by J Gurley
Now was such a time of a new beginning. If only he could reach his captors.
Throughout the rest of the day and into the night, they lay chained to the pole. Only once did someone bring food to them, poor as it was. They received no water as they languished beneath the harsh sun. Instead, the crowds taunted them by drinking water and pouring it on the ground just out of reach. Hramack stretched as far as his chains would allow, but could not reach any of the small, tantalizing pools of water. He watched them evaporate, taking hislast hopes with them.
It was well after midnight when someone approached them. Anderson was asleep. Hramack waited for another savage kick or stone flung from the darkness.
“So, Southerner, how do you like our hospitality?” a voice asked.
He squinted to try to identify the voice but could see nothing. “Not very well,” he answered. “If you free us, we’ll be on our way.”
The man laughed and came closer. Hramack saw it was Hardy.
“Why do you want to kill us?” Hramack asked. “We have acted only in self defense.”
Hardy leaned over Hramack and whispered, “I have spoken to my men, and I’m beginning to suspect that is true. Is it coincidence, or providence, that the Scattered Ones arrived just as you did? The future of my people is a great weight on my shoulders. I sense that we now walk a sharp path no man has traveled with our eyes shut. If we stumble, if I stumble, we will all fall into a great abyss. Great changes come.” Hardy surprised Hramack by squatting beside him. “Sometimes our allies along the borders and, I’m sad to say, my own men, act hastily, without thought. It’s not easy holding together a nation of people who less than ten years ago were eating one another.” He laughed, then stared into Hramack’s eyes, as if he could dig out the information he wanted. “Why are you here?”
Hramack sighed. He knew his response might be the key to his and Anderson’s survival. “Until a few weeks ago, my people thought we were the only ones to survive the falling of the Denver Dome, other than a few scattered bands of nomads slowly dying out. Then we met Grey Eagle’s people, who did not enter the dome and have lived free for centuries. Marauders attacked us, the same ones who have been attacking his people for years. We came here only to return the life-giving flow of water to our villages. In that, we have failed. We mean you no harm. It is easy to see that we have much to learn about your people, just as you have much to learn about ours.”
“What of him?” Hardy pointed to Anderson, still sleeping on the ground.
“He is one of four who crashed their ship many days east of here. Only he and a woman survived. They, too, had to fight off attacks on their journey here. They are from the Scattered Ones searching for their Homeworld. They say there are men on the next planet, Mars, who would come here to plunder our world but for the defense satellites circling our world. If we do not band together, soon others will claim this world for their own, and we will have nothing.
“There is much here they want, great machines that even the Scattered Ones do not possess. We can trade technology for their help in teaching us its use. If they wish to come here to live, we can trade land useless to us in exchange for the chance to rebuild our cities in peace. There is no need for our people to fight each other. We are the last people on Earth, and we have the responsibility of stewardship of this planet. If we do not cooperate, we may soon cease to exist.”
Hardy had said nothing as Hramack spoke. When he finished, Hardy nodded his head slowly. “Much of what you say rings true, but I cannot control all the people in this land. I don’t have the resources. I have forged an alliance of these tribes your people call Marauders, but many more exist beyond my reach, far to the north and to the east.”
“With the help of the Scattered Ones, we can teach them new ways.”
Hardy narrowed his eyes, and Hramack saw a bit of the cold, hard determination that Hardy’s men feared. “If the Scattered Ones are so powerful, they could easily rule us. What if we grow too dependent on their help?”
“They need us as much as we need them.”
Hardy laughed in derision. “What do we have that they so desperately need?”
“Their history.” Hramack smiled. “We are Homeworld to them; their Center and their Origin. They need to connect the threads of their history backwards to their beginnings. We are their forefathers.”
Hardy nodded. Hramack hoped he had begun to see the tapestry that his poor words were attempting to weave. “I think I understand.” He laughed. “We are Eden.” He pulled a key from his pocket and removed the chains from Hramack and Anderson.
Anderson, awakened by the laughter, rolled over. “What’s going on?”
“History is going on, my friend, history,” Hardy answered. “Come, we will see that you have the opportunity to bathe and eat and find a proper place for you to sleep. Tomorrow we will find your friends.”
The three walked to the Meeting Hall through Hardy’s bewildered guards. Hardy turned to Hramack. “Can we talk more? There is much I need to know.”
“First, your men must return something they took from me.”
Hardy nodded. “I will see to it.”
For the first time in many weeks, Hramack felt hope.
*
Just as dawn broke over the eastern hills, the plane carrying Grey Eagle, Kena, Cathi, and the men of Pueblo Nuevo winged its way towards the city of the Marauders. Either today would bring about a new alliance of the remnants of man, or they would all die. Kena’s heart was light even at the thought of death. The previous night, he had made his peace with Yarah. They had failed in their mission. They had not returned the waters to the villages, but he had faith in Yarah’s will. If it were possible, someone would do it. If not he, perhaps the Star People would.
The mood aboard the plane was quiet and somber. No one spoke. Each man was deep in his own thoughts. As they approached the new city in the ruins of the old, they saw a great crowd of people gathered around the central structure.
