets/ #cra+bling over to the

+ilitary hovercraft, #ha+us considered +a)ing his

escape with the hope of not being shot down by

other +ilitary vehicles/ 7hen he closed his eyes and

stood still for a +o+ent/ 8Re+e+ber your training,8

#ha+us said to hi+self, 8you are the light of the

world/8 .inding a sedative in the hovercraft:s glove

bo@, he rushed bac) to give it to ?arla, who was half

conscious/ As #ha+us was about to in4ect the pain

)iller, he heard a faint voice/

8Eait,8 said ?arla/ 8ust give +e half a dose for



now/ I have so+ething to show you/8

#ha+us did so, and then ?arla, despite great pain,

pulled out a long, sharp instru+ent fro+ inside her

4ac)et/ At first #ha+us winced, thin)ing the sharp

instru+ent was so+e sort of weapon/ =ut it was 4ust

an old souvenir writing pen/ ?arla continued,

8I+pressive/// your actions were i+pressive today/

Read this/ ?o you recogni5e it>8 7o #ha+us:

a+a5e+ent, ?arla:s sha)ing hands showed hi+ what

could only be one of the lost scriptures of the

Advocate, rewritten in the for+ of a riddle on the

side of a plastic souvenir pen/

#ha+us began reading out loud< 8Ehose eyes are

a fla+e of fire, and on his head are +any crowns>

Eho has na+es written and a na+e written which

no one )nows but he hi+self>8 #ha+us read the rest

of it to hi+self 3uic)ly and silently, li)e a starving



+an being finally fed/ Reading out loud too) too

+uch ti+e/ e consu+ed the words in his +ind with

great 4oy and a+a5e+ent/ 7hen #ha+us as)ed ?arla

in eagerness, 8Are you giving this to +e>8

8No, not yet,8 groaned ?arla, 8but ta)e the ti+e

right now to +e+ori5e what:s written on the side of

the pen/ ;y sources have reason to believe the

riddle is adapted fro+ a verse describing your god/8

?arla was interrupted by the wind blowing her

long, straight hair into her face/ (reviously, her

blac) hair was neatly tied bac), but the two

e@plosions had loosened it/ =eing too wea) to

re+ove the hair fro+ her own eyes and +outh,

#ha+us gently pulled her hair out of her face, as a

father +ight care for a daughter/

"p close, #ha+us noted that ?arla appeared to be

4ust a little older than his own daughter, Reyna/



owever, the two young wo+en loo)ed nothing

ali)e/ #ha+us: daughter Reyna had light s)in and an

oval&shaped face< whereas ?arla had dar) s)in and a

s3uare 4awline, al+ost sculpted&loo)ing/ ;oreover,

Reyna:s yellow&green eyes were 3uite different fro+

?arla:s eyes/ ?arla:s were 8rainbowed,8 an

e@pensive procedure that +ost people could not

afford/ Gvery few breaths, her eyes would shift fro+

one color of the rainbow to another/ #ha+us noted

that ?arla:s eyes had 4ust shifted fro+ orange to red/

;eanwhile, ?arla noted the irony of the situation<

the +ilitary, herself included, ca+e to this rooftop

fully prepared to end #ha+us: life/ et this +an

#ha+us had shown the +ilitary nothing but

)indness and +ercy/

?arla continued with an uneasy gasp/ 8Now listen

carefully/ I will allow you to tell only one other



person about this riddle/ ;a)e the+ +e+ori5e it as

well, but do not tell the+ that I told you the riddle/

Never publici5e this to anyone else/ Let this be a test

of trust between +e and you, and between you and

your people/ It is no stretch to see that you yourself

have honor/ =ut as for the rest of your people, only

this test will show +e/ If this riddle gets publici5ed,

I will )now that your people cannot be trusted/

87hat:s not a proble+,8 replied #ha+us/ 8I )now

e@actly who to tell&&*huc) Heller/ e:s a co++itted

and trustworthy +e+ber of our group/8

8Actually, that:s not what I:+ loo)ing for&&too

easy,8 said ?arla/ 8I a+ thin)ing that this should be

a very recent convert/ #o+eone untested/ If that

person you tell forgets the riddle, then it will be a

sign to +e that your religion cannot be trusted to

build faithful and reliable +e+bers/8



#ha+us as)ed, 87hen how will you )now which

one person I will tell the riddle to>8

8I will select hi+ for you,8 said ?arla/ 8Dur

database has 4ust co+piled a list of your +ost recent

converts/ ere is the list/ Read +e the last na+e on

the list/8

#ha+us read the na+e aloud and added, 8Dh,

you:d li)e this one/ I )now hi+ personally/8

