Eetoo

by Robby Charters

  'When will you have a few days free?'

  'The day after tomorrow.'

  'Then, please come to my home on that day. Any time would be fine with me.'

  'I will.'

  So, it was agreed, and so he came.

  Blazz took a perch on a couple of my posts. I got out my borunñnvotzp and held it a while. This would be my very last time to hold it.

  His demeanour certainly wasn't giving me any confidence. This is a thing an Utz always takes seriously and with deep respect, understanding what a sacrifice the giver is making in presenting it. He was treating it as a lark.

  I had come this far. I had made him a promise. This was my only chance to do what I had felt the need for, for a long time.

  I thought again of the potential good that could come of it, and handed it to him.

  He held it. 'What's the procedure for taking it in again?'

  'Not complicated. Set your dome to receiving mode, and then, simply smash it into your forehead.'

  He dome turned black, for light absorption, and he said, 'Here goes.'

  He smashed it.

  There went my borunñnvotzp .

  He sat a while.

  'And then, what?'

  'It should start coming. Images should start rising up from your innermost being.'

  He sat.

  One doesn't have to be told it's a time for silence, and neither, apparently, did he. It's when images sounds and ideas begin flowing around and around in the mind of the receiver.

  For me, it was simply a time of waiting quietly and observing the effect on the receiver. The loss of something that had been the centre of my aesthetic consciousness wouldn't normally begin to hit me until later that night. By then, in a normal exchange, he would begin talking about the images and ideas, thereby providing therapy for the giver.

  I was preparing myself for the prospect that, given his disposition, that might not happen. I certainly didn't expect what happened next.

  I suppose it has to do with the length of time I had been building the borunñnvotzp, his relative age and his cranial capacity compared to that of an Utz. Also the fact that my borunñnvotzp contained concepts that were opposite to his perceptions. It was as though a new reality were suddenly superimposed over his own consciousness.

  About evening time, he lost his composure.

  I cannot describe it in human words. An Utz, a Tzozk or some other like species would understand it. If I explained it to a human, I could only say it's the equivalent of weeping, sometimes quite hysterically.

  So, it was I, who had to give him therapy.

  23

  Heptosh and Too Dha spent all afternoon talking about things that interested them both: Eetoo's life then and now, the history of the Fa-ti-zhi people -- Too Dha was particularly interested to hear of Eetoo's love interest and the resulting dilemma.

  A few hours before sundown, a man came running to the hut. Too Dha identified him as Ngowa.

  He began talking excitedly to Too Dha.

  Too Dha looked dismayed. He explained in Nephteshi, 'He says, Eetoo killed Ni Gwah, and all the villagers tried to catch him to kill him for murdering a god. Eetoo ran up the hill, but when he was cornered, he stood at the edge of the whirlpool and shouted, "That wasn't Ni Gwah. Ni Gwah was dead already! I have saved your lives from becoming phantoms like him!" And then he jumped into the whirlpool.'

  'The whirlpool!' exclaimed Heptosh. 'The same whirlpool Ni Gwah fell into?'

  'Yes. I'm afraid so,' said Too Dha, sadly.

  'Then I know where to find him. Come with me!'

  Too Dha and Ngowa followed Heptosh at a brisk pace back to the old market and into the canyon. They uncovered the spaceship, Heptosh opened the door and they got in.

  Ngowa's reactions were similar to Eetoo's when he rode for the first time.

  Heptosh lifted off and they rose slowly up to the height of the mountain range and went along straddling the ridge. The tops of the mountains were giant square blocks standing on their ends. They looked like tall cliffs from the Famtizhi side, actually more natural looking than the six sided crystalar formation that formed the mountain ranges on Tok. The latter were, in fact, natural.

  At the foot of the cliffs on the right, Too Dha recognised the land, as it all sloped down towards Famtizhi territory. Soon, they could see the village in the distance. Further ahead again,they were directly opposite to the location of the whirlpool.

