Roxal let out a sigh of relief. She did not feel that she and Edo were safe. But she did feel that maybe they were not going to be executed in this session. Living through this assembly was the first step, then they could figure out what to do to survive later.
“How unfortunate.” The Rep slowly shook his head from side to side. “This is a tragedy. This Citizen did not have to die. Not like this. But such is the fate of all blasphemers. Now, for you who are left.” The Rep turned towards the remaining Citizens on the platform. “Is there anyone else who would like to confess their guilt and receive a merciful death?”
The projection widened its focus on the platform so that the faces of the remaining kneeling people showed clearly. Roxal watched Jonar. She would not have blamed him for confessing at this point. It was guaranteed that everyone on that platform would be killed. Now it was just a matter of how. As the Rep stood watching the Citizens, no one else stepped forward. The accused Citizens huddled in pairs and trios, comforting one another on the platform. Jonar huddled with another Traveler, but remained silent.
“Well, if no one else is willing to confess, exile is what you are choosing. Is that what you want?”
No one moved.
Then Jonar looked up.
The projected image focused on his face. With all attention on him, Jonar smiled. As Roxal wondered what possible thought would make him smile, he jumped up and ran for the edge of the platform, directly towards the Rep. Two Security Force members ran over and tackled him before he even got close to the Rep. Roxal startled.
The image continued to focus on Jonar, now on his back, struggling beneath the bodies of the two Force members. Jonar somehow managed to plant his feet on the floor and lift his lower body, rolling the two people on top of him towards his upper body. As he lifted, he shifted his body and began wriggling out from under them.
The two Force members who were on top of Jonar were now tangled together. Roxal could not tell if they were fighting each other or Jonar at this point. However, before Jonar could totally free himself from the pile, two more Force members ran over.
The first to reach Jonar hit him in the head with something that caused him to fall motionless onto the platform. The second of the new arrivals straddled Jonar’s lower body. The member who had hit him in the head was holding down Jonar’s shoulders. The two Force members he had originally fought were now separated.
One dove back onto Jonar’s upper body, while the fourth removed a gun from his side and placed the tip on Jonar’s forehead. The same crackle from moments before sounded. Jonar’s body convulsed for a few moments and then went slack.
As the Force members removed themselves from Jonar’s lifeless body and stood, the other Citizens on the platform suddenly exploded into action. All of them ran towards the Rep who had been speaking. The projection expanded to show the full scope of the chaos. The Rep took a few steps back as the mob of captured Citizens was met by a wave of Security Force members.
The scene was now one of mayhem as blue, green, and gray-uniformed Citizens crashed into the multitude of black-uniformed Security Force members. Every moment of the horrific scene was shown for all to see.
The Citizens never stood a chance. There were at least two Force members for every one of them. Roxal did not look away as each Citizen was caught and thrown to the floor. Some continued to fight as they lay on the floor, as Jonar had. Others surrendered immediately.
Ultimately, it did not matter whether someone continued struggling or not. The end result was the same for them all: the Force members eventually got the upper hand and the Citizen was shot in the head.
Time seemed to drag on and on as they watched the massacre. Eventually, the Security Force members stood and returned to formation. The bodies of the dead Citizens lay strewn across the platform for all to see. Finally, the Rep spoke again.
“You have all witnessed the power of The Keepers. Those of you who are still hiding will be uncovered, and you will meet the same fate. So turn yourself in. Also, if you harbor a blasphemer, you will suffer the same fate.” The Rep paused and then added, “This Glorious Session has ended.”
Like the trained animals they were, all of the remaining Citizens stood and recited, “The Keepers know all. The Keepers see all. The Keepers are gods and therefore must be obeyed. It is through their benevolence that I am allowed to live and serve them. If I can no longer serve The Keepers, then I no longer deserve to live.”
