Obsidian Ressurection

by T J Bryan

  The "weather" report continued for over an hour and always the same. Good weather had been granted by the Emperator, and bad weather was the result of the Emperator's unhappiness with the lack of prayer, and the presence of sin, and blasphemy.

  With the blessings of the Emperator finished along with the weather report. Silvi sat back in her Captain's Chair and prepared her announcement seeking trade. "Are you ready Mr. Brunner? For our announcement seeking trade."

  "Aye, aye Sir."

  "Good. Put me on speaker Mr Brunner." Moments later Buddy nodded to Silvi.

  "Emperator of New Carthago. We humbly pray that you will accept our plea for trade and commerce with your great personage." Silvi was using the wording suggested by Captain Smilot back at Wu. "We bring gifts and seek little in return but succour and food for our ignorant and sinful people. Please grant us audience to plead our case and to ease our suffering." Silvi paused for a moment before she read a short list of trade goods that she knew would be of interest to New Carthago. "We arrive with gifts of steel pipe in great quantity. Pumps for refreshing waters powered by the sun are to be yours. Iron implements for tilling the soil and enabling atonement we have in plenty." Silvi continued to list items of value to an agricultural low tech society. Finally she concluded, 'Oh great God Emperor please grant us our prayers."

  Now it was time to sit back and wait. Captain Smilot had said it might well take hours or days before any response was heard from the Emperator. Often he never replied at all.

  "Mr. Brunner," called Silvi. "I want a detailed scan of the temple complex. Suitable for a map should we land and visit the complex on foot. In addition can you give us a scan of one of the regional temples on the agricultural plane, one surrounded by farms. I would like to estimate agricultural production methods and productivity. Given Captain Smilot's description of New Carthago's bountiful harvests I am sure we will not diminish the local food supply, but I would like to be certain."

  Buddy set to work and two hours later had produced a series of precise maps and an agricultural productivity report. Silvi examined the temple complex map closely. The complex contained 23 enormous temple buildings scattered about the mountain top. Buddy's scans revealed that the building were of three heights 83 meters, 89 meters, and 97 meters and were composed of wood and ceramics. Some iron and stonework were detected. Most of the large temples were of the same footprint of 311 meters by 109 meters. These buildings, although scattered across the mountain top in a seemingly random fashion were connected by broad roads. The roads were generally 11 meters wide and flanked on both sides by what appeared to be 2 meter tall temple lanterns every 30 meters or so. Further the roads radiated a significant heat signature indicating to Buddy that the roadway was heated which he thought was important in an environment of continual deep mist and rain. The roads would be kept dry.

  Of smaller buildings there seemed to be almost 300 although precise mapping was difficult given the cover provided by the enormous trees. The smaller buildings like the temples were scattered about the mountain and often their location bore no relation to the larger temple sites. Infrared scans looking for humans revealed very few at the main temple complex. The scans only indicated those outside the buildings so the population was much larger, but still as Captain Smilot had said the actual temple complex population was low.

  The agricultural survey was most satisfying. The continent and seas were highly productive and the unusual religion of the people stressed hard agricultural and manual labor as a route to redemption. Some form of population management seemed to prevail for the population seemed constant over a considerable time period. Buddy determined this by examining household dwellings and their age of construction. No significant new households seem to have been built in the last 200 years. A sign of a constant population density. Lastly Buddy noted that two of the weather satellites were in a declining orbit and unless replaced would soon fall to a fiery death in the atmosphere of the planet. Buddy noted this might well give the God Emperor a prophecy headache

  As Silvi was about to turn in for the night the speaker sprang to life. The temple bell sounded five times. Then the voice they had heard earlier providing the weather report and the blessings of the Emperator spoke. "Supplicants from space. The God Emperor has heard your prayer and has smiled upon you and wishes to grant you and your people succour and deliverance from your suffering. You are to land your ship at the southern tip of the Temple Mount. We shall provide coordinates. You are to depart your ship and wait for our delegation to lead you to Ernau Temple for our festivities, worship, and to hear your plea. A list of your offerings to the Emperator are requisite for a successful prayer. Your ship shall depart to await your return from Ernau. The God Emperor grants you happiness and peace."

