RABAN (The Rabanian Book 2)

by Dan Haronian

  "I came here after I realized what they said. I thought you should know about them. After all you are longing to know what's going on inside the Shuttle." He looked at Heneg who avoided making eye contact. "I'll give you a printed copy with my interpretations, and you can decide for yourself," he finished.

  "I promise to study them closely," said Daio. "If they really are related to the history of Naan, I promise you I will take them very seriously."

  Sosi nodded and looked at Su-Thor.

  "Would you like to stay here for the night?" asked Daio after a few seconds of tense silence.

  "No thank you," said Sosi. "Su-Thor is a very experienced pilot. She'll get us home in no time." He rose and they all followed. He looked at the pad in Daio's hand. "Nothing can explain this," he said.

  "Yes, it's impressive. Maybe I'll drop by to see it. Our family name on that shuttle wall is something that I would like to see. Mom would've told some story about this if she would've seen it."

  "Yes," said Sosi and smiled. He started to walk towards the foyer. "Oh, there's one more thing," he said turning around at them. "Keep your Flyeyes away from the Chosen if you don't want to lose seventeen percent of Naan's Gross Product."

  They all looked at Heneg, who started to blush.

  "I don't think that is going to be a problem," said Daio embarrassed.

  They said their goodbyes and rushed to the landing site.

  Daio and Dug stood outside waiting for Sosi's hovercraft to take off. "What do you think?" asked Daio.

  "Let's see. This shuttle crashed a few days ago and now he is here to tell us it brought prophecies."

  "Yes, it fits his weird character, but whether it's his idea or someone's else idea something tells me we haven't heard the last of these Writings," said Daio.

  "So our Flyeyes where there," said Naan with satisfaction as he walked outside.

  Daio looked at Heneg who was trailing behind Naan. "I told you to send them over to find survivors not to spy on them."

  "They only spotted us tonight," said Heneg. "But we were there the whole time without them knowing."

  "What were they doing there?"

  "We wanted to know what was going on inside the shuttle. They were behaving very strangely," said Heneg.

  "Well, now we know why," said Daio.

  "Maybe that is why they came here tonight," said Naan.

  "What you mean?" asked Daio.

  "After they discovered we were spying on them, they came up with this ridiculous story so we would back down," he said smiling.

  "Are you saying they are hiding something?" asked Daio.

  "I wouldn't rule it out," said Naan.

  "When they send the Writings we’ll check them," said Daio.

  Naan smiled again. "Maybe these Writings are a cover for something else. Maybe he is expecting us to focus on them instead of something else."

  "Sosi is many things, but he's not devious like you," said Daio.

  "If there's anyone on Naan who could do stuff like this it's him," said Naan. "He's a master of scrambling. He could wrap us all around his little finger."

  "Yes, but he also saved Naan. Don't forget that," said Daio. The hovercraft rose abruptly making rumbling noise.

  "How can I forget.” said Naan not even trying to overcome the sound of the hovercraft that passed right above them. You remind us that twice a week," he muttered quietly.

  A few days later Sosi sent Daio selections from the Writings. He added his interpretations in the margins and added that he would be very happy to hear about any new discoveries they might make. He promised to send additional parts as he discovered them.

  Within a year Sosi had completed his commentaries on the Books to the fourth order. He named it The Orders of Meaning. Paper Books were virtually unknown on Naan, so issuing one was an event in itself. On the day it was complete Sosi called all of his friends together at the Shuttle and described to them his findings. Twenty copies were printed for the event, but they were not allowed outside the Shuttle. The response of the small audience was enthusiastic. At this first meeting they barely scratched the surface of the content of Sosi’s commentaries, but quickly it became a weekly meeting.

  Daio never sent anything back so Sosi kept all of the new information to himself. As time went on the Shuttle’s mechanical structure was strengthened to make sure it didn’t collapse. Sosi added in a new terminal that was connected to the network of the chosen and used his scrambling abilities to mask it from the other two terminals.

  Two things had been bothering Sosi for quite a while. First the Doctor hadn’t said much in that meeting at Daio's house. This did not match with Sosi’s memories of him from their previous interactions. He’s always had something to say about any subject that came up. Second, although he hadn’t said much, the strange little man was the only one who’d used the word Books to describe the Writings. Sosi had noticed this back then but he hadn’t known what to make of it at the time.

  Those two seemingly unrelated facts were suddenly connected in his mind a few months after the meeting. The revelation came when he discovered that the Onimin Writings were indeed divided into Books. The progression was not marked in any way and it only became clear after his intense study revealed clues in the Writings.

  Was it a coincidence or maybe something completely different, that was the reason why he kept quite during the meeting. He didn't like the Doctor. He’d never felt comfortable around him. He had forgiven him for threatening his life thirty years ago, but they were never close afterwards. Once their ways had parted, after the Chosen was founded, they’d drifted even further apart.

  The Books were like magic to the people of the Chosen. Rumors about the weekly meeting in the Shuttle, and about Sosi's book, flew through the community by word of mouth and more people came to the Shuttle every week. Eventually there was no place even to stand. The weekly meetings became daily meetings and several young men and women began helping Sosi manage the load of teaching what he had learned.

