by Dave Gordon
I was too amazed to speak. The person I had just spent the last week with playing ‘kick the stone’ controlled trade in the Andromeda galaxy? I became disoriented. Tuya was having difficulty also. “But how.... ?” I could not finish the question.
Finerl said, “It is not important how, it simply is. Learn well what they have to teach you. You will learn more as time passes. You must learn Illistari as soon as possible. I have been selected to act as your language teacher, Avron. Perian Int'E will instruct you he said pointing at Tuya.
I could see the beginnings of anger growing in her eyes. The omission of her name in favor of a simple out-stretched finger was a serious affront.
Finerl seemed to understand the situation. “Please excuse my terrible rudeness,” he said, “I could not learn to pronounce your name. I am honored and gladdened to have in my charge our first delegation from, what did he say? Milky way? Odd name, but not as odd as you are likely to hear from others. Now,” he said as he pulled us away from the group, “what did the Emperor say?”
He wanted to know everything, all the details of the trip. All the conversation, what we ate, and particularly, what the Emperor said. After we had disclosed everything we could remember he stood back from us and said, “You spent ten days with the ruler of the galaxy and all you did was kick rocks and joke?”
“Galaxy!” I yipped, drawing some attention. I lowered my voice and said, “I thought he was the ruler of this planet.”
“Indeed he is,” said Finerl, “This one and several million more.”
This last was inconceivable. My head swam. Perian took me by the arm and Tuya moved up to the other side. “Perhaps we should let our guests rest,” Perian said. He and Tuya practically carried me out of the hall. Perian took us down a long hall lined with wooden doors. We mounted a wide staircase that curved up to the second floor. We walked through a sumptuous hallway. Perian stopped and opened a wide door. “These are your quarters,” he said, pushing open a door. The room was truly palatial. A beautifully appointed sitting room opened to a bedroom. A broad bed covered in thick blankets of soft, smooth fabric sat under a large window in the expansive bedroom. The window looked out over the city. There were several rooms on each side of the main room. There were two toilets in separate bathrooms that had the look of something not just recently installed, but recently made.
Tuya looked at Perian and said, “Master, we are not worthy of such accommodations. Perhaps something closer to the ground and less fine?”
Perian bowed and said, “This is a Royal Suite. It is the Emperor's will that all royalty shall be housed in these suites.”
“As the Emperor wishes,” Tuya said with a bow. Perian made his exit. Tuya went to a beautiful couch and plopped down on some pillows. “This is exactly why I did not want to be queen in the first place. Who can live like this?” she said.
“This is the finest room I have ever been in,” I said. The walls were dazzling, the ceiling was traced in gold, beautiful stonework abounded.
“This is how I grew up. Where is the reality? Is this how life is? Not for you, not for the peasant that plows the fields, not for the fisherman. I will abide here by the Emperor's will but I will not choose this life willingly!” She spat out the last words as if ridding herself of a bad taste.
“Yet some choices makes themselves,” said the Emperor from the opened door.
We both leapt up and made a bow. “Oh, please now, my friends,” he said pulling our hands down. “I am the same old man you knew on the road, let us not become strangers only because of a certain place. It would pain me if you were to treat me as the court treats me. You, Tuya ‘al Ayan y h!dlay Zhia!tu, being the first ruler from the Milky Way, are regarded by our law as the ruler of the Milky Way for purposes of trade. Until such time as another is named, you shall be treated as my equal, ruler of a Galaxy.”
“But I am no such thing, Master,” said Tuya, bowing again. “I only seek to learn and become one with the earth and the sky.”
“As I, child, as I,” he said grasping her hands, “but we are cast in a forge beyond our knowing. We can only do with what we have and are given. You and I were given a heavy load, but no more than the plowman or the fisherman. These things are playing out as they should. All will be revealed and resolved in the end. And now, Queen Zhia'tu, we must hold court. You, Avron, are to begin with Finerl, the old robber. When he learned new delegates were arriving he studied day and night to learn the language.” The Emperor and Tuya left just and Stellant'I walked in. She was dressed in the same manner as usual but the material was richer and imbued with gold-threaded designs. She had obviously been in the city some time.
“Stellant'I!” I cried. “I'm glad to see you.”
She bowed and said, “I am glad to see you also. Your journey was pleasant?”
“Oh, very.” I said, “but how did you beat us here?” I asked.
With a slight hesitation, she said “We came another way.”
That sounded a little odd but I was not prepared to question it so I let it drop. “Will you be staying here?” I asked.
“If that is your wish. Otherwise I will stay elsewhere.”
“Well, if you want to stay elsewhere I'm sure we will be well cared for.”
“This is your choice to make. I will not voice a preference.”
She seemed to be uncommonly difficult. Having no clues to go on, I said, “I would prefer it if you to stayed with us.”
She smiled slightly. She said, “I have taken the room down the hall.” With that, she turned and exited though an ornate door.
I stood in the center of the opulent room feeling out of place. Great care had been taken to decorate the room in a manner that would make Tuya and I feel comfortable, but I longed to hear the crunch of gravel under my feet. I was beginning to feel trapped when there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, Finerl was standing there with a bottle in his hand.