“If we have to fight, we will die,” Two Clouds said looking out the window. “At least we will not have to walk home through that cursed tunnel,” Grey Eagle chimed in. A few men laughed, but it quickly faded.
“Land in the middle of them,” Kena told Cathi. “They will move.” The crowd below panicked when they saw the plane overhead. As it hovered above their heads, they began to shove each other in their hurry to get out of the way.
Grey Eagle laughed. “At least we frightened them.” Then he saw the throngs of armed men on the edges of the crowd. “Tawa, protect us.”
*
Anderson and Hramack stood beside Hardy as he spoke to his people gathered in front of the Meeting Hall. The crowd had come to witness an execution. Instead, Hardy told them of his plan to unite the scattered tribes of the west with Hramack and Grey Eagle’s people and form a new alliance to rebuild the country. He introduced Anderson, who drew jeers and taunts from the crowd. Hardy silenced them and stood beside Anderson as Anderson explained what the Scattered Ones would do to aid them through the efforts of the Trade Guild. Just as Anderson finished speaking, a flying machine appeared overhead.
“Your ship?” Hramack asked him.
“No. This ship is not capable of space flight. It is one of yours.”
“Whose?” he asked.
“We will soon see,” Hardy said excitedly.
The crowd scattered in panic as the plane gently settled in the square. As the high-pitched whine faded away, a door opened in its side. Hramack instantly recognized the man emerging through the doorway.
“Father!” he yelled, running toward the plane.
Kena stopped and stared at the crowd in bewilderment. Hramack understood his father’s confusion. He had come expecting to free his son. Instead, his son now rushed to greet him.
“Don’t worry, father. We have found new friends.”
Kena looked skeptical, but smiled as he embraced Hramack. “Yarah works wonders,” he said.
As Cathi descended from the
plane, Anderson greeted her. “I see you’ve found transportation.”
“We may be here for a while,” she answered. She told him about her contact with their ship and that it, too, had become a victim of the satellite lasers.
“They may have gotten through,” Anderson said. “We did.”
She nodded, wiping a tear from her eye.
Kena motioned Grey Eagle to join them. He cautiously exited the plane, eyeing the crowd, wary of a trap. His men followed his example and formed a protective semi-circle around their leader. Hardy walked over to stand before Grey Eagle. “There has been much bloodshed between your people and those that ally themselves with me. I cannot undo this wrong. Let us therefore endeavor to prevent the spilling of more blood.” He removed a knife from his belt and thrust it into the ground at his feet. “Here my knife stays forever.”
Hramack held his breath as Grey Eagle studied the man standing in front of him. Finally, he said, “I am only a warrior and cannot speak for my people, but I see the wisdom in your words. There is no need for further bloodshed between our two peoples. It is as Kena has said a time for rebuilding.” He removed his own knife and drove it into the ground beside Hardy’s blade. “Forever,” he said. He offered his empty hand to Hardy.
Great whoops of joy erupted throughout the square as old enemies grasped hands and set aside weapons. Hardy proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and called all the people from the fields and farms into the city for a day of celebration. After days on short rations, the idea of a feast sounded good to Hramack.
33
Long John Baldry’s
Reluctant Passenger
Captain Moore sat across from Chancellor Inaya Pachmarudhi, smiling as she drummed her long fingers on the table in irritation. Her long, red-lacquered nails made a pecking sound on the hard surface. She returned his smile with a scathing scowl. He had locked her in an empty cabin during their hurried lift off. She had not been happy at her ill treatment. Two armed guards had escorted her to the officer’s mess, which he had deliberately ordered off-bounds so she would not see the women and children. If the Chancellor thought the Baldry was a military vessel, she might have a greater respect for her capabilities.
Her short confinement had not quelled her anger. “You have damaged our dome and taken me prisoner. Do you think we will allow this violation to go unpunished?”
“You tried to steal my ship, Madame Chancellor. In my mind, that makes you and your people thieves. The Trader’s Guild frowns on theft or attempted theft of Guild property. You’re lucky I don’t level your dome as an example.” He suppressed a chuckle, as a look of disbelief and fear crept across her face. She was not certain he was lying, and that small amount of uncertainty was all he needed. “I needed you as a hostage to get free of your city safely.” He looked at her squarely in the eyes and said, “Now, I have no further need for you.” As he had hoped, she misinterpreted his meaning. “If you want, I can drop you off here.”
She peered at the view screen above the table displaying the terrain over which they passed. The dry, cracked, quilt-work bottom of the Bay of Bengal, abandoned by a retreating Indian Ocean that had left the island of Ceylon attached to the Indian Subcontinent, gave way to Southeast Asia, once a land of long, lazy rivers and impenetrable jungles. Now, it was a seared brown plain devoid of life. Ancient stone cities, once swallowed by the dense green growth, now sat alone, naked reminders of the region’s more grandiose times. The rusting bones of modern cities had fared no better, dotting the sunken lines of dried rivers or clinging to the dirty, white, salt encrusted coasts. Where forests once stood, only a few tenacious scattered plants clung precariously to life, and only the hardiest wildlife had adapted to the harsh environment, eking out a meager sustenance existence.