  Sosi turned the control deck into a study hall. He installed many terminals with the Onimin Books and the Order book loaded onto them. He continued to update The Orders of Meaning book as more of the mysteries of the Books were revealed. In parallel to the studies, people started to study the Books themselves. Eventually the volume of hovercraft traffic to and from the Shuttle reached the point of disaster, and a wide road was paved from the City of the Chosen to the Shuttle.

  As the years passed by, Sosi understood that in addition to a simple and restrained life, the Books preached independence and development of personal capabilities. This seemed contradictory at first. In time Sosi realized that not only was there no contradiction between the two but that they actually completed each other. In his lectures he preached that those without talent would never know how hard it is to restrain the use of this talent to only good actions. Those with the greatest gifts have the hardest time with temptation.

  The Books’ prescription of simplicity and independence reminded him, and the people of the Chosen, of the times before the plague was cured. Back then they’d lived simple and independent lives. They probably still would be doing so if not for the curing of the plague. Sosi wondered if, without knowing it, the Naanites had inherited the way of life of their ancient ancestors.

  Indeed the Books practice's so suited the way of the chosen that even without specific rules, they believed in the simple life and avoided contact with industrial planets. Sosi believe that these qualities were inherent in the Naanites somehow, and the Books only gave it a structure.

  The neighboring city did not agree. People there thought the Books represented the old ways of Naan that they would rather forget.

  For years Sosi had neglected his scrambling capabilities. The encouragement of the Books led him back to them, to improve and sharpen them. The things he discovered in the Books also confirmed his decision to foster these capabilities in Raban at a young age.

  In fact his belief in the Books became so
strong that Sosi was inspired to begin teaching scrambling to the children of the chosen. Soon, these lessons were included alongside their study of the Onimin Books. Soon the art of scrambling became a part of their culture. It was respected as if it was a forgotten martial art, and not the forbidden abomination that was feared in every other place in the galaxy.

  The combination of scrambling capabilities and restraint impressed Sosi very much. He felt proud to watch one of the best scramblers in the galaxy in front of one of the Shuttle's terminal, who with the twitch of their neck could penetrate any network and plant the seeds of hidden calamity, yet easily avoided the temptation.

  Signs were posted bearing a sentence excerpted from paragraph twenty-five in the third book when read in order five:

  The effect of knowing one's capabilities is stronger than these capabilities if used.

  These signs greeted anyone arriving at the Shuttle. They didn't specify what capabilities were being referred to, but everyone knew they were referring to information scrambling. Sosi chose this sentence because it he felt it referenced the innate devastating capabilities within everyone whose use must be controlled.

  "Yes Raban," I heard his voice from the other end of the line.

  "I’d like to go up to the upper room. There are too many people here. The background noise is terrible and I don't think it will change in the coming hours."

  "Yes, you know there's a big test next week," said my father hesitantly.

  "Oh, that explains it."

  The line went silent.

  "Hello, father, are you there?" I asked. I thought the connection had been lost.

  "Yes, I'm here."

  "So, can I go up to the room?"

  "To the room?" he said, as if he didn't hear me well.

  "Yes. Otherwise my evening here is going to be useless."

  "I'm on my way over. We'll go up together," he said and disconnected.

  I went out of the Shuttle feeling embarrassed. I knew the code to the room and didn't understand why I needed to wait for him.

  Six years had passed since the Shuttle had crashed and it had become my father's second home. The economy of the chosen continued to improve, although lately it seemed to be reaching its saturation point. I’d never stopped wondering about the old idea, the one I’d wanted to tell my parents the day the Shuttle crashed. I don't know why I stopped pushing it back then. Maybe because my father was so busy with the Books or maybe I’d just gotten too busy myself since I was being pulled into managing the chosen’s industry. Or maybe it was too early for it to be viable.

  The idea eventually came back into my thoughts however. Six years had past and it seemed like the Chosen needed it more than ever. Not only it would boost our economy but also it was consistent with the Books.

  I wasn't happy about the fact that most of the exports of the Chosen reached Mampas through The City of Naan. The Books encouraged us to detach ourselves from Mampas. Were we truly detached if most of our income was the result of sales to Mampas? Why did we continue to accept the fact that this engagement with Mampas was transacted through Naan City? To us the Books obligated The City of Naan’s residents to the same extent. Wouldn’t it be better for us to market our products directly? At least then we would know what to be careful of.

  My father thought differently. He said we should be the model for power and restraint. To maintain that position we could not detach ourselves from Mampas completely. Because of this he approved the mediation of The City of Naan. I wasn't convinced. What kind of role model could we be if they never saw us or interacted with us? I also wasn't convinced by his claims that this part of the prophecies in the Books hadn’t come true yet and that I should be patient so as not to draw the wrong conclusions.

  I knew the content of the Books just as well as anyone else in the Chosen, but my desire to prove the worth of my ideas made me want to delve into the Books in order to find proof of their validity. I thought that if I could talk to my father using his own language it would be easier for him to understand my ideas. I used to come to the Shuttle right after work and study the Books, hoping to find sections that supported my ideas. That day, as sometimes happened, I found that students occupied every terminal. This often forced me to go to the upper room and to use the terminal next to my father if I wanted to get anything accomplished.

