10
Embracing His Destiny
Two weeks went by before Peter got confirmation of his permanent assignment. He was to report the next morning to Robert Garcia's office in the Hall of the Interpreters. As Garcia had promised, he was to be an intern on his staff. Later that week his quarters would change as well to Garcia's home. It was all so unreal—particularly after his visit with Threebeard and being told he was supposedly some sort of Liberator.
Much to his delight Luci had stayed with him the entire time. They were very happy and getting closer each day. He dreaded the thought of having to leave her soon. It was his intention to ask Robert Garcia if Luci could come to stay with him at his home. His daughter Lorin had said they had plenty of room. He feared he was pushing his luck, but he didn't figure it could hurt to ask. Unfortunately, the issue became moot.
Rhin had been at his side every minute since she'd followed him out of Shisk's mutant sector, except for an occasional absence when Peter suspected she was hunting for food. At meals he’d always offer her some of his scraps, of course. Sometimes she’d snatch the offered snack and other times she’d sniff it and then walk away. Her health seemed good and, in fact, her pale salmon coat seemed to brighten each day. Peter certainly enjoyed the company and prayed it wouldn't be a problem having Rhin when he went to live with Councillor Garcia.
Luci had gone for a doctor's appointment that morning and when she returned she informed Peter she had good news. "I'm pregnant!" she said. "Isn't that fabulous?"
It was a good thing Peter was sitting down when she gave him the news. The thought of her getting pregnant hadn’t crossed his mind. He assumed in this advanced society that they would have some kind of birth control. Then it dawned on him—it was probably illegal to use birth control.
"Wow! You're pregnant," he repeated, trying to show some enthusiasm.
"Yes, I'm so happy. I've wanted a child for so long and now you've given me one. Thank you, Peter," she said as she bent down to kiss him.
"This is great, but what about my new assignment? I won't be able to see you or the baby."
She smiled, "You're so sweet. Don't worry, you can come visit us when you come back."
Peter frowned. "That's not exactly the kind of relationship I want to have with my child and the woman I love."
Luci gave him a sympathetic smile and replied, "Peter, you knew I was only going to be with you a short time. I have to go back to my mate."
Her words hit Peter like a brick. "Your mate? You mean you're married?"
"No. We don't have marriage on Tarizon. I was assigned a mate and I must return to him. We'll raise the child you've given us."
"What do you mean assigned? Was your marriage arranged?"
"In a way, but not by my family. All the people of Tarizon are mated by Central Authority. At age fourteen all men and women go through extensive testing and the results are inputted into a mating data bank. The data is then analyzed and categorized so that people can be matched for both physical, genetic, and emotional compatibility. It has worked very well. My mate and I are quite content with each other. We like the same sports and entertainment, we have similar backgrounds, so it's all very comfortable. "
"What about love?"
"Love? That's the instinctive feeling a parent has for a child. It's not necessary for the purpose of mating. Central Authority frowns on love between mates. It's illogical, unhealthy, and often causes conflict—even crime sometimes."
Peter sensed Luci was giving him a rehearsed speech. He thought it was sickening and was sure it had been programmed into her mind by one of those accelerated learning programs provided by Central Authority. He shook his head in dismay.
"So, your mate couldn't get you pregnant so you shacked up with me? Is that it?"
"I didn't think you'd mind. You seemed to enjoy my company and the sex."
"Why didn't you just go to the sperm bank? Your mate couldn't have been happy about you spending time with me."
"He was glad I found someone who could make me pregnant,” she lied. “He felt badly that he couldn't do it himself. It's very expensive to go to the sperm bank since there are so few good donors on Tarizon. The waiting list is quite long too. Only the very wealthy or politically connected are able to get prime sperm."
"So, you have no feelings for me? When I leave tomorrow, you'll forget all about me?"
"No," Luci said. "I do care about you. Our time together has been . . . dreamlike, but there is nothing I can do. I'm forbidden to leave my mate."
"Forbidden? You mean there's no divorce or separation on Tarizon?"
She nodded. "No, once you're mated, you are required to live with your mate until you die."
Luci's explanation of family law on Tarizon shocked and angered him. How could a society exist without love? It totally blew his mind and he dreaded the idea that one day he would be mated with a stranger as well. He wondered if Earth was headed in this same direction with the divorce rate skyrocketing and family values falling into the dumpster. He thought of the ever-strengthening United Nations and shrinkage of the world through technology. Is this where Earth was headed—a central all-knowing, all-powerful, tyrannical government? He shuddered to think of it.
