by C. Litka
02
Hissi and I decided to sleep in. We stirred when the gong sounded, calling the Laezans to their before-breakfast exercises. I opened my eyes, to see Hissi's half open eye beside me and said, 'Want to exercise?'
She growled a sleepy no and closed her eye.
'Me neither.' I turned over and closed my eyes as well, as rest of The Hermitage stirred to life.
Unfortunately, I hadn't drifted back to sleep before there was a quiet knock on our cell's door frame, and a polite voice saying, 'Wil Litang?'
'Yes,' I mumbled. Caxton was at the door.
'The Chief invites you to share a pot of tey with him in his office,' he said.
'Right. Give me a minute,' I mumbled. And seeing that he intended to wait for me, I rolled off the pallet and climbing to my feet, splashed my face with water and donned some fresh, though still slightly damp, clothes. Hissi barked a soft laugh without opening her eyes, and shifted over to the warmer side of the pallet.
I followed Caxton to a large office with narrow windows overlooking the valley. Malin looked up from some papers on his desk. 'Have a seat,' he said with a wave to the chairs set around a large desk, and asked, 'Would you care for a cup of tey?'
I said I would, and Caxton withdrew.
Besides the desk and table, the stone-walled room had a row of wooden cabinets and a map of Windvera on the wall with all the Laezan communities marked on it. Through the narrow glass windows - rare in Windvera - I caught a glimpse of the Laezans in the courtyard shadowboxing through their first forms of the new round - in a light mist. "Better them, than me", I thought.
Malin shoved the papers under a large, smooth river stone paperweight, and took up a smaller one to toy with as he talked.
'I'm sorry about the early hour, but I wanted to have a private chat with you,' he began. 'I should perhaps begin by admitting that Tey Pot has directed you to the right shop. He's an old customer. The Hermitage is a specialized service community within the Order. We provide transportation services - ships and boats - for the five island groups this Province serves. These include the Aeracarta Islands, home of the various semi-nomadic, so-called barbarians, who have, in the past, raided the Windvera islands. Beyond them are the Tinsar Islands - small islands with small, single island-based societies. On the other side of the Windvera and the Catarias are the Kanjarvar Islands - an extensive archipelago with a number of multi-island societies founded by the wide-roving Aeracartians. And then inwards, across the Endless Sea we have the other half of our Province - your Saraime, the largest of the island groups.'
'I was almost certain that there was some sort of connection, but I must confess, I didn't expect it to be this extensive,' I said, my mind racing. We were going to get home. 'But why all the secrecy? Why weren't we told? I have to believe Bowing Pine and Bright-eyed Sparrow knew about this.'
'Oh, they did. But the full knowledge of our operations is restricted to the Inner Order. I'll readily admit that, operationally, this secrecy is an awkward and an unfortunate policy. There's an uncomfortable element of deception to it, which creates complications. It is, however, deemed necessary to pursue the overarching goals of the Order which is, as I'm sure you know, to help people live long, happy, and productive lives, as much by example, as by teaching. For this reason, it is deemed important to be seen as an organic part of the communities rather than as outsiders telling them how to live their lives. However, to prevent all these diverse communities mutating our core message by their local customs, the fully committed members of the Order, the Inner Order members, move from community to community, island to island, and many, in time, from island group to island group in order to keep our teachings universal. There are, in the Saraime Islands, elders who were born on Windvera, just as there are Saraimian elders here,' he paused and smiled. 'We do get around.'
I nodded. 'But how did you spread to these undiscovered islands?"
'Well, they're not really undiscovered. Saraime discovered these islands during their Age of Exploration some 300,000 rounds ago. The Aeracartians are rovers with legends of reaching the Saraime Islands. However, at the time of discovery, it took too long to cross the Endless Sky to pursue their discoveries further. The Saraime recorded their existence, filed them in an archive, and then largely forgot about them. The Aeracartians had plenty of other islands to pillage, and consigned the Saraime Islands to legend.
'We didn't. The Order here has been in existence in these islands for about 20 full life times - birth to old age - though that includes many more actual generations, since few people live their full span of years. With our mission, we had, and still have, reasons to keep ties to all five island groups and to keep this secret. At one time, the Saraime Core Islands, with their technological advantages, might have been tempted to bring Windvera into their sphere of influence, one way or another. And the Aeracartians with their steam ships might have been tempted to put one of their grand fleets together and raid the Saraime. We've made great progress, so neither are likely to do that now. There is, however, no pressing reason to bring the two groups together just yet. So we serve both, but separately? Ah, here's our tey.'