  That day, for some reason, my father was out of the Shuttle and I found myself waiting for him on one of the benches in front of the Shuttle. The parking lot was filled with cars. The lone exception was the parking place reserved for my father. He’d said he would be there in a few moments, but nearly twenty minutes had passed. Frustrated, I decided to leave. As I walked to my car I saw him pulling into the lot. He got out of the car and walked quickly up the trail leading to the Shuttle. He glanced back as if something were following him and spotted me.

  "Raban," he called and waved. He walked back. "Good evening," he said when he reached me.

  "Good evening," I replied monotonically.

  "I'm sorry for being late."

  "That's fine. I guess it's not the best time to be at the Shuttle."

  "I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

  "Don't worry about it," I said but I felt offended. "When is this test?"

  "Early next week."

  "They are diligent," I said gazing at the Shuttle. Light from the windows that had been added during one of the countless renovations made it look like a big and bright dome. "I guess they'll be here till very late."

  "Come on let's go up to the room," he said.

  I let out a small sigh. "It's too late now. Tomorrow is a working day and I don't want to be late."

  It was true, but if I hadn’t been feeling so offended, I would have gone with him to the room and stayed in front of the terminal until the small hours of the night.

  He nodded. "I'm sorry, but the terminals in the upper room are dear to me. They are part of Naan's history and I cannot allow people to be there when I'm not there."

  "I'm not people," I said.

  "Yes, I know." He opened his mouth to say something else but he didn't. A few seconds passed in silence until he finally said, “It’s the network terminal in there I'm worried about.

  I looked at him in wonder. Of all the possible reasons for concern, how had he come up with this one? Had he forgotten that it was I, Raban, his son, who had found the key to revealing the secrets of this Shuttle? He’d trusted my judgment when I was only a child by telling me the secrets of scrambling. He’d even showed me the biggest one of all, the key to Shor. How was it possible that he was now afraid I’d do something to tamper with the Books? It was ridiculous.

  "Yes, I understand," I said and walked to my car. "I'll come back next week after the test. I assume things will have calmed down by then."

  "Yes, no doubt they will, but you don't have to wait that long. I'm here every night. We can sit in the upper room together."

  "Thank you," I said and got in my car.

  The conversation irritated me all the way home. The terminals there were important to him, but they were important to me as well. He’d talked to me as if I was a complete stranger. This thought hurt so much that I started to think that maybe there was something else. Maybe something I’d done. Maybe the disagreements that we had about the Books. Or maybe he was simply hiding something from me. I shook off the thought and pushed it out of my mind.

  One night a few weeks later, I sat in the Shuttle, studying chapter three in the seventh book. The chapter was talking about Naan's leader and reading in order three it described in very clear terms that this futuristic leader would also lead Mampas. It was very clear to us at the chosen that this chapter predicted Daio's leadership. He was the leader of Naan, and a close friend of Thesh, the ruler of Mampas. I didn't think Daio was going to ever be the ruler of Mampas and neither did the people around me. But being a close friend and advisor for the ruler of Mampas was considered to be close enough to satisfy the Book’s prophecy.

  Yet, in t
he same chapter was written:

  Eight generations they suffer Chapter hidden reveals her faith in her scrambling skills she counted Mampas soon humbly at her feet she rules the desert tribes becoming free nation of Naanite.

  This paragraph spoke about a female scrambler that strikes Mampas and brings the people back to Naan. Everyone thought this was probably a futuristic prophecy.

  The interpretation my father gave this paragraph was revealed by reading the paragraph backwards with changing orders of seven, six, five, four and three.

  A Naanite rules Mampas in chapter eight.

  This interpretation was odd because this was the first time, and as far as I knew the only one, where one interpretation directed the reader to a specific chapter in another Book to find more details. The coded Books were complex enough, and to send the reader to another book, through a complicated interpretation didn't make sense to me. More than that, chapter eight, according to my father’s interpretations, talked about the empty life of Mampas, and the evils and destructive nature of information scrambling. It also talked about corruption, greediness and lust. The final section spoke of a Naanite leader who would become the ruler of Mampas and cleanse it from the greatest evil of all.

  I smiled to myself when I saw my father’s interpretation of chapter eight. I smiled because the description of this Naanite leader didn’t resemble Daio in the least. After all he aspired to the same things as his colleagues in Mampas, and was the last one who wanted to change anything about their way of life. As I read more my smile vanished and became contempt. In some ways this interpretation of the future leader described my father. He could have cleansed Mampas of the greatest evil of all, but he wasn't the leader of Naan. As much as it depended on him, he would never set foot on Mampas again. Beside a leader should aspire to lead, which went against the whole being of my father.

  I was confused by the conflicting messages of the Books, and becoming skeptical of my father's commentaries. I also didn't like the conclusion I was forced to draw from chapter eight in the seventh Book. The only logical explanation, without forcing myself to assume things I couldn't live with, was that if in some miraculous way a Naanite came to rule Mampas in the near future, Daio was the most likely candidate.