by E. M. Hardy
Isin opened her mouth to criticize Martin for bringing up these fictional invaders of his when she froze, closing her mouth in the progress. “You really believe these invaders of yours will come, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Martin replied flatly, without a flicker of humor or sarcasm. “It was the entire reason I was pulled from my world into this one, forced into whatever I am right now. Now please answer my question.”
Isin scowled, noting the bitterness in Martin’s words before shaking her head and giving his question some thought. “Because previous historians were idiots and nobody managed to preserve records?”
Martin chuckled dryly. “The Empire of Ren has records of the invaders, but they merely dismissed them as legends until I started insisting they were more than mere myths. Try again.”
Isin huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms while doing so. “Because the empires are weak, and they never obtained the power they needed to last long enough? Power that has nothing to do with stupid laws that undermined the authority of their very leaders?”
“And there’s your problem!” Isin jumped up in fright when Martin’s walker snapped a finger forward, pointing it directly at her. “None of the nations here in your world last longer than their rulers! Empress Zi Li, Shogun Inagaki, Maharaja Venkati, even Emir Ma’an and his family—everyone here only cares about pursuing their own personal ambitions. Once they disappear, their respective kingdoms and empires will follow them into the forgotten mists of time. The League of Merchants is no exception; intrigue and betrayal plagues your organization at every turn, with everyone out for themselves.”
Martin’s walker shifted closer to Isin, leaning forward and speaking slowly. “You have the chance to change all that. Once the Shogun is dealt with and Ishida restores order in the Isles of Taiyo, you will be able to step in to help form a new government that will unite these disparate islands together. This new government will be based on laws and principles, not on individuals and personalities. Their leaders may die, may resign or be assassinated, but the laws and principles will survive their disappearances.
“And once you find something that works, once you learn how to draw up a constitution that unites the Taiyo together, you’ll be able to draw one up for the League of Merchants. When that happens, when you get the other Merchants to value their legacy more than their ambitions, the League will become more than just another nest of hissing snakes trying to bite each other all day long. The League of Merchants will unite not just the Bashri Basin, but the entire world—and it will be able to do so for generations to come, no matter who sits at the top of the organization.”
Isin couldn’t help but stare at the walker, at Martin’s manifestation sitting in front of her. She couldn’t possibly believe his audacity, his brazen idealism. And yet his words struck something in her, something she thought lost as a beggar girl stealing scraps and selling information to local thugs in the Rock Quarry gang. It was similar to but not quite the same as the feeling that drove her to slit the throat of her gang leader, to usurp his rule and then later throw her gang in with an up-and-coming syndicate calling itself the League of Merchants. This feeling wasn’t like what pushed her to betray those who trusted her in a mad scramble to join the ranks of executives within the League.
It wasn’t mere ambition. No, this feeling was hope for something else—something more than herself.
“It seems stupidity is infectious,” Isin whispered to herself.
“What?”
“I said that you’ve got a deal, pothead. If you want me to help you mess around with this so-called constitution of yours, then you’ll need someone to pull your head out of the clouds and bring you back down to the dirt. At least, it’ll be those saps in Taiyo who’ll suffer from your stupidity if things go wrong. That’s assuming you’re not blowing smoke out of your ass about being able to beat the Shogunates. You can deal with the Shogun before he turns around and stomps your allies into the dirt, can’t you?”
“I think so,” Martin replied coolly, apparently confused about Isin’s sudden turnaround in opinion. “I think that—”
“Wait,” Isin exclaimed, as she cut him off abruptly. “How do you go about making this constitution of yours in the first place?”
“You, uh… you gather the various representatives into one place, get them to identify key areas of concern. They make propositions, they debate over the pros and cons, then they run a vote to agree or disagree. If the vote doesn’t pass, then you get people to come up with a new proposal. Run another vote until a proposal passes. Wash, rinse, repeat until you have enough laws to cover key concerns.”
“But what if the law doesn’t work? What if that law does more harm than good, or they find out that the law isn’t working out as intended?”
“Then you amend those laws. Bring representatives back, vote on new proposals. A constitution is a living document, one that can be changed according to the times.”
Isin frowned at that. “So what’s to stop someone from just changing these oh-so-holy laws to suit their needs? What will stop one leader from changing the laws to grant that leader an advantage over his or her rivals?”
The walker shrugged. “That’s where the majority vote comes in. Those smart enough will be able to block any proposal that won’t benefit them all. The more voters you have, the lower the chance that someone will twist the laws like that.”
“But let’s say I form a coalition, bribe or coerce a couple of voters to my side,” Isin proposed, trying to get Martin to trip up. “What will stop me from using these numbers to pass laws that give me enough power, enough influence to ignore them at my convenience?”
To Isin’s credit, her question made Martin think for a long, hard time about that. “That’s where numbers and education come in.”
Isin stared at the walker. The walker stared back with its featureless face. “Well? Do you have to wait for me to ask what you mean by that?”