They passed over a large, deep crater surrounded by broken, fused earth that had once been Bangkok, Thailand, one of the many cities destroyed during the wars. Her already wan complexion paled to shy white. She had never strayed far from the dome, and the vista of desolation frightened her. Her rigid pose relaxed and she sat back in her seat.
She sighed heavily. “I will remain your hostage. What do you intend to do with me?”
Moore was pleased to see he had spilled a little wind from the Chancellor’s sails. “I intend to find my crew. You wanted to see Denver Dome, so you’ll get your chance. Maybe they will prove more amiable toward a trading agreement than your people did.”
The Chancellor’s eyes narrowed and for a moment, she resembled the bird of prey Moore suspected she was. “Do not be hasty, Captain Moore. The Khan is an old man. His mind wanders the corridors of the past. He sometimes becomes enamored of grandiose things. It is my duty as Chancellor to steer him back onto the realities of the present. You have shown him your power. I am certain an acceptable trade agreement can be reached that would benefit both our peoples.”
Moore doubted the Khan had even been aware of his presence in Kolkata Dome. He was the titular head of state, but the true power behind the throne sat across the table from him in the guise of a pleading, repentant woman.
“Perhaps. I will speak with my people and see if they think a deal is worth the effort.”
“Please do. I am surprised you do not simply take what you wish. We do not have the means stop you.”
“Except for your weapons satellites,” he reminded her. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about them. We don’t operate that way, Chancellor. If you don’t want to trade, we’ll leave you in peace, but that doesn’t mean some other planet might see things differently. As a Trade Guild partner, Earth will have certain privileges. Protection from pirates is one.”
“I see,” she said with a sneer. “We will be dependent upon your good will.”
He ignored her jibe. “As trading partners, we will not interfere with your internal forms of government; however, we will require a certain amount of cooperation between your separate governments. Wars are bad for business, and slaves make poor workers.”
“Our people are not slaves. They seek our steady guidance in a changing world. Dissention is allowed until it interferes with our ability to govern. Kolkata Dome is the last surviving dome because of our benevolence and our foresight, but if you wish to remove us from power ...”
“We have no wish to take over. If your citizens desire to overthrow you, that is between you and them. The Guide will make certain no liberties are taken with or reprisals enacted upon other trading partners.”
“That borders heavily on interference.”
Moore shrugged. “We will make a substantial monetary investment in your planet. We only want to see that we do not lose it due to petty squabbles.”
The Chancellor folded her arms across her chest and smiled. “Do you think we will allow your ship to leave Earth, Captain Moore? Even now, our satellites are tracking you. My life will be forfeit, but you will not return to reveal our location.”
“Oh, about that. When you relayed the disarm codes to the defense grid, we intercepted the transmission. It was small matter to decipher the numerical sequence. I think you will find that the satellites no longer obey your signal.”
This last insult was more than the Chancellor could take. She yanked one of the ebony pins from her hair, and launched herself across the table at him. She was strong for her size, doubled by her outrage, but the slightly, lower gravity aboard ship altered her trajectory. The deadly pin slid harmlessly past his shoulder. He pressed his elbow into her back, pinning her to the table.
“That’s not very lady like, Chancellor, nor is it very diplomatic. If you persist on such tactics, I’ll return to Kolkata Dome and drop you off, from orbit. You’ll have plenty of time to ponder the error of your ways as your city grows inexorably closer second by second.”
She ceased struggling. “You win, Captain Moor. I will meet with the leaders of these other survivors. It is apparent to me that our differences are nothing compared to our need to unite against you.” Moore shrugged. “As I said, Chancellor, we
will leave your world if you ask us to, but you are not likely to get a better offer from other interested parties. Your technology is too tempting for some worlds to ignore.”
She sat back and tried to regain her lost poise. “The carrot and the stick, I see. You hide the stick with neutral words, but it is still there.”
Moore did not understand her reference, but her meaning was not lost on him. He would be glad to drop her off and pick up his crew. He had remained a bachelor because of women like the Chancellor.
34
Reunion
Near dusk on the second day of celebration, dancing and feasting had given way to quiet conversation. Kena, freshly scrubbed and dressed in new clothing provided by Hardy, was eager to return to the pumping facility beneath Mount Lincoln. He still hoped to discover a way to direct the flow of water to Ningcha. Hardy’s invitation to join him took him by surprise.
As they walked, Hardy said, “It is a full-time job keeping this Alliance together. I never get to go into the ruins around us anymore. There is much I have not seen, many things we can use.”
Kena described some of the devices and machines he had found. “We can trade. I will help find them and learn to use them, and then teach others to use them. In return, you will expand the lands under cultivation and irrigation. We must grow enough food for ourselves and for trade. From what Cathi has told me, the outer worlds have an endless desire for exotic foods. It will be a good trade item.”
“Perhaps,” Hardy conceded. “We must build together, though I fear the return of the Scattered Ones.”
“Why?”
“They are many, and we are few. What is to prevent their simply taking what they want?”
“They are traders, not conquerors. United, we present a strong front against them. When settlers come, we allow them in, but on our terms.”