Their little spat that night made leaving Luci a little easier. He gave her a kiss and a polite hug and then he was off with Rhin to the Hall of the Interpreters. When they got off the subtram he was met by a tall black man in a white uniform. It had a blue and green insignia on it which Peter had never seen before, but assumed had something to do with the Council of Interpreters. The man introduced himself as Brille Rama. The man reached for his weapon when he saw the rhutz behind Peter. Peter screamed, "No! She's with me. Don't hurt her."
The man frowned and said, "You can't bring a rhutz into the Hall of Interpreters!"
"She's tame. She won't hurt anybody."
Peter didn't know that for sure, but he felt like he could control Rhin. Since the first day they'd hooked up she had obeyed his every command, although Peter wasn't sure how she even understood him. She just seemed to know what Peter wanted her to do and would do it immediately.
Rhin sat and looked up at the man with her tongue hanging out and her tail wagging furiously. A grin came over the man's face and he said, "I'll have to check with the Councillor. It will be his decision."
Peter nodded and Brille led them down several blocks until they were in front of what looked like a thousand stairs leading up to an enormous round marble building with a huge statute in front of it. Luci had brought him there before, so he knew this was the Hall of the Interpreters and that the statue was that of Sandee Brahn.
Peter was about to start climbing the stairs when Brille pointed to a sunken staircase and began walking toward it. At the bottom of the stairs was an elevator door. Brille stuck his thumb on the control panel next to the door and it opened. They went inside and within seconds were exiting into a long corridor that led to a large rotunda full of people milling around, apparently waiting for something or somebody. Peter asked Brille what was going on and he told him interested parties were gathering to listen to oral arguments for the council's morning session. He said they needed to hurry because the Councillor was waiting for them.
Brille brought them to a door with a sentry posted out front. The sentry saluted and then let Brille and Peter pass through the door. He stepped in front of Rhin and shook his head. "Animals are not allowed in the building."
"She's okay," Peter protested. "She goes wherever I go."
The sentry shook his head again and showed no sign of changing his mind, so Peter said, "Well, can she wait here with you until we talk to the Councillor? If not, I'll have to take her home and then come back. The Councillor won't like that. He's expecting me right now."
The sentry took a deep breath and then nodded. "If she gives me any trouble, I'll have to shoot her."
"Don't worry," Peter said confidently. "She'll be good."
Peter turned to Rhin and started to tell her to sta
y, but realized she already knew what he wanted her to do. In fact, she had already laid down next to the sentry like she was his best friend. Peter smiled, turned, and followed Brille into the offices of Councillor Robert Garcia. The offices were spacious and lavishly decorated. A receptionist told them to wait and pointed to a thickly cushioned bench of what looked like white satin. They sat and waited. It wasn't but a few moments before the receptionist showed them into Garcia's office. They exchanged greetings and took a seat at a small wooden conference table. Brille remained for the meeting.
"Peter. So good to see you again. I understand you brought a rhutz with you?"
"Yes, sorry about that, but she won't let me go anywhere without her."
"That is quite amazing. It’s rare for a rhutz to bond with a human. They usually stay clear of people. That's one of the reasons we tolerate them."
"Her name is Rhin, " Peter said. "She saved my life and seems to have become quite attached to me.”
“You’ll have to tell all about that when we have more time.”
“Yes, I’d be happy to. I had a dog on Earth when I was younger. Rhin reminds me a lot of her. She died when I was quite young. I would really like to keep Rhin, if I could. She's been very obedient and no trouble since I've had her."
"Well, as long as she stays that way; but if she causes any trouble, you'll have to send her back to wherever she came from."
"She won't be, I promise," Peter assured him.
The Councillor nodded to Brille and said, "Bring in the rhutz, I'm anxious to see her." Brille left to get Rhin and the Councillor continued, "I understand they are telepathic."
"Telepathic? Really? I wondered about that. She seems to know what I want her to do immediately after the thought comes into my mind."
"Yes, our holy leader, Sandee Brahn, had a rhutz that followed him everywhere he traveled. Legend has it that the rhutz helped him greatly in his successful unification of the planet."