Martin chuckled, shaking his walker’s head. “First off is numbers. The more people you need to pass a vote, the less likely that you can sneak a bad one through. This is why authoritarian regimes in our world tend to collapse over time. You have one or a few people making decisions quickly, hastily. It’s way too easy for them to pass laws without thinking through the long-term effects, especially if they are doing so because of short-sighted interests. If you have many representatives voting over these changes, however, it becomes much harder for a small group to advance agendas that will not help everyone in the group.
“Second is education. You can easily convince millions of stupid people to agree to whatever you want, even if it hurts them, but not so with a handful of people who truly understand what you’re talking about. Educate people, show them about the ways of the world, teach them to love the laws that define their nation. The more educated they are, the less likely that a saboteur will be able to sneak in changes that will hurt the nation. This is how numbers and education can help ensure that new laws or changes to old ones will be made for the betterment of the nation, not for a single person’s ambitions.”
Isin studied Martin’s walker with a squint, committing all his proposals to memory. She then grimaced as a thought wormed its way into her mind. “You keep saying words like ‘less likely,’ ‘much harder,’ and ‘the lower the chance.’ It’s like you’re not even sure of what you’re saying, that this constitution of yours is constantly at risk of being subverted.”
“Yeah,” Martin admitted with a sigh, surprising Isin. “A constitution isn’t a guarantee for success. Someone will eventually find the weak spots, take advantage of them. We had many law-based nations in our world that slid back on their progress, devolving into dictatorships or oligarchies. And yet, they only slid back because they couldn’t safeguard the integrity of laws, how these laws should serve the nation and not one person’s ambitions. It’s always some guy or gal taking more power than they should, forcing everyone else to obey what they want whi
le striking down anyone who dares question their rule. And when they die or they lose their power, the vultures come swooping in to ravage the mess they left behind. Chaos tends to follow soon after that.”
Martin positioned his walker to face Isin squarely, uncharacteristically serious. Isin was seeing a side of Martin he usually didn’t show to others, a certain amount of despair in his voice that made her feel more uncomfortable than she wanted to admit. Martin was supposed to be the jovial, all-knowing, all-powerful entity controlling the walkers. It frightened her to see him this vulnerable, so doubtful, so worried.
“People aren’t like my walkers,” Martin continued, as he shifted his gaze to the wall, looking far off into the distance beyond the tapestries covering the cool mudbrick walls. “These constructs are almost like clay limbs, obeying my every will. I need only flex and they will obey without question. People are different. They will not obey everything I tell them, nor do I want them to. They will think, dream, create, and innovate. I will do all I can to try and keep up, but I will be no match for millions of different minds each creating something new… like using my postal service as means of secretly passing along confidential communications.”
Isin composed herself well, preventing any of her tells from bubbling up to the surface. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of confirming his suspicions. Still, she would need to instruct her operatives to update their ciphers just in case Martin managed to crack their codes.
“This is why I need you and everyone in this world to be as strong, as united, and as dedicated to progress as possible. I know I won’t be able to beat back the invaders on my own. I’m too weak to do that. You, however… you and the people of the world have the power to do that. It’s also why the invaders want your souls. This is why we need to iron out the details of this constitution as quickly as possible. The people of this world won’t grow if they’re not united. You, Isin… you and the League need to set it all in motion, starting with the Isles of Taiyo.”
Martin’s walker slumped into its chair, slowly shaking its head. “More importantly, the people of this world need a vision they can stand behind; a cause greater than obeying the guy with the biggest stick and then waiting for him to die so that you can take his stick before anyone else. I say this because people fail. Even the best of us become spoiled by success, get corrupted by power, make drastic mistakes, and eventually fall in disgrace. I know all too well that I’m no exception to that rule, especially after what just happened to me. This is why I’m not interested in just taking everything over and forcing everyone to play nice with one another.”
Isin couldn’t resist raising her eyebrows at Martin’s frank confession and the veiled threat in his words. She decided that he wasn’t threatening her on purpose, so she remained silent and let him ramble on.
“These laws we draft will change over time, for better or for worse, but they have the potential to survive the failures of man. They will offer a vision that will help unite people under a common cause, especially if they see that the laws directly and indirectly benefit them. And if that vision takes root in enough people, if enough people hold enlightened self-interest deeply in their hearts, then they will continue working under these laws no matter what challenges come their way.”
Martin’s monologue kept echoing in Isin’s mind as she spent the rest of the day going over the finer points of drafting laws and principles that would create a nation. She also spent the subsequent week with Martin coming up with a framework for drafting constitutions, specifically formulating various questions and bullet-point lists on how a nation would govern itself. They spent the time coming up with checks and balances to the powers of rulers, rules and regulations for implementing laws, and defining the various governmental agencies that would handle these laws. By the time they were done with the framework for drafting a constitution, Isin was thoroughly convinced she was insane.
Too bad she was too giddy with excitement to care.
Chapter 17
“A coin for your thoughts, honored friend,” Yao Xiu said, as she stepped closer to Martin’s walker.
Martin shifted his consciousness, diverting a little bit more attention to the young historian. She leaned on her long staff, looking bored while her jinni, Inqiz, floated beside her in the cool night air. They stood in the darkness while staring out at the braziers burning on the plains, casting light a fair distance around them. Sentry duty, watching out for Shogunate infiltrators attempting to slip past the watchful eyes of the eyeballs floating above them.
