by R E Kearney
“Yep. Got it all. Even a kitchen. Bettern my place.” Jubal announces, as he leads Rube into a side corridor.
“Sounds lot better than the places I lived most my life.” Rube staggers. His long night of no sleep is beginning to wear on him.
Rube is close to collapse when Jubal stops and opens the door to his room. “Clean up, rest up and I’ll come get you when Sheriff wants you. Stay in your room. Don’t wander off.”
Jubal has no reason to worry. After his shower, Rube is too exhausted to stumble more than the ten steps he needs to flop onto the bed. He is instantly unconscious.
Some hours later, Jubal is shaking Rube dizzy. “Wake up! Wake up! Are you still alive? Yep, I see you breathing. Wake up!”
Rube’s eyes open, but they will not focus. Thick fog blankets his mind. He is lost.
“Sheriff is waiting. Get dressed.” Jubal smacks Rube’s shoulder. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Rube franticly searches the room only to discover that the clothes he wore before no longer exist. All he finds is one set of khaki coveralls and matching khaki boots. As he begins dressing, he is puzzled by the clothing material. The coveralls are lined with a metallic film. The same film lines his boots.
“Are you dressed?” Jubal yells through the room’s door.
“I guess. I put on the only things I could find…some strange coveralls and boots.” Rube opens the door and reveals himself. “Somebody took my clothes and left these.”
“Yep, Sheriff’s orders. This is your uniform, now. Designates you as one of Sheriff’s vassals. You’re not a knight like me, but you’re still responsible for preserving and protecting the shire.” Jubal smiles. “Consider it an honor.”
Rube pulls at his uniform and shrugs his shoulders, attempting to become comfortable. “Ok, so now I’m a vassal. Whatever that is? But, what is this coating inside of my…uh…uniform?”
“Shielding. Hides you from sky spies.” Jubal’s eyes widen as he searches the ceiling. “They’re watchen us…all the time…watchen us. You can’t see them, but they’re…everywhere.”
Rube joins Jubal staring toward the ceiling. “Who is? Who is watching?”
“New World Order, of course. Surprised you don’t know.” Jubal points toward the room’s west wall. “They got a headquarters under the old Denver International Airport, you know. Took over Denver. Took over all them big cities. Tryen to take over the whole world. Sheriff’ll tell you. So, come on.”
Jubal motions for Rube to follow him. Their walk to meet the Sheriff leads them deep into the interior of the building. They pass four pairs of knights securing the entrances to other corridors and rooms in the building. The other knights nod at Jubal and Rube, but do not speak.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rube glimpses another vassal ducking between a pair of knights into one of the rooms. He is not certain, but he thinks the disappearing vassal may be the Eject Rele Gieren, Fett described. Otherwise, the corridors are empty. No other people appear to inhabit the Shire Court building.
“Where’s that…uh…vassal going?” Rube points toward the door he entered.
Jubal increases his speed, hurrying past the door, as if afraid. “That’s his special, secret room. Called the Sat-com room. Not certain what’s in there. Only he ever goes in there. Nobody else is allowed near it. So, best you don’t ask questions.”
Finally, deep in the building’s bowels, Jubal stops. He and Rube face two, large, dark, wooden doors. Jubal pounds three times on the doors. From inside, a knight swings them open.
Jubal steps to the side and motions for Rube to proceed. “Speak only if Sheriff asks you a question or tells you to speak. Never ask Sheriff a question.”
Stepping past the doors, Rube enters a dimly lit courtroom. One overhead, light flares at the far end. Directly ahead, sitting on the judge’s bench shrouded in the light is a parchment skinned, wraith of a woman wrapped in a black robe. With her boney hand, she silently, summons Rube forward.
The nearer Rube approaches, the more alarmed he becomes by her skeletal, cadaver appearance. Her hair is coarse. Her face is sallow and her eyes are sunken. Her lips are crusted and white. He has seen corpses that looked more alive.