"Yes, my guide told me about the holy man," Peter replied.
"It is said that a great liberator will one day come to Tarizon and that he will be followed by a rhutz who will be instrumental in liberating the Mutants, Seafolken and Nanomites who are in bondage."
"Right. I heard about that too.”
“From your guide?”
“No, from a mutant named Threebeard."
Garcia laughed. “You’ve met Threebeard?”
“Yes, just before Rhin saved us.”
“Hmm. I know Threebeard.”
“It is said he has three brains and working together it’s like having twenty-seven. Not only is he telepathic but telekinetic as well. They say he may be the smartest and wisest man on Tarizon."
"They’re probably right about that?” the Councillor admitted.
“Yeah,” Peter said. “He thinks I might be this Liberator you’re talking about. That's a laugh, huh?"
The Councillor raised his eyebrows, "You, the Liberator? He told you that?”
“Yeah, on account of the fact that someone tried to kill me just after I arrived on Tarizon. I don’t remember it, but apparently the people who saved my life erased my memory.”
“Well, perhaps you are this Liberator. After all you’ve got a rhutz eating out of you hand, the leader of the mutants thinks you are the Liberator and now you’re coming to work with me, the ranking member of the Loyalist Party. That’s pretty conclusive evidence, wouldn’t you say."
"No. It’s not me. I don’t know anything about Tarizon or the people here. How could I possibly lead them? It makes no sense.”
"You know more than you realize and it wouldn’t take long for someone as intelligent as you to learn all that you needed to know. In fact, let me give you a quick explanation of the current political situation. As you probably figured out, all is not well on Tarizon. Even though the great volcanic eruptions were long ago, our world is still in turmoil. There are those who would like to use this turmoil as an excuse to seize complete control of Tarizon and rule it for their own advantage. Of course, that would be the end of the Supreme Mandate and all the protections it affords.”
“Are you talking about Videl Lai. Luci, my guide, told me about him.”
“Yes. Videl Lai, our vice-chancellor, is the one who would like to seize power.”
“Threebeard thinks he’s the one who tried to kill me.”
“He told you that?”
“Yes. I guess a lot of people died at the space port the night I arrived. I was lucky someone was there to protect me. I just wonder who it was and why they chose to save me?”
“Actually, Peter. It was me.”
“You?”
“Yes. We had intelligence that Videl was going to kill anyone coming off Earth Shuttle 21 who could possibly be the Liberator. We couldn’t protect everyone, so we had to pick one person to protect. That turned out to be you.”
“Really?” Peter replied skeptically. “It was you?”
“Not just me. I have political allies. We call ourselves the Loyalists. We are a party pledged to preserve the Supreme Mandate.”
“Wow! . . . Thank you. I’ll forever be in your debt.”
“No. You owe us nothing. We had to do it.”
“Well, thank you anyway. The only question I have is why you erased my memory? And how do you do that, anyway?”
Councillor Garcia smiled. “You were already under so much stress having been abruptly taken from your family and brought to Tarizon. We were afraid seeing your friend murdered and other passengers gunned down right in front of you, might be more than your could handle.”
“Oh,” Peter said. “Well, that makes sense.”
“You were too important to our movement to take a chance on anything happening to you, mentally or physically. And as far as erasing your memory, its too complicated to explain, so suffice it to say we have developed a beam of blue light that can kill surface memory molecules so that anyone exposed to it will forget what has happened for a short span of time. We have to be careful using the device, however, as too big a dose can cause brain damage. ”
“Huh. . . . But why did you pick someone from Earth to be the Liberator of Tarizon.”
“Actually we didn’t pick you. You or a person like you was described in the Prophecy.”
“Yes. Threebeard mentioned the Prophecy, but what makes you think I’m that person or that the Prophecy is even real?”
“You came the closest to fitting the description of the Liberator, if there was to be one, he had to be on Earth Shuttle 21.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it was the only shuttle to land on the night of the Super Eclipse.”
Peter thought about that a moment, then asked, “Do you have any idea where the Prophecy came from?”
“Not really. It simply surfaced ten or fifteen cycles ago and gained media attention. People began talking about it and eventually some of them started to believe it.”
Peter frowned. “That still doesn’t explain why an Earth alien would want to lead Tarizon in a civil war.”
“The Purists have their sights on Earth too, you know.”