CHAPTER 2
As she walked towards her quarters at the end of the helio, Roxal was mentally berating herself over the mistakes she had made. After witnessing the slaughter of Jonar and the other Citizens, Roxal had gone to her mental training work session, as scheduled. Normally, she was one of the top performers in class. This time, though, she could not seem to complete some of the basic exercises.
In addition to mistakes in mental training, Roxal had gotten dressed down for breaking caste protocol. She and several fellow Travelers had been walking to physical training when she had failed to notice the approaching golden yellow-clothed Citizens. The others she had been walking with, however, had noticed. And had, appropriately, stopped and stood with their backs against the wall. Roxal, unfortunately, had continued walking.
One of the Talented caste members had stopped to question her about her delay in response. “I have no reasonable justification and humbly beg your forgiveness,” had been her reply. Though to herself, she thought, We just witnessed people being killed in front of us. And you care about how long it took me to position myself against the wall?
After commanding Roxal to recite the loyalty to The Keepers oath, the Talented caste member had walked away, joining his compatriots, and left her alone.
Finally, in physical training, Roxal had been more aggressive than normal when sparring with her training mates. Though the Instructor seemed pleased by this, Roxal knew this aggression was the only way she could express her anger and fear.
Now approaching her door, the fear was growing. Is Edo inside? she wondered. Though she had not seen him dragged onto the stage during the assembly, it did not mean he had not been grabbed afterwards. For all Roxal knew, he could be being held in preparation for exile.
Once at her door, Roxal touched her hand to the access panel. It validated her identity, and she heard the soft swish as it opened, sliding into the wall. She stepped through the open door and exhaled loudly. Edo was there, arranging her clothes in preparation for the new helio. She pursed her lips to keep the smile she felt from showing on her face.
“Helper, I am pleased to see that you have begun preparing for new helio without being told,” Roxal said. She hoped Edo heard what she really meant, that she was pleased to see him, still alive.
“Yes, Traveler. After this helio’s events, I thought you might want to retire for sleep before end of helio lights out.”
Whether he understood her real message or not, Roxal understood Edo’s: Let’s get into the sleeping unit as soon as possible so we can talk privately.
After some discussion of their schedule for the next helio, both Edo and Roxal stripped out of their clothes and into clothing for sleep. As with most things on Trebor, sleep clothes were all the same. Whether male or female, they consisted of drawstring sleep pants and a matching shirt made of a lightweight material. The only difference between their clothes, other than the size, was the color: Edo’s sleep clothing was green, to match his caste’s color, and Roxal’s was blue.
Wearing only her sleeping shirt, Roxal climbed into their shared sleeping unit. Edo pulled her close and kissed her. The warmth of his bare upper body was comforting. This was not their first kiss, and because she knew they were possibly being watched, she responded as she normally did by reciprocating. Not long after the kissing started, Roxal and Edo were out of their clothes and physically mating, as was typical.
Travelers, from the moment they were identified, were assigned Helpers. When the Travelers were children, these Helpers filled a role similar
to caretakers. They supported the young Travelers as they learned how to fulfill their assigned tasks. They also taught the young Travelers how to become loyal Citizens. When not with the Travelers, they assisted Laborers with general activities within the compound.
Then, between the ages of eighteen and twenty annums, a Traveler was considered mature and was assigned his or her new adult Helper. These adult Helpers continued to assist a Traveler with accomplishing his or her task. But the Helper also filled the role of mate. Meaning it was expected that, in matters of physical pleasure, a Traveler’s adult Helper was the primary source.
Roxal had learned from connecting with Lauren over the annums that on Earth, humans had elaborate mating rituals where they connected with different people at will. On Trebor, though, a Traveler could physically mate with his or her Helper or with someone else of the Travelers caste. However, if she wanted to mate with another Traveler, approval from her Section’s Rep would be required. Roxal had once believed that this approval was to ensure that any relationship between Travelers did not interfere with their responsibilities. Now she was not so sure. Edo had told her he and some of the other Resistors thought it was to make sure the Reps could maintain control by keeping people separate.