“Ruben Landwirt. Come to my bench.” She hisses coarsely. Her voice rakes Rube with the dry, crackling, rattle of a raging sand storm – a harsh Haboob.
As ordered, Rube advances until he stands within a foot of her bench. On the front of the bench, Rube notices a circular plaque. An Eagle head fills the center. Behind the Eagle head is painted a red, white and blue banner. Across the top of the plaque, Rube reads the phrase, Preserving Human Purity. Cupping the bottom of the plaque are the words, Sustaining and Defending Nature’s Laws and Species Integrity.
Sheriff hands Rube a small bible. “Hold this bible in your left hand, raise your right hand, and repeat this Oath of Fealty and Obligation to me.”
Shaking nervously, Rube clutches the bible and raises his right hand. From behind her bench, Sheriff produces a sword. She carefully lays the blade of the sword upon Rube’s left shoulder.
With her storming whisper, she states the oath. "I promise on my faith that I will in the future be faithful to the High Sheriff, never cause her harm, protect her from harm and will observe my homage to her completely and to my death against all persons in good faith and without deceit. Death before dishonor."
After Rube repeats her oath, she raises the sword from his left shoulder and ceremoniously touches it on his right shoulder. “Ruben Landwirt, you have hereby sworn your allegiance as a vassal to serve and protect me as Sheriff of this Shire. Soon, I will dispatch you on a vital mission with another vassal. On this mission, you will serve and protect me in accordance with the code of chivalry described in the Song of Roland. The oath and code of chivalry are me when I am not there.”
Rube furrows his brow. He has never heard of the code of chivalry or the Song of Roland. Sheriff notes the confusion claiming his face.
“Learn these and live by them. Never forget them and never allow others to lead you astray of them.” Sheriff commands him. “Repeat each of them after me. To fear God and maintain His Church.”
Rube listens closely, so he makes no mistakes before repeating her words. “To fear God and maintain His Church.”
“To serve the liege lord Sheriff in valor and faith.”
“To serve the liege lord Sheriff in valor and faith.”
“To protect the weak and defenseless.”
“To protect the weak and defenseless.”
“To give succor to widows and orphans.”
“To give succor to widows and orphans.”
“To refrain from the wanton giving of offence.”
“To refrain from the wanton giving of offence.” Rube is not certain what this means, but repeats it anyway.
“To live by honor and for glory.”
“To live by honor and for glory.” He immediately decides he likes this idea.
“To despise pecuniary reward.”
“To despise pecuniary reward.”
“To fight for the welfare of all.”
“To fight for the welfare of all.” Rube wonders who is this, all.
“To obey those placed in authority.”
“To obey those placed in authority.”
“To guard the honor of fellow knights and vassals.”
“To guard the honor of fellow knights and vassals.” He questions the existence of honor in the knights he has met so far.
“To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit.”
“To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit.”
“To keep faith.”
“To keep faith.
“At all times to speak the truth.”
“At all times to speak the truth.”
“To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.”
“To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.” He judges this will be easy, sinc
e he has never been a quitter.
“To respect the honor of women.”
“To respect the honor of women.”
“Never to refuse a challenge from an equal.”
“Never to refuse a challenge from an equal.”
“Never to turn your back upon a foe.”
“Never to turn your back upon a foe.” Now, this is just common sense, he believes.
After sucking in a rasping breath, Sheriff probes him with her eyes. “So do you fully understand the responsibilities that come with the oath and code of chivalry?”
“Well I…” Rube stutters. Some parts of the code are already beginning to escape his mind.
Lifting her sword from Rube’s right shoulder, she sticks its point where his throat meets his chin. “Your allegiance and your life is now mine, vassal Ruben Landwirt. I expect total loyalty and commitment and success. I consider anything less to be a betrayal of me and of my trust. We are fighting to save our pure human species. Failure is not acceptable and punishable by death.”
“You will execute me, if I fail?” Rube retreats from the sword’s point.