  Heptosh stopped there and examined the landscape to his left by the last light of the day. Then he manoeuvred carefully down the slope and began looking into each valley and canyon. Finally, using the night vision faculty, he found one where a waterfall came down from the mouth of a cave into a pool -- the one in which he once swam with Eetoo and Ni Gwah.

  They descended.

  There wasn't any flat ground wide enough to land a ship, so he had to hover over the pool. From there, they could see into the cave. He shone the landing light towards it.

  A wet head appeared in the entrance, Eetoo's.

  Eetoo climbed down to the pool. Heptosh brought the ship as low as he dared. He had to keep his hand on the controls so as to keep the ship steady. He opened the door and told Too Dha to throw the rope out. Eetoo grabbed the rope as Too Dha and Ngowa pulled him up and Heptosh kept the ship from tipping over.

  Finally, Eetoo was inside. He began to describe a harrowing ride down a water chute and a drop into an underground lake. Had he not been an expert swimmer like Ni Gwah, he would certainly have drowned.

  Heptosh navigated the ship back the way they came, and landed near Too Dha's hut.

  Before he got out, Too Dha spoke to Eetoo at length. Then the two got off. Heptosh and Eetoo departed for Tok.

  'You tell him about Tsaphar?' Eetoo asked.

  'Yes -- he was asking me all about you.'

  'He say I must win her hand, and bring her to Kalodzu-Famta to meet him.'

  'Well, you know what you must do then,' said Heptosh.

  24

  the shepherd's apprentice leads the sheep to water

  the shepherd lost in a reverie

  It's suddenly hit me that I've made enemies of two groups now, my whole village, and all the boys of the Akkadi community -- almost everyone I know! Do I have any friends?

  I even feel like I've killed my best friend, but Heptosh and Venerable Too Dha both say I did the right thing.

  If I did so right, why do I feel so bad?

  On top of all that I keep thinking what a horrible species humans are, and how other species would be happier without us about. No matter what we do, we just can't become indefinitely good and live okay with other species. Even if we're good, our kids grow up bad. Probably all because we can't get our sense of beauty, like that old Utz said.

  There's nothing pleasant I can think about -- apart from Tsaphar.

  So, I'm in love with someone who's been promised to someone else. That's a pleasant thought?

  As usual, Nakham is here, and acting as though the whole world's rosy. Just wait till he gets to be my age.

  We've finished watering the sheep, we race to the stream, I throw off my tunic, we jump in. We're splashing about and jumping off the rock. I come up after a jump and look up.

  The gods! There's Tsaphar! Er -- it's okay, my body's under water.

  'Shalem,' she says. 'That was a nice jump.'

  'er -- Shalem.' She saw me, then!

  'You look startled. Aren't you pleased to see me?'

  'I am,' I assure her.

  She lets her frock slip from her shoulders and steps into the water. She has on a simple linen cloth wrapped under her left arm with the two top corners tied over her right shoulder.

  'Should you do this?' I say.

  'It might be our last chance to see each other.'

  She swims about, takes and underwater dive, comes up on the other end. On the second time, I follow her. We come up.

  'You went to your home planet yesterday.'

  'Nakham told you?'


  'Yes. Did you visit your village?'

  I start telling her the story of what happened.

  We get out of the water and go to sit on the rock together. Nakham wedges himself between us, as though it were his job to keep us apart.

  I finish the story: 'Now all the villagers call me murderer and god-killer. Only Old Man Too Dha say I do the right thing. Heptosh, he even proud of me. But I not feel good. And now, all the Akkadi boys, they hate me too.'

  'That's right, they do. There's only one way you can ever come near our house again without them killing you. That's if you come to bring a challenge.'

  We're quiet for a while.

  'You've been practising at fighting with Mr. Heptosh,' she says.

  'Nakham tell you that too?'

  'Yes. I warned him not to tell Rav, though. Are you thinking of trying to fight Tsim?'

  'I think of a plan.'

  'I'd try to talk you out of it, but I'm so desperate now. Tsim is coming to the house at noon in three days with a band of his friends from the village to demand I be given to him. I can't stand to think of my life with Tsim. I'd rather die. But I don't know how you could ever defeat him.'