8Cery well,8 said ?arla faintly/ 8Ehen the ti+e

co+es, he shall be tested/8

8Ehy is this so i+portant to you>8 as)ed #ha+us/

As ?arla briefly closed her eyes and 4er)ed

unco+fortably on the cold rooftop, she answered,

8;y father co++itted his life, and now his death, to

eradicating people of faith/ ;any of the+ clai+

things that are nothing +ore than lies, foolish

traditions, and +anipulation techni3ues/ et there



are ti+es when a few of you actually +a)e sense to

+e, if only for a +o+ent/ Now +y father is gone,

and so I +ust )now< has his life and +ine been in

vain>8

#ha+us gave ?arla the rest of the sedative, and

4ust before she do5ed off, #ha+us spo)e/ 8our life

can +atter/ It can +atter for eternity/ =ut if you don:t

+ind +y saying so, young wo+an, you have to

follow the Advocate/ As long as you:re still in the

land of the living, there:s ti+e to change, but don:t

ta)e too long/ No one )nows the hour in which the

Advocate will return to 4udge the world, so you +ust

be ready/8 #ha+us then started to wal) bac) over to

chec) on Archilli/ =ut Archilli had been awa)e and

crept over to listen to their entire conversation/

Gven though he was startled, #ha+us loo)ed into

Archilli:s green eyes and said, 8Fod has spared your



life too/8

Archilli ignored the state+ent and grabbed an

ite+ fro+ his belt/ ?espite being a short +an,

Archilli was well built, co+pact, and strong loo)ing,

li)e an Italian lifeguard/ #ha+us too) a few steps

bac) in fear before he reali5ed what Archilli had in

his hand&&a radio/ 8Lieutenant is down/ ;edical

assistance needed i++ediately at 7elepho+ic 7ower

rooftop,8 said Archilli/ 7hen he turned to #ha+us

and said, 8.or a religious guy, you:re pretty brave/8

8It:s not +e who gets the credit for bravery,8

e@plained #ha+us/ 8It:s the Advocate/ =y his power

all things are possible/ And we:re not an e@clusive

group/ ou too can be part of Fod:s chosen people/8

8*hosen>8 +oc)ed Archilli as he chec)ed the vital

signs of ?arla, still unconscious/ 8Ehat are you,

so+ething special>8



8Not by +y own efforts,8 said #ha+us, 8but I

have been chosen, and I e@tend the invitation to

you/8

As they braced the+selves against the high winds

that swooped down to blow the red gas away fro+

the lower city and out into La)e ;ichigan, #ha+us

continued, 8;y na+e is #ha+us/ (erhaps the

Advocate has great things planned for you/ Is it too

+uch to as) that you spare what:s left of +y people>

our intelligence reports can confir+ that +y people

have not ta)en any +ilitary actions against anyone

in the entire history of this war/ 7his is +y one

re3uest- peace for +y people, the Advocates/8

8our people>8 as)ed Archilli, surprised by

#ha+us: attitude/ 8Aren:t you worried about your

own life first> Ee didn:t co+e up here to have a tea

party/8



#ha+us replied, 8No/ ou ca+e up here thin)ing

two people were going to die, and what do you

)now> 7wo people did die/ It:s not e@actly the two

that were intended, but surely fro+ this height you

have learned so+ething about the people who

follow the Advocate/8

8I don:t understand youB8 said Archilli in a +ost

pu55led tone/ 87he fanatic with his threats and his

fa)e hand and the bo+b/// hi+ I understand/ =ut

you/// why did you help us>8

#ha+us answered with a 3uestion of his own,

8Ehat do you )now about trees>8 Archilli gave

#ha+us an i+patient loo), so #ha+us added, 8=ear

with +e/ 7his will answer your 3uestion/8

8I )now which trees are good for +a)ing

weapons,8 said Archilli with a huff, 8and which trees

you can get food out of/ Gvery good soldier )nows



that/8

8AhaB #o you would agree that the tree is )nown

by its fruit,8 replied #ha+us/ 8;a)e the tree good,

and its fruit will be good/ ;a)e a tree bad, and its

fruit will be bad/ ;oreover, the sa+e can be said

about people/ 7a)e the fanatic/// the fruit of his life///

what was it> ?estruction/ And we are surrounded by

the bad fruit of those dreadful actions even now/

7hen there:s +e/ I:+ not saying that I:+ perfect, but

the fruit of +y life, at least since I have been

following the Advocate, is about helping people, and

you )now that firsthand/ 7here is no denying it/ ou