“No never. Execution is barbaric and not honorable. I do not favor nor tolerate murder. Murder is a sin. I consider the commandment, Thou shall not kill, to be the most important commandment. I preach that there are many, better methods for accomplishing our goals. Killing is never necessary and why I recruit people like you.” Sheriff stops to scrutinize Rube. “You’re not a killer are you? Have I made an error of judgement concerning your character?”
“No, never.” Rube is growing increasingly uneasy.
Sheriff retrieves her sword and turns the hilt toward Rube. “However, when operations fail, death is deemed appropriate. Self-sacrifice…ritual suicide…the hara-kiri practiced by the Samurai of Japan is preferred. As part of your oath, your obligation is an honorable death for failure, disgrace or disloyalty. For if we fail, our species dies.”
“Ritual suicide?” Rube remembers Fett’s descriptions of her husbands’ deaths as suicides. He does not consider their deaths, ritual suicides.
Sheriff sears him with her glare before dismissing her with a flick of her fingers. “Go and do good deeds for me in our fight to preserve human purity and to sustain and defend nature’s laws and species integrity, vassal Ruben Landwirt. Death before dishonor.”
Rube bows his head toward Sheriff, before turning to leave. Struggling to suppress his proud smile, he keeps his head lowered as he walks out of the courtroom. His heart is pounding with pride. Yesterday, he was nothing. A nobody from nowhere in the wastedlands. He has never been in anything significant or crucial before. Never been important.
Now, he is a vassal. He is vassal Ruben Landwirt, proudly serving in Sheriff’s holy battle to preserve human purity and save humanity. After so many years of being alone, he has finally found his cause - his family.
He replays the complete ceremony through his thoughts. One by one, he recalls each pledge of the code of chivalry. He resolves to become Sheriff’s senior tutoring vassal. By the code, he will guide the younger knights like they are the sons he wanted.
“I will never violate Sheriff’s trust or the code of chivalry. My pledge is my bond. I will not disappoint you, Sheriff.” Rube reaffirms to himself, as he passes the door guarding knight and exits.
Alone and back in the corridor, Rube can no longer control his euphoria. If he does not release his joy, he fears he will explode. He begins declaring his achievement to the empty walls. “I am vassal Ruben Landwirt. I serve my liege Sheriff in valor and faith and live by honor and for glory. I persevere to the end in any enterprise begun and I shall not fail. I will not fail. Death before Dishonor.”
Rube stops. He turns in a circle, searching in front and behind for any others. Finding no one, he shouts, “Death before Dishonor! Death before Dishonor! Death before Dishonor!”
NATURALS
“Shengwu is dead. Murdered. Beaten to death in her lab.” Pion states.
Slammed by Pion’s declaration, Robert staggers. Whirling, spinning, he cannot focus. He slumps onto a chair. He shuts his eyes, fighting nausea.
“How?” Robert mumbles. “Why? Who?”
Pion cannot answer him. Rocking, mumbling and twisting her fingers, she is stimming. She is retreating into the safety of the recesses of her mind. The brutal slaughter of her friend and associate has shattered her fragile grip on reality.
Seeking to make some sense of the senselessness, Robert issues a subliminal request. In response, AGI floods Robert’s consciousness with visuals from Shengwu’s security system. While he is physically in the present in Pion’s chamber in SPEA’s seastead capital of Venus, he is cerebrally in the past inside Shengwu’s clinic in San Juan Puerto Rico.
Looking over Shengwu’s shoulder, Robert watches her calculate a CRISPR algorithm. She is editing the RNA and DNA of a woman suffering brain cancer. He has observed her conducting this life-saving, genetic engineering procedure before. By changing a few of this woman’s cellular RNA structures, she will rescue her from a tortuously, painful death. She will heal her, just as she has healed thousands more like her. But those thousands of individual patients are a small number compared to the millions of people she saved when her genome editing skills ended the Aethon plague.
Robert smiles. He is honored to be a beneficiary of her genius, her dedication and her skills. He is one of the millions she saved from the Aethon plague. He owes her his life and his regenerated youth. When she protected him from the Aethon scourge, she also turned back time in his cells. Born more than sixty years ago, he enjoys the body and health of a twenty year old.