  "Mr. Brunner, notify the fleet of these reports and tell them we are about to visit the Emperator or whoever he sends to greet us. The fleet is to stand by and maintain stealth. Pilot Karrlson set us down at the coordinates provided by the temple voice."

  "Aye, aye, Sir," both Buddy and Lennie responded in tandem.

  Two hours later Ragnarök entered New Carthago's atmosphere. Silvi realized that Lennie had never flown the ship in an atmosphere, although the simulator had provided many training exercises, and some of great difficulty, to hone Lennie's skills. Still the bridge was tense as the atmosphere buffeted and knocked the ship about. A corona of heat and gasses enveloped the ships hull. Eventually the corona melted away and the Ragnarök sailed through clear skies and over a luxuriant land. As they approached the landing area on the temple mount the fog and rain settled in and obscured the ground. Lennie came in on instrumentation as he would have done even on a clear day. Ragnarök landed with a gentle thump as Lennie advised that they wait half a hour for the external hull to cool. Silvi looked at the vid screens displaying the outside world. Visibility was no more than ten meters in dense fog and nothing could be seen with any definition. Observation of the temple mount would have to wait for an on foot hike down the broad heated roadway.

  Eventually the hull cooled in the mist and drizzling rain. Silvi opened the main hatch, descended the ladder, and climbed down to the surface. Immediately she was overwhelmed with the smell of water and the scent of what she later learned was pine. She was accompanied by Farn Mayer and Buddy Brunner. All were dressed in ship suits and colors but also heavy coats to ward off the damp winds. For all three this was their first time outside the artificial confines of either the Habitat or a ship. Silvi looked up toward the sky, but visibility was so limited she could see nothing. Perhaps this was best she thought. With visibility limited to 10 or 15 meters they had the comforting feeling of being confined and protected within a safe cocoon like a ship or the Habitat.

  Farn spoke first, "We need to be at least 500 meters away from Ragnarök as she takes off. 800 meters would be better."

  Silvi nodded and the three walked swiftly to the north and up the broad roadway. Silvi consulted her detailed map and then examined the roadway. The roadway was stone, polished stone, and the center of the roadway was dry. Silvi could feel the warmth of the road as the heat rose to clear away the mist and rain. In an odd way the heat rising from the road made visibility down the road clearer. Visibility to the side and up was limited, but if one looked straight ahead down the road one could occasionally see 30 meters as mist and fine rain drifted over the roadway. As their distance from Ragnarök exceeded 500 meters Silvi walked to the edge of the road to examine one of the stone lanterns that lined the thoroughfare. The lantern was old, its' intricate carvings and detail eroded by eons of weather and wind. Inside the enclosed top of the lantern Silvi saw the remains of several burned out candles. She reached in. The waxy candles were cold. As Silvi looked about she saw the first of the giant trees. Not the tree itself, but only its' enormous base. Silvi stepped a few meters off the roadway and could then see three or four of the trunks of the trees. They were huge but Silvi could only see ten or fifteen meters up. The tree trunks did not seem to
taper and Silvi recalled Captain Smilot's description of them as towering as high as 400 meters. Rather than get lost in the fog and trees, Silvi returned to the road and Farn and Buddy.

  They waited and then waited some more. A light breeze formed and the mist occasionally cleared slightly and Silvi could hear the sound of the wind as it passed through the trees. A sound she had never heard before and she found it pleasing.

  "Motion ahead," Buddy said softly.

  All three turned toward the road ahead. Slowly three figures appeared in the mist. Indistinct at first then as they approached details became evident. They were of average height and completely covered in hooded brown robes. Monks Silvi thought. The cowls of the robes completely covered their faces and the way they approached, walked, and held their posture, Silvi was certain that their faces would continue to be obscured or hidden. They came within five meters and stopped. Then the man in the middle stepped forward and saying nothing motioned them to follow. He motioned several times then turned and began to slowly walk away down the road in the direction from which they had come. As he turned Silvi caught a glimpse of intense white on his face. Not a natural white, but something more like the white of lime or gypsum. But it was only a momentary glimpse.