  She stops talking for a while. She's starting to cry. I put my hand out and touch her shoulder. It's all I can do with Nakham separating us.

  She starts talking again. 'But I'll tell you anyway, how it's done -- the way of our Fathers. You challenge him officially by bringing a groin cloth and throwing it at Tsim's feet when he comes to the house. The fight must take place in front of the house of the bride, where you come out and throw the cloth at him. If you do that, the boys can't touch you. They must let you fight and accept the outcome.'

  'That the way of the fathers?'

  'Yes, and I hate it. Akkadi populations on other planets don't do it anymore -- we're so behind.'

  'Why a woman not choose herself?'

  'I don't know. But even if he beats you to a pulp, at least the boys in town won't have you on their death list any more. You could start coming for lessons again.'

  'I have a plan.'

  'What?'

  I jump back in. So does she. We come up at the same time. We're looking at each other.

  Nakham surfaces, between us again.

  'Oi! Nakham! You're too much!' says Tsaphar.

  'Do you remember smoking beehive?' I ask.

  'Yes.'

  'Can you do it again?'

  'I think so.'

  I look at her. 'I come to your house in three days.'

  'I won't say anything. It's more than I can hope for.' She's getting teary-eyed again. 'Just in case I never see you again, I want to tell you, I think you did the right thing in destroying the bionic copy of your friend. Also, I'll pray to Elkhem every day that you find the golden plates.'

  We get out. Tsaphar puts on her frock and pulls off her wet undergarment from underneath. I put on the tunic.

  She kisses me on the cheek and starts walking off towards her house.

  25

  Heptosh was listening to Eetoo's account of his conversation with Tsaphar, when he heard a knock at the door. It was Neuryzh.

  'Can you and Eetoo accompany me to my abode? There is someone there who needs to speak with you.'

  'Yes. I'll call Eetoo.'

  The three walked to the carrier at the side of the mountain.

  As they ascended to Neuryzh's mountaintop home, Neuryzh said, 'I hope you will forgive me. I disregarded your advice, and that of Friend Fra. I presented my borunñnvotzp to Blazz.'

  'The risk was yours to take,' said Heptosh.

  'But the effect it has had on him is profound. I've been sitting with him for two days. I think that talking to you will be therapeutic for him. In fact, he has asked for you two, Eetoo, especially.'

  They stepped into the crystal cave. Blazz was perched quietly on a pillar. He turned his head to them as they entered.

  'Ahh, Friend Eetoo, the human. This time, I'll not attempt to frighten you. In fact, I -- er -- am glad you chose to come. And Heptosh, chief negotiator, I now regard you with more than slight interest.'

  Heptosh noticed a new seat had been carved next to the other seat he usually sat in on his visits. Neuryzh helped both humans to their seats.

  Then, he said, 'As soon as you are ready, Friend Blazz, you may begin. Take your time, if you need to collect your thoughts.'

  Blazz took his time. 'Before I begin, I wish to beg of Friend Eetoo, to forgive me for the very bad things I did and said. Flashing my dome at you was uncalled for. It reflected the hate I had in my heart. I also said things during our drink at the market that I'm sure frightened you badly. Can you forgive me?'

  Eetoo nodded timidly.

  Blazz went on: 'As Friend Neuryzh has probably told you, I have just had the rare experience of a borunñnvotzp. It has opened my mind to some factors that we Groki, as a species, had forgotten.

  'As you know, the Utz and the Groki are two species of the the same genus -- brothers, if you will. Where the Utz take things very slow, their life cycles being rather long, and they take their time in letting things settle in, we Groki take things quickly -- too quickly, as it would seem. We tended to rush, and in the process, we neglected things we should have regarded as important. That left us quite unprepared for certain events, such as the arrival of humans.

  'I must be truthful. The Nephteshi empire was a bad experience for us. When the humans first ventured into space, they probably didn't know other species existed. When they first met members of other species, they no doubt felt intimidated, and treated them as a threat.