“I have decided to begin our Illistari lessons with the word ‘schluge',” he said as he walked over to a table and set the bottle down. He produced two small glasses, pulled two chairs up to the table, opened the bottle, and poured a drink. He handed one to me and shouted, “Schluge!” He drank the glass down.
Without hesitation I yelled “Schluge,” and drank. The next memory I have is one of Finerl picking me up off the floor.
“Yes, yes. It is a fine drink. Schluge is the Illistari word for ‘remember'. It is a favorite toast. You cannot go wrong if asked to give a toast, but remember to shout it out. Said softly, it means sadness.”
Finerl went about his business teaching me the language. He was very elusive and non-committal regarding questions about the Illistari. He said his charge was to teach language, not history. After several hours and two more toasts, he said, “The lessons are over for today, my friend. The Illistari say once you have drank with a man; he is your friend for life.” He reached for the door latch and looked over his shoulder. “I am glad to have drank with you,” he said as he left.
I sat alone in the room for two hours. I got bored so I went in search of Stellant'I's room. The door she had left by led to a long hall. There were rooms on either side of the hall that appeared to be service areas. Seeing them reminded me of my long years of servitude in the dank caverns under the domed city. I felt a wave of shame at the thought that I would be requiring servants. There was a single door at the end of the darkened hall. I knocked on the door softly. When Sellant'I opened the door, I asked, “Do you know how long Tuya will be?”
Stellant'I gave me a sad, strange look. “Please come in,” she said. Her room was well appointed, but not as luxurious as ours. She took me by the arm and pulled me over to a pillowed bench. We sat and she held my hands in hers. Her long delicate fingers felt cool and smooth. “Your Tuya is now in a different world. Hers is a world of introductions, courtesies, favors; she is the supreme ruler of trillions of trillions by our law. She is your love, but she is their goddess. The goddess of trade. Fate has dealt you
an evil hand, you two who would be simple lovers on a starship. You have become high, highest of the high. You transcend the boundaries of every-day existence. Being so high, how can you become low again and know simple pleasures? How can you touch the ground? Only by releasing everything. By giving it all up. Do you hear what I'm saying to you, Avron? You must give it up.”
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Chapter 11
The days passed with unbroken regularity. Tuya and I would wake together, then Stellant'I would make us breakfast. A quick kiss and Tuya was off to the royal hall for a meeting, sparring, protocol discussions, a hundred things. I could not keep it straight. I spent my days in constant study with Finerl. Afterwards we would go in search of his friends. Stellant'I often came along. I met many, many delegates who were all quite eager to discuss the trading needs of the Milky Way. I was off limits, however, since the Illistari had not yet announced the nature of the relationship between our two galaxies. I came to realize that Tuya was downstairs negotiating the ‘nature of the relationship’ between the two galaxies. My flaming goddess that was mine alone only a short time ago now belonged to the stars. I worried for her but all indications were the Emperor was guiding her well.
Tuya became more remote. She would sit on the beautiful couch by the window and stare out at the darkness. She sought answers in the night but those returned were not to her liking. She sagged under the weight of the heavy charge she had accepted. I had never seen my beautiful warrior tired before. She was never unkind but she was often deep in thought. No wonder she did not want to be queen, I thought. The Emperor would sometimes come and offer some advice. The advice was always philosophical rather than practical. “In meditation, go deep in the heart,” I heard him say to her but it was deep in her heart that the trouble laid. I sincerely wished that I could help her but it seemed Stellant'I was right. She was in a different world, one that I did not fit into. Not just my goddess any longer. Now she was the goddess of a world, a million worlds, a galaxy. All I could do was adore her as they did and offer what comfort I might.
Meanwhile, I was being approached for ‘pre-consideration’ agreements by a great number of delegates. Many of the requests were better suited to other planets rather than Earth. A great number of them were dream-come-true arrangements that would make some merchants very rich. I was sure that would be of great interest to many on Earth, but I had little interest in wealth. The delegates pleaded with me to do the sensible thing and assent to an agreement in principle. I tried to explain that I had no authority in these matters. The delegates were satisfied that the Emperor had granted me the authority. Iron was of interest. Water ice also. I received proposals for scientific exchanges. I had several requests regarding our terra-forming technology. The technology had become quite advanced. Earth had become such a hostile place that it was easier to terra-form a moon than to build an Earth city. That was technology Earth would certainly be interested in trading. I had a proposal to exchange hydrocarbons in Earth's atmosphere for another planet's excess oxygen. I was in very high demand once I began to speak Illistari.
I continued my studies into Illistari philosophy. I found it very useful during my dealings with other delegates. Most of the delegates were also students of Illistari philosophy. Business was conducted in the most peaceful and courteous manner. I found myself searching more and more for information explaining how Illistar had achieved its success. There were old books in abundance, mostly on philosophy, some on agriculture and forestry. Not much on history. Certainly nothing to explain how the Illistari “had all the information", as the Inickticktici had said on our first day in the capitol.