are alive right now because of the fruit of +y life/

7hen there:s you/ Ehat )ind of a tree are you> Ehat

is the fruit of your life>8

Archilli didn:t answer, but he too) a deep breath/

*learly, he was listening/



Chapter +.: "he All/Clear

Archilli reached for his belt once again/ e switched

his radio to the universal channel and said,

8Attention all units, this is Archilli with Feneral

?on =esto/ "nder general:s orders, effective

i++ediately, the war is over/ I repeat/ 7he war is

over/ Cictory is ours/ #ound the all&clear/ 7reaty is in

place only with group for+erly )nown as the

Advocates, now called the :*hosen/: I repeat/ #afe

passage and reintegration shall be granted to all

*hosen people who follow the Advocate, by

general:s orders/ Archilli, out/8

#ha+us than)ed the Advocate in a silent prayer

and then turned to Archilli as the +edical hovercraft

too) ?arla away/ 87han) you, sir,8 said #ha+us/



8Dn behalf of Advocates everywhere, we are very

grateful/ =ut I should clarify< our na+e is the

:Advocates,: not the :*hosen/:8

8Loo), pal,8 said Archilli, 8I 4ust did you a favor/

ou said you were :chosen,: so live by it/ I changed

your na+e for your benefit/8

8ow is that>8 as)ed #ha+us/

Archilli answered, 8our people will have a better

chance of surviving the post&war reconstruction

period if you change your na+e/ ?on:t worry/ I:+

not saying to change your values/ =ut I:ll tell you

this, since +y order went out, no one will be loo)ing

to )ill the *hosen/ 7hey:re not on any hit lists or

blac) operations since I 4ust now ca+e up with that

na+e/8

8Eell, how can I argue with that>8 #ha+us

replied/ 8I can:t thin) of any doctrinal reason that



would restrict us fro+ being called :the *hosen,: so,

o)ay/ It actually wouldn:t be the first ti+e that we:ve

been rena+ed by nonbelievers/ 7herefore, I:ll get the

word out that we have a new na+e/ =ut I +ust ad+it

that I:+ a little confused by so+ething else you said

on the radio/ Ehen did your general give you that

order of treaty with us>8

Archilli replied, 8;y general didn:t, but I i+agine

that yours did/8

8=ut, good soldier,8 said #ha+us, 8I have no idea

what you:re tal)ing aboutB8

8?on:t call +e :good soldier,:8 replied the +ilitary

+an/ 8;y na+e is Archilli/8

8Nice to +eet you,8 said #ha+us with a curious

s+ile/ 8I a+ #ha+us Radd/ Now then, as I was

getting at earlier, we are not a warring people/ Ee

have no generals a+ong us to give such an order/8



8(erhaps not,8 replied Archilli/ 8=ut I:+ tal)ing

about the guy that you:re always tal)ing about/8

#ha+us declared, 8;y goodnessB ou +ust +ean

the Advocate hi+self/ After such a short ti+e,

Archilli, have you now co+e to believe>8

Archilli answered, 8Listen, #ha+us, you see+ li)e

a nice guy, so I:+ going to pretend that you:re not

trying to convert +e right now/8

#ha+us fearlessly replied, 8?on:t pretend/ ou

need to follow the Advocate/ #urely you )now that

belief is not enough to be///8

Archilli interrupted, 8Juit while you:re ahead,

understand> And as for +y beliefs, I don:t )now

enough to believe +uch of anything right now,

#ha+us/ Fuys li)e +e, we:ve seen too +uch and

done too +uch/8

#ha+us closed his eyes for a +o+ent to gather his



thoughts, and then turned to respond to Archilli, but

it was too late/ Archilli had silently +ade his way to

his vehicle and was ta)ing off to follow ?arla in the

+edical hovercraft/ As Archilli rode away, he +ight

be surprised to )now that this was the first ti+e a

person of faith prayed specifically for his own well&

being/ It wouldn:t be the last either/ ;oreover, it

would not be without effect/

ust then the all&clear signal was given/ In an

instant, the .aith Ear, which had uprooted the entire

hu+an race, was finally over/ 7he Advocates ca+e

out of hiding to find the+selves with a new na+e,

and in a new world where no other religions were

left/ It was 4ust the+, and the non&believers/



***END O S!A" C#OSEN E$CE"%!***

7he full $ chapter version of #tar *hosen goes on

sale as a paperbac) novel and in e=oo) for+ats

su++er 200 at http-4oechiappetta/blogspot/co+



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