  'I understand that on their home planet, they tended to conquer and hold any other group of humans that they could. They maintained that habit towards the intelligent species that they met. It seems, the species they came across the most, as they expanded their domain, were the Groki. We Groki were caught unprepared. From their newly built planets they pirated our ships, they invaded some of our planets; some, they cleared of Groki and other life and resettled them with humans. Interstellar travel became a nightmare for the Groki.

  'As time went on, the Groki began to develop strategies to counter the human menace. One of these, I understand, is of current interest to you: implants of bionic cells.'

  'So the Groki are responsible!' exclaimed Heptosh.

  'Yes. We invented them. I understand they devastated your home planet. That's why I also hoped you would come today as well. I, as a Groki, wish to apologise to you, a Nefzedi, for the destruction of your nation.'

  Heptosh was silent.

  Finally, he said, 'I can forgive you. For the moment, I'm not sure about the entire Groki species. I think I can understand the reasons. I understood, even before now, that humans were very brutal in our time. However, Nefzed, surely wasn't a threat?'

  Blazz answered, 'The ones who actually introduced bionic implants to Nefzed were most likely the bionics themselves. We had left off all activity with bionics apart from monitoring their movements from time to time. The bionic cell has simply done what it was programmed to do, spread itself to every corner of the universe where it can find humanity.

  'However,' he went on, 'the strategies that we carried out were effective. The Nephteshi empire collapsed. We began to act on a further strategy of eliminating the human race from all corners of the galaxy, even intending to pursue them to another galaxy they had begun to colonise, but suddenly a message arrived, loud and clear, from the most Supreme Being, the one you call Elkhem. He made it known to us that humanity, as do all other species, has the right to exist in the universe as long as the planet of their birth is still habitable. We also understood from that message that the time allowed for humanity had been limited to a certain period. I understand that period is nearly over.'

  Neuryzh added, 'This, however, isn't the first time the human planet was marked for destruction. I understand that once before, their time was extended as the result of the ratification of some sort of agreement between one of the clans of the human species
, and the Supreme One. It's possible, something like that is about to happen again. I think Eetoo's mission has something to do with that.'

  'I can only hope you're right,' said Blazz, and took a deep breath. 'Now I have another confession to make. The Groki community has been anticipating the end of the time allowed for humanity. A group of us have recently settled in this sector for that purpose. Some of my colleagues are the ones responsible for what has been happening to the bionics on Kalodzu-Famta. However, as I know the access code to the bionic command circuit, I'm prepared to assist you in securing that planet.'

  'That would be of great help, indeed,' said Heptosh.

  'I found the report on your bionic friend interesting. Is it so, that he had received some sort of brain to brain download that prevented his bionic brain from accepting the programming?'

  'A "bio-media upload" actually.'

  Neuryzh interjected, 'That's not at all like our brain to brain transfer. It's data that is written in a format that is transferable to the human brain, but it's done in a rather crude way. The knowledge becomes indelibly part of the human consciousness at a fundamental level, not as simple data that can be used or discarded at will. It's that fact alone that made it possible to override the programming.'

  'I see. In that case, if I simply close off the central command circuit, he could remain as a valuable tool. His bionic brain would have the capacity to pass commands on to other bionics, alter their programming and even close off their control circuits. I can pass to him the information on how to do all that when I close off his circuit.'

  'A big help, indeed,' said Heptosh. 'One more question that is of interest to us. Do you know the location of the planet Nephtesh?'

  'That information would be of value to Eetoo's mission,' said Neuryzh.

  'I'm afraid I don't, said Blazz. 'The fall of the Nephteshi empire was a bit before my time. I know of some who would know, but I don't know who I could ask who wouldn't immediately be suspicious of my reasons for asking. You see, it's not in a sector I've ever had much to do with, and locations of various planets are usually on a need-to-know basis. Groki are like that. But I understand that they started a colony in the Zuyun Galaxy, which carried on as a branch of the Nephteshi Empire. They might know.'