Caxton set down the tray and left. Malin poured us each a cup.
'I apologize for the evasiveness of my fellow Laezans. Knowledge of all this is reserved for members who have committed their life to serving the Order. They - at least the more conventional ones - had no choice but to send you along to our Prime Community and the Provincial Elders to decide your fate. I've no doubt that the elders would've made an exception for you, and your companions, bringing you into the secret, if only because you can see the truth of it already. Tey Pot, however, made that decision for them when he sent you here.'
'How far out of line did he step? Has he gotten you into trouble?'
Malin grinned. 'Tey Pot Wander is, well, Tey Pot. What can I say? He's a great sage, an authority without formal authority. However, knowing why he sent you here, the Elders won't kick. And assuming that you and your companions will agree, like all the white-sash members, to keep the full extent of the Order to yourselves, I will arrange to send you home to the Saraime.'
'I'm sure we'll readily agree to that,' I said with a smile. I took a tentative sip of the steaming hot tey as I felt a knot of tension unraveling within me. We could go home!
'Good. We'll go into more details concerning your return, when I meet with your companions after breakfast. But the reason I wanted to have a word with you before I talked to the others is that I have a question for you alone.'
'And that is?'
'I am curious - what brought you here - to the Pela?'
I found that I had trouble formulating an answer to that question, for a reason that escaped me for a second or two - until it struck me that Malin had asked it in Unity Standard. I stared at him. He was watching me closely, with a slight smile, patiently awaiting my answer.
'I'm sorry. I'm not sure I heard you right,' I managed to get out, rather awkwardly, in Unity Standard.
He smiled. 'I was asking what brought you here. From your confusion, may I take it you've been here for awhile?'
'More than ten years,' I replied absently, trying to get a handle on this unexpected, unexplained, turn of events. A flood of questions muddled my mind. 'How did you know?'
He continued to smile, toying with his smooth black stone, 'I happened to notice your com-link.'
I looked dumbly at my wrist. It was covered now by my sleeve, but I'd made no effort to hide it when we'd been shedding our damp clothes on our arrival.
'Ten years. That suggests that you arrived with the Cimmadarian claimant,' he continued.
'Yes?But how did??'
'It was the most logical choice. Though I'm a little disappointed. I'd hoped to find a new - let's say, entrant, to the Pela. We know of Cimmadar, of course, though they aren't aware of us. However, given the secrecy we both exhibit in our dealings with the Pela, it is not hard to imagine that there might be more entrants from the outs
ide here as well, operating just as secretly. I had rather hoped I'd found one. Still, you're something of a mystery. According to the stories I've heard, all of the outsiders mysteriously went over to the Empress's side before the final battle. I guess they were wrong.'
I shook my head again. 'No, I didn't sail with the fleet. I was the captain of one of the ships that carried the expedition here. Tallith Min was my owner - the ship's owner. And while I had hoped to join the expedition, I was deemed too Unity Standard for the work of the counter-revolution and was sent packing. But since the dead tell no tales,' I replied and then briefly outlined my story. 'So, I set out for the Saraime in the repaired gig, only to end up getting captured by natives and sold as a slave - but I don't think we have time before breakfast for me to spin the rest of my tale. Especially, since I want to hear how it is you are here.'
'I'll be brief as well. I'm drift born - on Devlar, a minor planet of Alantzia - and went to space as an engineer. After a decade serving on a series of small, and very iffy trading ships, I signed on to a Taoist ship out of Kimsara. I went on to serve the Order in various capacities for several decades on half a dozen drift worlds, eventually deciding that the Taoisist life suited me and took the white sash. Twenty years ago I accepted this post as head of this rather specialized community in the Pela. In addition to being the transport terminal for Windvera, we're the provincial port for the courier ships from Kimsara as well, though they are rare - a ship once every five years or so since it's a four year voyage from Kimsara to here. The next one is due in four Unity Standard years. The reason I'm bringing this up is that, as a shipwrecked spaceer, we'd be willing to provide passage back to the Unity aboard our courier ship in a sleeper pod, once we have your word that you'll keep our secrets. Neb, if you want, we'd sign you on as crew - it's a long, lonely voyage, so another hand to stand a watch would be welcomed.'
I stared at him, trying to take it all in, trying to formulate a question - I had a million of them, but the only idea that I seemed to be able to form was that I could go home? if I wanted.
'I don't know what to say? I... I've made peace with living here for the rest of my life.'
'Of course. I understand. There's no need for a decision now, you've got four years to decide. And I'll make the offer open-ended. Return if and when you want. In the meanwhile, I'd be more than happy to put you to work at this station. People with knowledge of Unity technology are very useful to me.'