  Silvi, Farn, and Buddy silently followed. Moments later Farn gestured to the right and then to the left. Several men were standing on the very edge of the road following them. Farn angled her walk a bit toward the edge walked a hundred meters or so and returned to Silvi and Buddy.

  "Armed men. I counted 11. They seem to be an escort of some kind, but they are following us at the far edges of the roadway. Dressed in some kind of dark brown leather with brass buckles. Head to toe. Bows. Like long bows in the holo vids. Quivers on their backs with many arrows. Also short daggers. They don't seem tense or anxious."

  Silvi thought for a moment as they continued up the road toward what they assumed would be Ernau temple. The walk had continued for an hour and they passed hundreds of stone lanterns and occasional intersecting roadways that led off to the left or right from the main road. The intersecting roadways were a bit narrower than the main road which was about 11 meters wide. Some of the intersecting roads were wet and obviously not heated. A few were dry.

  Silvi heard the sound before she saw the arrow strike the lead monk. The monk fell an arrow buried deep within his chest. Another followed as he fell to the ground. This an arrow crashing into his skull. Other arrows followed as Silvi, Farn, and Buddy hit the deck. Silvi covered her head. Dozens if not hundreds of arrows flew and Silvi could hear them striking bodies as men groaned and bodies fell to the roadway. Then all was quiet. The shooting stopped. Silvi looked up and could see nothing in the mists but three dead and bloody monks lying not three meters from them. If the arrows were intended for them, Silvi knew, they would be dead by now. But they were alive. Slowly Silvi rose as did Farn and Buddy. Silvi looked about and it was clear that all in the party, monks and escorts lay dead. Farn walked toward several of the dead soldiers and returned.

  "Clean shots. Someone knows their archery and in this fog those are incredible shots. What now Captain?"

  Silvi thought a moment, but before she could decide and take action five monks appeared from the mist, and like their dead predecessors motioned for Silvi, Farn, and Buddy to follow. Silvi hesitated, but they were here on the temple mount alone, with no real understanding of their surroundings, and they had a mission to complete. Silvi stepped forward and followed as did Buddy and Farn. They had walked perhaps a hundred yards when Farn commented in a low voice, "We have escorts again. Soldiers like before." Silvi looked into the mist but could see nothing.

  Silvi checked her map on her inter-tab. The map was internally stored and Silvi noticed that the device itself was not sending or receiving any signal.. They had been walking now for three hours, two hours after the ambush and still they could see little of the landscape except mist and an occasional distant tree base. Soon however the monks stopped at an intersection with a smaller, but still heated road. The monks turned onto the new road and motioned for Silvi to follow. Silvi felt a reluctance to diverge from the main road so she paused and consulted the map. The road the monks were motioning toward did lead to one of the enormous temples so Silvi indicated to Farn and Buddy that they should continue on.

  Within ten minutes the road led to a rather large gate. The gate was wooden and hung on a 5 meter tall stone wall. The gate was studded with iron escutcheons and very large iron hinges affixed the gate to the stone walls. The gate was open and no one appeared to be standing guard. As they entered the gate Silvi notice a large plaza which like the roadway was heated. Visibility improved and she could see perhaps 30 meters across the plaza. The roadway here was lined every few meters by an iron pole whose function remained a mystery for the first 50 meters. Then their use was obvious. Impaled on three poles were human heads. Their faces covered in a white pigment which the rain and mist failed to wash away. Silvi, Farn, and Buddy looked up as they walked. Additional poles appeared but they were without adornment. Soon through the mist Silvi could see the dim outline of something large and very dark. It was a temple. A short flight of stairs rose from the plaza to the temple. Enormous columns taken from the forest held up a blue tile covered roof. Silvi thought to herself, half of the Habitat population could easily fit in that temple it was so large. They climbed the steps and as Silvi looked left and then right she could not see the end of the building through the mist. The columns drifted off into the distance and the building was obscured by the fog. Inside the temple was no different. Perhaps a bit less foggy and damp, but still the fog obscured the interior details. The monks continued to motion for Silvi to follow and soon dim lights led to a small raised platform surrounded by braziers burning with fire wood. The fog retreated around the fires and formed odd globes of clear air, but still the fog dominated the room. On the small platform was a very thick carpet of some kind and the monks ascended a slight incline and motioned for Silvi and crew to sit upon the carpet.