“You will live to the age of at least one hundred and fifty. You must. I need you to be there to guide and groom my new species. So, I made somatic enhancements to your genomes. Only you have these genetic enhancements, so use your years wisely and protect my children. Protect my children!” He remembers Shengwu shouting at Rita and him, as she bravely blocked the path of the men chasing them to kill them.
Knowing that she will be brutally murdered soon, he aches to call out to her, to warn her. He owes her so much. His lover Rita and their daughter Aethon live today, thanks to Shengwu. She created his twelve chip children. Implanted with neural networks, her genetically designed dozen are the next human species – transhumans. According to her, they are the saviors of the human race, which is the reason she germline genome edited them into existence.
Crash! Shengwu’s world explodes. She jumps, turns and drops. A baseball bat crushes her face. Three masked figures wearing white hoods and cloaks surround her bleeding body. The bat slams into the back of her skull. One of the other assailants repeatedly kicks her in her back while the other stomps her chest.
Robert screams. He swings his fists. Crying out, clawing air, he cannot stop her slaughter. She is dead.
With their dreadful deed done, the three assassins halt their assaults and back away. Together, they silently bow their heads, as if praying. After several moments, from a cloak pocket, the bat swinging killer pulls a small flag and drops it onto Shengwu.
The flag’s symbols burn deep into Robert’s brain. An Eagle head fills the center of a circular shield composed of a red, white and blue banner. Arcing across the top of the shield is the phrase, Preserving Human Purity. The words, Sustaining and Defending Nature’s Laws and Species Integrity form the shield’s bottom.
The three murderers disappear as they appeared. AGI adjusts Robert’s security visuals view. “Do you desire to repeat your review of the security visuals? Different visuals are available.”
Robert slowly shakes his head. He thinks not. He can endure no more. Sensing Robert is struggling to control his revulsion and nausea, AGI withdraws the security systems scenes.
Stonily solemn outside, Robert is churning inside. His brain is flooding his neural network with questions. AGI receives, calculates, runs related algorithms, but is not capable of processing any answers. Spec
ulation is not a numerical sequence.
Robert is still blindly spinning through his inner confusion when two small hands cradle his face. Gently, those two hands raise his head. A soft, warm forehead melts onto his. Loving concern floods in, swelling his senses. The sweet scent of innocent Aethon overwhelms his sorrow.
Raising his head and opening his eyes, Robert receives an emotional embrace from Aethon and Rita. With his finger, he gently removes the tears still clinging to Rita’s cheeks. She chokes on a sob. Robert pulls her close, hugging her and Aethon together. Rita settles onto the floor at Robert’s feet. Aethon climbs onto her lap.
“I don’t understand how this could have happened.” Robert wonders aloud as he gently strokes Rita’s head. “How did those three thugs get into her lab? How did they break through her locked security doors? She was always so careful.”
Rita clasps Robert’s hand, moves it from her head to her shoulder and brushes her cheek across the back of it. “She de-energized all of her security locks about two weeks ago. She told me that she was tired of feeling like a prisoner in her own home. She also thought that since she had proven how effective genome editing is for curing diseases and healing that nobody would object to her work.”
“Where was Margarete…her patients…her nursebots?” Robert is recovering from his initial shock and returning to his investigative self.
“They attacked her at two-thirteen in the morning, Robert. Nobody was there except her. She was working late by herself, as she did all the time, anymore. With her father dead and you and me and her designer children here, her work was all she lived for. Her work became her life.” Sensing Robert’s mood change, Rita rises to her feet and turns to face him. She recognizes that his sorrow is now fueling his search for justified revenge.
“Her work became her death too, apparently. Genetic engineering…” Although, he continues speaking, Rita recognizes the clouds crossing his eyes. She kisses Robert’s forehead, grasps Aethon’s hand and they leave him to pursue the killers. She knows that he will only return to her reality after he solves Shengwu’s murder.