With an effort, I tried to stop chasing my mental tail, and circled back to the big point he had slipped by me. 'Are the Taoists of the Unity Laezans?'
'The other way around. Taoist came to the Nebula aboard the founding ships. The Order began its mission in the Archipelago as Laezans only some 12,000 years ago.'
'So you discovered it on your own?'
'I can't say. I've never actually investigated the connection. It is probably documented somewhere in the archives of the Order. I'd think, however, that word of it must have come to us via Cimmadar traders operating in the drifts - perhaps from a Cimmadarian spaceer who joined one of our drift world communities. Cimmadar, in one form or another, was founded far earlier than that so I suspect that Cimmadar - unwittingly - led us to the human part of the Pela. But that's just a guess of mine.'
A long buried memory bubbled up. 'But you must operate in Cimmadar. I know of a Taoist sage who seemed to recognize Tallith Min as someone from Cimmadar.'
'Yes, we do, covertly, but I'm not sure I'm following you.'
'Sorry. My ship's owner, and would-be-empress, Tallith Min, was recovering from an assassination plot on Kimsai - her brother is an adept there - when an old wandering sage - I forget his name - happened by, who seemed to mistake her for her mother or, perhaps, her grandmother. He was reputed to be from some Alantzia system world, but since Min's grandmother was the Empress of Cimmadar, for a time, he must have known her in Cimmadar.'
'Ah, I see. I believe that we have a university on their Imperial Island, so the old sage might well have recognized, or even met, the Empress in person. Since Cimmadar, with its outside contact, would certainly recognize us as the Taoist of the Unity if we operated there openly as Laezans, we teach the Way there in the universities as individual scholars and as simple teachers in the small islands.'
'But how do you keep the comings and goings of your space ships out of view from Cimmadar's space station in the shell? I'd think their sensors would detect ship activity in the airless region.'
He chuckled. 'You see, Cimmadar has this institutional fear of the legendary Dragon Kings. Their empire and space station keep a very low profile for this reason. The station does not advertise itself by using long-range radar or radio. Everything is line-of-sight laser communication and short range laser radar. With prudent precautions, we can send boats in from the courier ships to our various contact points like this one without any great risk of being detected.'
I shook my head, trying to clear it of all the questions tumbling over themselves to be asked. I couldn't seem to pick just one out to ask it.
'I know I've given you a lot to think about. We'll have time later to answer all your questions. The staff that you met are all aware of our secrets. However, in four or five rounds we'll start bringing passengers here for an inner-island group courier ship that should be arriving within the next dozen rounds. These will all be white-sash sages, aware of the other island groups, but few, if any, will know of our extra-shell operations - that's yet another layer of this unfortunate need for secrecy. At the moment you can ask anyone here any question that comes to mind, but, after our guests arrive, you'll need to be more discreet.
'Yes, of course. At the moment I have too many to pick from to settle on any one.'
'I can imagine. I will just add that you were fortunate to cross orbits with Tey Pot Wanderer. He's a rare bird who has, indeed, wandered far - even outside the shell to Kimsara. He's passed through the Hermitage many times, even on my watch, so I know him well and trust him. That is why I'm comfortable being so open with you. Not only did he save you time sending you here, he vouched for your integrity as well.
'I know that we still have much to talk about, but I believe it's getting on to breakfast time. I'll save one last secret until after breakfast.'
'I'm not sure I want one more secret.'
'I suspect you'll find it very interesting. For now, I must ask you to keep everything we've discussed just between ourselves.'
That wasn't going to lift.
I framed my objection as I finished my tey. 'I believe that Tey Pot vouched for all of us. And I believe all your secrets will be safe with my companions. You should know that advocate NyLi is also Unity born and I think should be treated the same as me. TrinNatta was an officer in the Cimmadar Imperial Navy, of the old Regime, and has had many dealings with outsiders from beyond the shell. As for advocate LinPy, well, he's born and raised on Cloud Home Community on Daeri, but he knows all my old spaceer tales and has seen my darter and com-link in action? So did Tey Pot come to think about it. Funny, his lack of curiosity about it never struck me strange at the time. I guess I now know why...
'In any event, we're all well aware of the worlds that exist outside the shell. It seems to me that if you can trust them with one deep secret of the Order, you might as well trust them with all. It'll make your life - and mine - much easier.'
Malin tossed his stone up and watched it slowly fall as he weighed his options. 'Right. I don't like secrets. I'll brief the rest after breakfast.'