One day I went for a walk. I asked the first Illistari I met for directions to the hall of letters. She directed me to a truly huge building with dozens of people studying texts. Cogent'R met me as I entered the hall. “Cogent'R!” I cried causing some people to look up from their work. “I am so glad to meet you. What a happy chance.”
“Chance?” she said. “Chance indeed, that you have come to my house after I taught you in Duhain.”
“Your house?” I asked. “This is your city, not Duhain?”
“All the houses of letters in all cities everywhere are my houses, I am the minister of letters. When there are houses of letters in Milky Way, I will be minister of those, also.”
“Please explain,” I said. “There are thousands of libraries on Earth, and thousands more on every planet in the galaxy, how can you be minister to all those?”
“Firstly,” Cogent'R said calmly, “those you call libraries are but dim shadows of a hall of letters. Secondly, and most importantly, because the Emperor wills it. Please follow me.” She led me through an elaborately carved stone door in the rear of the study. We passed through the door too quickly to get a good look at the carvings. I caught a glimpse of tortured figures climbing up to a peaceful scene at the top. We came to a wide staircase carved from the native stone. We began to descend through growing darkness. We were far underground when we stopped our descent. We walked though another less ornate door and down a hall. There was a plain but very stout door at the end of the hall. A faint light issued from wide sconces. Cogent'R turned and faced me. She said, “You have been a good student. I shall give you a gift. I shall give you a gift of knowledge.” She opened the door. Arrayed in front of me were long rows of shelves stretching as far as could be seen. The shelving ran right and left out of sight and descended countless floors below us. On the shelves were small glowing tubules, each fitted into a transparent structure which was roughly rectangular. An immense, glowing structure that throbbed as if alive filled the cavern. An army of Illistaris walked briskly up and down catwalks retrieving and replacing the tubules. The entire gigantic cavern was lit by a soft light coming directly from the stone walls. “I present to you the galactic house of letters,” she said.
The tiny world of my own beliefs and knowledge crumbled as I grappled with sight before me. It was beyond the abilities of Earth to build or even comprehend anything like it. The Illustari lived so simply. Yet, beneath their feet lie a wonder of achievement. I could not bring the two ideas together. “What is it?” was all I could think to say. It was far more immense than any structure I had ever seen. The Triton could have fit into a corner of the cavern.
“It is ... a ‘library',” she said, “but there is more I wish you to see.” We exited the vast cavern and began walking the hallways and staircases. I walked down the stairway numbed by the sight of the library. We walked for a very long time. I had no idea how deep we descended. We stopped in front of a very large door. Cogent'R said, “And now, I give you the gift of understanding.”
Cogent'R threw open the door and the sight left me stunned. The vast cavern before me was filled with abandoned skyscrapers that rose up and disappeared into the darkness above. The city had been a great megalopolis. The decrepit scene testified to the ages that had come and gone. It looked much like an Earth city, crisp architecture rife with an air of efficiency. We walked down the center of a broad street. Many other broad streets intersected the wide avenue we walked. Hundreds of millions of people had lived in the underground city. We walked through neighborhoods of squarish residences. Through streets lined with shops. Lurid advertisements depicting luxurious goods hung in the windows. We walked through the awesome business district lined with mute giants of concrete and steel. Machines of indescribable function littered the deserted streets. Some were obviously ground conveyances. Some may have been crashed aircraft. Tall, dark buildings stained with time stood over us. The imposing ambiance was very Earth-like. Cogent'R took me though the dark and deserted streets unafraid. I could hear ghosts screaming from the unseen heights. I could see the bleak future of Earth written plainly across deserted skyline. The teeming hordes of ancient Illistari cried ‘Save us!’ but there was no saving. There was only dying.
We walked for some distance, our echoing footfalls meeting in the darkness. Water fell from some
unseen source. The falling drops, perfect and clean, were shattered by the defiled city. Nothing clean or whole could exist in the wasted tomb.
We entered an unadorned one-story building. She led me through a dim hall stained dark from neglect and into a large room littered with broken tables and chairs. I imagined serious-minded Illistaris engrossed in the business of ruination. They were intent upon on feeding the beast that was their city. A control panel stood glowing malignantly at the end of the room. Cogent'R walked up to the panel and tapped a series of commands. A large display came to life. The console began playing images and sounds. It was a series of news casts. It chronicled the birth, height, and eventual death of the civilization that had built the city. They too had been traders, builders, business-minded people and they too had driven the life out of the planet. The only place they could go was under the ground. We watched the display for hours. The news reports grew increasingly bad. Rampant disease, falling birth rates, rising crime. They had amassed a great deal of information from all over the galaxy, but they could not save their planet with it. An unexpected thing happened. As the giant underground cities died, the surface came back to life. A remnant of the once teeming masses struggled out of their caves and into the sunshine. They vowed never to make the same mistakes again. They eventually formulated the philosophy that guided them now.
“When did this happen?” I asked, sadly thinking of Earth and its fate.