“You really shouldn’t be out here,” Martin gently chastised. “I distinctly remember General Shen Feng marking you as vital personnel. That means you should be at the rear helping train those that have just formed a bond with their own jinni.”
“She got bored,” Inqiz said blandly, confirming Martin’s suspicions. “Actually, she got tired of all the attention from the camp. Few of the soldiers here have seen jinn, and everyone’s swarming her with questions on how to summon one of their own.” Inqiz huffed indignantly before crossing his arms. “Some of the more forward martial artists have even tried pulling some chi from her, thinking it will help improve their chances of bonding. Hah! As if they can pull sahar from the Invisible World the same way they pull energy from the Visible World.”
“Give ‘em a break,” Martin replied nonchalantly, as his walker examined the rolling waves of grass from the safety of his bunker. A few dozen walkers patrolled beyond the grasslands, into the thick cover of the trees, while dozens of eyeballs kept careful watch from above. “It’s not as if you’re not experimenting with chi yourself. If I recall, you’re getting pretty good at coaxing fire and slinging a few balls of force.”
“I must admit,” Inqiz harrumphed. “I am not normally capable of invoking sahar, considering my gifts lay more in the mnemonic practices. Memory is nice and all, but it doesn’t help if I don’t have the talent for bending sun and sand. I do, however, seem to have an affinity for controlling chi. Given enough time, I may be able to tap into the energies of life with the same ease as most Renese people.”
“Indeed,” Yao Xiu added, nodding along with her bonded partner. “I too find myself gaining a stronger affinity for all things chi. Remember when you first found me, Martin? Back when I got lost in the Leizhu Swamp?”
“Yup. I remember you having such a hard time starting a fire. Granted, everything was soaked in water while the fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I even think it was storming back then.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Yao Xiu interrupted. “Very foggy with a light shower, but nothing close to a storm.”
Martin stared at Yao Xiu frowning somewhat, then at a smug Inqiz who simply shrugged his shoulders and smirked. “You’re probably right. Ugh. I wish I had your memory,” Martin finally confessed.
“I have Inqiz to thank for that. In any case, honored friend, I can do this now!” Yao Xiu held out the palm of her hand, focusing intently at it before a small ball of fire flared to life. Yao Xiu smiled widely, satisfied with her work, before closing her palms and extinguishing the fire. “I’ve made amazing progress with my studies of chi. I can do more now than I’ve ever done before, and I seem to be getting better at it with each passing day!”
“She’s not the only one,” Inqiz quipped. “I’ve noticed other Renese in the camp manifesting greater control over chi. Those who were previously unable to grasp chi suddenly found themselves manifesting talent. Martial artists find their powers growing even greater, either sharpening their existing skill sets or finding new abilities.” Inqiz rubbed his chin in thought, his ethereal green skin sparkling in the moonlight. “To be completely honest, even the regular soldiers and martial artists are bonding with my fellow jinn with ease. They don’t shine as brightly as the people from the Emirate of Ma’an, but I am still surprised that a fair number of people here are reaching through the veil that separates the Visible and Invisible Worlds.”
Yao Xiu glanced
at the walker, then at Inqiz, then back again at the walker. “Pardon me if I am being too forward, honored friend and honored partner… but why do you seem so relaxed around one another nowadays?”
Martin straightened up with his walker, unsure how he would explain things. Inqiz came to his rescue, sighing before following up with a sad smile. “It is a long and unpleasant story, Yao Xiu. To cut a long story short, Martin has found a way to cleanse the taint on his soul… or whatever passes for his soul.” Martin winced at that last statement, expecting a hint of scorn or disdain there. To his surprise, Inqiz favored him with a reassuring nod, free from the slightest trace of anything hostile. “He is no longer as offensive to us as he once was.”
“Thanks,” he said, not able to find anything suitable to add. Martin was so filled with relief, with gratitude, that he would have cried if he could. Instead, he simply inclined his walker’s head in a simple nod of gratitude. Yao Xiu, however, had that look on her face that told Martin he would eventually have to explain everything to her. She found something that held her curiosity, and she wouldn’t stop pestering him until she got answers.
Martin decided to change the subject. “Hey. You know what you guys said about suddenly getting better at manipulating chi? About how strange it is that so many people are bonding with jinn? Something similar is going on down south, in the border with the Sahaasi. Give me a second to ask around. And while I’m checking my sources, I do have to ask: aren’t you going to get in trouble with Shen Feng for disobeying orders? Setting aside the fact that you two are a thing and—”
“It’s not like that!” Yao Xiu stammered out. Martin glanced at Inqiz, who simply smirked as he realized what Martin was trying to pull. “He’s just worrying himself too much about me. I’m not the only one in the army who has an affinity for bonding with jinn and can teach others how to better communicate with their partners. I mean, I enjoy spending my time around him and he’s a really nice guy when he’s not bullying me around or putting up the tough-guy, macho-man image in front of his men. He’s something of a tea connoisseur actually, introducing me to new… hey! You’re trying to change the subject, aren’t you?”