  Sitting felt good Silvi thought after her long walk, but the darkness and gloom of the temple removed any sense of relief. As Silvi sat she felt that the plush carpet itself was warm and heated and in the center of the carpet and platform a small hearth lay burning. Moments later the monks disappeared. More waiting thought Silvi. Captain Smilot had warned them of the long waits.

  It was not long before a young boy clad in nothing more than a loin cloth arrived with an iron pot which he placed on a stand in the small central fire pit. He bowed, but said nothing, then retreated back into the mist. "Must be pretty cold in that tiny strip of cloth," Farn muttered.

  As the water began to boil the young boy reappeared with a tray and four cups together with what were obvious tea utensils. He began to make tea. Silvi noted that the boy refused to make eye contact and seemed anxious to complete his task and retreat from the brazier. Soon the tea was prepared, poured, and presented to each of the temples 'guests'.

  As Smilot had said the tea was wretched. But hospitality dictated they sip their tea and comment on its' unique qualities. Then they waited again.

  The gloom of the temple darkened and Silvi felt the temperature drop. The sun was setting she realized. Her only comfort in her cold and bizarre environment was the Marine tracker placed somewhere on her body. At least the fleet knew where she was.

  Moments later three monks appeared from the gloom and entered the dim circle of light provided by the burning braziers surrounding the platform. One held a small portable desk and as they sat on the carpet he began to set up the desk for taking notes. One monk stepped closer as he sat. He pulled his hood back enough to provide eye contact and Silvi could see his face was literally plastered with white pigment. No so much pigment as a thick coating of a bright white paste.

  The third monk sat but remained some distance from the other two. "Welcome", said the white faced monk sitting before them. "The blessings of the God Emperor have descended upon you and brought you to our hea
rth. You are welcome." He nodded and slightly bowed three times.

  Before Silvi could recite the short comments provided by Captain Smilot in which she would thank the God Emperor for his blessing, the monk spoke again. "Welcome to Ormal Temple. The Arch-Priest wishes to see you tomorrow at two turns."

  Silvi looked to Farn and Buddy. Ormal temple was not the Ernau temple they had been told awaited them. Silvi realized, as did all three, that they had been hijacked.

  Chapter Forty Five

  New Carthago System - Temple Ormal - Year 3246. February 26 ET: 23:19

  The lead monk smiled as the young boy poured tea for him and Silvi, Farn, and Buddy. The other two monks were not served.

  "And to whom are we speaking?" asked Silvi in her best obsequious voice.

  The white faced monk smiled and as he did so his face paint split just a bit around one corner of this mouth. Brittle thought Silvi.

  "I am no one. I am only the instrument of our God Emperor."

  "Surely you have a name?"

  "You may call me the Factotum. I am only a tool, a utensil for our God. But we know that you supplicant merchants need names so you may call me Factotum."

  "Ah yes Factotum." Silvi began to recite the language provided by Smilot. "We seek the blessings of the God Emperor and we beg him to forgive us for our sins which are many. We feel his grace in all its' wonders and we seek the salvation of our people through the bounty of his divine sanction."

  "His blessing is upon you," replied the Factotum. "Now if you are ready, may you describe your gifts to our God Emperor so that our scribe may convey them to the Emperator."

  To the point thought Silvi. Silvi reached for her inter-tab and began to list a consignment of goods they had selected to entice trade. She began, "Steel pipe 13 centimetre, 10 meter lengths, quantity 50,000. Steel pipe 33 centimetre, 10 meter lengths, quantity 100,000." Silvi went on reading the list as the scribe hurriedly copied down her consignment. After about twenty minutes Silvi concluded with, "Hammers 0.34 kilogram, with handle, quantity 10,000. That concludes our gift to the God Emperor."