Wells looked despondent at that moment. I think he felt my own sadness. In many ways it was like we were joined somehow mentally, almost like one soul in two bodies if that were possible. It would explain how I knew where to find him that momentous day I destroyed our first Invader.
“Wells,” I think we need to change the way things have been done on our planet.”
“I agree wholeheartedly.” He responded immediately, his spirits lifting as we moved away from thoughts of our family. “This whole war between worlds is a bunch of nonsense that should never have happened. If we survive this war, we must construct a society, a government of common good such that we are never divided again as peoples, nor in thought, word or deed.”
“I wonder if that is possible.” I replied, having already come to that exact same conclusion. “Look what happened when our first settlers went to the Americas. They were wiped out to a child. Everyone. And why? Because their skin was red, and not white like the Indians who live there.”
“Or the African people with their brown skin and golden eyes.” Wells added. “Everyone fears them because of their color. It’s ridiculous. How can the color of a man’s skin determine whether they’re mean or nice!”
“But how do we go about changing that?” I asked. “We can’t legislate morality…the way that a person believes in his soul.”
“No. But we can start with the children. Let them be together. All faiths, all colors. Let them grow up together. That will change much that needs to be done.”
“But that’s unheard of!” I stuttered. “My father would have been totally against the idea of our going to school with white people. Everyone thinks they’re low class and mean-spirited. Violent and short-sighted. Look what the Atlanteans did to the third quarter of our continent. Blew it right off the map with their stupid weapons of mass destruction.”
“But that was a long time ago, Jules.” Wells protested.
“True. But wasn’t it just a few years ago. Before we knew of the Invaders that the Germans were attacking the Swiss, the Swiss the Czechs, and the Russians the Chinese, the Japanese the Australians and so on?”
Wells sighed. “You’ve made your point, sorry to say. But I still believe it is the young ones who will change everything.” Wells said, then brightened. “Couldn’t we use your string ship to go ahead in time to see if it works?”
I grinned. “Wells, that would create a paradox. If we knew the future, it would alter it. We must never leave our time ships in any time period or it would alter everything. We can’t even go back to use it to defeat the Invaders.”