Once they had finished mating, they both lay in the sleeping unit, not speaking. The tone for evening mantra recitation sounded, and over the loudspeaker, it played. Roxal and Edo both sat upright in their sleeping unit and chanted along.
“The Keepers know all. The Keepers see all. The Keepers are gods and therefore must be obeyed. It is through their benevolence that I am allowed to live and serve them. If I can no longer serve The Keepers, then I no longer deserve to live.”
After the word ‘live’ had been spoken, the lights went out. In the dark, with their sleeping unit’s covering pulled up to their necks, Roxal placed her hands against Edo’s naked stomach and used them to communicate.
What has happened? Roxal asked in the hand signal language Edo had taught her. Why are the Reps looking for traitors now?
I am not sure, exactly. I thought it too dangerous to meet with my Resistor contacts after the assembly. But... he paused during his response.
But what? she prodded.
Roxal, you have always asked that I not give you details because you did not want to get involved. The questions you are asking will get you involved.
This time Roxal paused before answering Edo because he was right. Even after her moment of defiance and after learning their gods were fake, and that her mission with Lauren was a lie, and that she was actually a slave, Roxal had asked him to not give her any details on the activities of the Resistors. She had thought that by not knowing any of the details about the Resistors, she could keep herself safe by denying membership. However, today had shown her otherwise. The sight of the Helper pleading for her life while declaring her innocence had shown Roxal that there was no such thing as being safe.
She finally admitted to herself, that as a slave to The Keepers and the Reps, her life was forfeit from the moment she was created. Appeasing her gods and the Reps could keep her alive. But if they ever decided that she should die, she now knew there was nothing she could say or do to stop it.
Glorious Session showed me that not knowing will not keep me safe. What has happened? Roxal pressed even harder against Edo’s stomach to let him know she wanted an answer.
Jonar’s part of our cell was planning something big. I do not know what. Before the assembly, one of the leaders told me there was something he needed to discuss with me about the plan. Initially, I thought we were going to assist Jonar, now I do not know. He did not remove his hands from her stomach, so she knew he was not finished. Roxal, I am worried. I do not know if anyone murdered today was a member of the Resistors, other than Jonar. But, the fact that even one person was a Resistor member means today’s exhibition was not random. We must be extremely careful not to be exposed. When it is safe, I will meet with our leaders and find out what we will do next.
She removed Edo’s hands from her stomach and placed her hands on his. Then there is nothing we can do other than hope we are not executed next.
With that, she removed her hands from Edo’s stomach and turned her back to him. She did not turn her back in anger. Instead, she wanted to definitively signify that the conversation was over.
Edo wrapped his arms around her and drew her close to his body. On her back, she felt his warmth and the beating of his heart. She let its strong rhythmic beating lull her to sleep.
***
First, there was the brief sensation of floating in a void. Then, everything around Roxal took shape. This time, the dreamscape had taken the form of a work laboratory. The laboratory was eerily similar to Roxal’s training classroom from when she was a child.
There should not be this much bleed over from my life into Lauren’s dreams, Roxal thought.
Looking around the empty room, she counted five wooden tables. On each of the tables were pieces of electronic equipment, soldering irons and other tools, and a variety of tagged metal specimens. Her vision grew hazy for a few seconds. When it cleared again, Roxal now saw an open door on the other side of the room. A voice she recognized could be heard coming through the door, so Roxal walked towards it. As expected, she saw Lauren standing at one of the worktables.
“Why is this so freaking hard?” Lauren exclaimed.
“Hello, Lauren.” Roxal approached the table where Lauren was hard at work.
“Oh, hey Roxal. This stupid microprocessor is still not working. Hopefully, you have some ideas we can try because I’m all out.” Lauren dropped the electrical component she had been holding onto the table. She then took a seat in a tall chair that had appeared only moments before Lauren moved to sit in it.