“They do?”
“Yes, just after the Great Eruptions many thought Tarizon couldn’t be saved. They argued the planet should be evacuated and Earth was really the only place to go. Unfortunately, your government refused to allow a massive resettlement, so we settled for the Tarizon Repopulation Project.”
“Okay,” Peter said still frowning.
Garcia smiled. “Okay, let me spell it out for you. When your government refused to accept a massive resettlement of the citizens of Tarizon to Earth, the Purists wanted to force it on your government anyway. Fortunately, they didn’t control Tarizon’s government, but if they gain control now, they may want to go back to Earth and conquer it.”
Peter was taken aback by this revelation. It hadn't occurred to him that Earth would be in danger, but what the Councillor said made sense. "Conquer Earth? Is that true?"
“Yes,
I’m afraid so,” the Councillor said and sighed. “I suppose I should briefly tell you how the Repopulation Project got started. It will help you understand how your father got involved in it and how you ended up on Tarizon. Then, perhaps, you’ll understand why its not surprising to us that you would turn out to be the Liberator.”
Peter swallowed hard. “Go on. I’m listening.”
“It was my father who was selected to contact the authorities on Earth to seek their assistance in preserving human life as we knew it on Tarizon. The great eruptions had so poisoned the planet that human life could scarcely exist anymore. Fortunately, we were a very advanced society and were able to use our technology to survive. We built great domed cities and moved a good deal of the population into these safe havens. Of course, we couldn’t fit everyone in the cities, so millions were left unprotected. Most died but some survived and over the cycles adapted to Tarizon’s now toxic atmosphere. These were the Mutants—human in name only. They lived outside the cities in anarchy and chaos.
“Within the cities Central Authority remained in control and the Supreme Mandate was still the law; however, there was a great division over how to deal with the Mutants and how to preserve human life as it existed prior to the cataclysmic eruptions. The Purists, the group that is now led by Videl Lai, wanted to exterminate the Mutants as the only practical way to keep them from overwhelming the cities and eventually overrunning them.”
“Oh, my God!” Peter gasped. “You mean just kill them? All of them?”
“Yes, they wanted to kill millions of innocent people.”
Do they still think that’s the answer. Is that what Videl Lai wants?”
“Oh, yes and if Videl Lai obtains power, that will no doubt be one of his first priorities, so millions of lives are at stake.”
Peter shook his head in dismay, feeling for the first time the weight of responsibility that was being dumped on his shoulders. They expected me to somehow stop Videl Lai!
The Councillor continued. “ This of course was only one of the problems they faced. The other was the rapidly declining population of healthy, non-mutated humans. The Purists believed that the answer to that problem was Earth. They demanded Earth’s immediate conquest and colonization.”
“Right? But could they actually do it?”
“We do have vastly superior technology. It might be possible. It would depend a lot on how it was done, but Videl Lai is very cunning; he just might be able to do it.”
“Anyway, with Earth under Tarizon’s control there would be millions of healthy humans to repopulate Tarizon as its ecology recovered.
“The Loyalists, the group that supports Chancellor Bassett Alls, argued it was illegal under the Supreme Mandate and immoral to kill human beings just because they were different and no longer pure by their definition. They proposed reentry into the mutant regions by TGA forces to restore order and organize a civilian government to rule the mutants. Of course, this was a massive undertaking and would take many cycles to accomplish.
“As far as the colonization of Earth the Loyalists opposed it as being illegal under the Supreme Mandate, and immoral in the eyes of God.
“There was a long bitter battle over these issues, but eventually the Loyalists prevailed. Troops were sent out of the domes to restore order and reestablish a viable government that could deal with the problems of the Mutants. In order to prevail on this issue, however, the Loyalists were forced to compromise on the issue of the colonization of Earth. They agreed, rather than to try to conquer Earth, to send diplomatic envoys to the nations of Earth to seek their help in preserving human life on Tarizon.
“My father, whose Tarizonian name was Rammel Garcia, was selected to be that first envoy to Earth. It was thought since the United States was one of the largest and most powerful nations on Earth that the first envoy should go there. This story that I’m about to tell you was first told to me when I was about your age, Peter. It was 1947 when the first Earth shuttle landed in a secluded location in southern New York, not too far from New York City.”
Tarizon, The Liberator, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 1 Page 14