“I am sure the two of us can figure this out. Is heat still the issue?” Roxal asked and moved closer to where Lauren was now sitting.
“Yeah. I built the chip exactly as we discussed. But, whenever I use it, it overheats. I don’t know what to do. The transfer of electrons and signals is fine in the beginning. Until eventually, it starts to heat up and then pieces start to melt or the reliability of the signal transfer decreases.” Lauren closed her mouth and let out a loud breath through her nose. “I’ve done everything I can think to do.”
“I propose reexamining material selection. I still believe that is key.” The table from the previous room that held the tagged metal pieces now appeared behind them. Roxal walked over to the table and began scrutinizing pieces one by one.
“Haven’t we done that already? It seems like we’ve tried changing materials before. And it hasn’t helped.”
“I realize this is not the first time that we have considered a change in materials, Lauren. However, when we reviewed materials before, we were primarily focused on weight and conductivity characteristics. Not heat dissipation.”
Lauren sighed. “Well, I guess you’re right.” She moved to stand beside Roxal and join in the consideration of material samples.
After reviewing about half of the tagged pieces, Roxal stopped. “There has to be something else. Otherwise your planet will never advance beyond your current level of technological achievement.”
Lauren exhaled and walked away from Roxal and the table. “Well, we do have other materials, but they’re rare and expensive. If I used them, this microchip would cost so much it couldn’t be mass produced. And you told me I need to design it so it can be used in everything if I want to save Earth.”
“Yes, that is what I said.” Roxal paused. In this dream world, she and Lauren were well acquainted. Roxal had been traveling into Lauren’s dreams for over twenty-five annums, which equated to twenty-five Earth years. They had known one another since they were both young, and therefore Lauren trusted her just as Roxal had trusted The Keepers.
Initially, Roxal had been told that getting Lauren to create the microprocessor she was now working to build was for the benefit of Lauren’s planet, Earth. That if Lauren were succe
ssful, her chip would be one small part of a larger plan to save Earth from the ecological devastation her own planet, Trebor, had suffered. Because this was what she had been taught and believed, this was what Roxal taught Lauren during their dream sessions. And though Lauren would have no conscious memory of their time together, subconsciously she would feel the importance of building her microchip.
But now, Roxal knew the chip would not help Earth. Instead, it was a small part of a larger plan for The Keepers to conquer Earth. And she and all of the other Dream Travelers were instrumental in implementing The Keepers’ plan.
Once Roxal knew the truth, working with Lauren had gotten harder and harder. Though no matter how hard it was, Roxal did not know what else to do. Because failing The Keepers was punishable by many things, including death.
“Lauren, I believe that if we take a break from this, you will be able to think more clearly. Tell me about your world.”
The table containing the metal samples was now cleared, and two chairs appeared on either side. The women each walked to a seat. Roxal loved hearing stories about Earth. She watched the smile spread on Lauren’s face. “Well, my boyfriend and I just got back from a vacation on the beach. Oh, actually, I mean my fiancé. Anyway, it was a short trip. I just wanted to go somewhere to relax. And it was gorgeous.”
“Describe this beach to me.”
Lauren looked left, and a rectangular section of the drab workroom’s wall began to dissolve. “The weather was perfectly sunny the entire week. The water was crystal blue and so clear you could see straight to the bottom. The sand was very fine and looked white under the sun. I had to wear sunglasses every time we went outside. Near the resort was a group of palm trees with cabanas and lounging chairs underneath, and we sat there every day.”
As she talked, the scene came into focus. Roxal was temporarily blinded as the blazing sol reflected off the almost white sand below it. The leaves of the tall, skinny trees swayed in a wind Roxal did not feel. Even though Lauren did not describe one, a soft, sweet scent wafted in through the window. It somehow made Roxal feel calm. The sound of the water hitting the beach and going back out into the distance only added to the feeling of ease.
The Heaviness of Knowing Page 2