GAIA

by Morton Chalfy

  "Look," cried Maeve. "The buffalo."

  Lucas came to the window to see the bull that had been downed struggling groggily to its feet.

  "Oh right," said Lucas. "I remember now. This is a show for tourists. They drug the animals but don't harm them."

  With the dust settling they could see other tour buses, presumably with tourists inside, clumped on a slight rise in the landscape. A knock on the door startled them and they opened it to find one of the wild young men waiting outside. He wore leather leggings, hunting paint on his face and torso, and long hair pulled back and fastened with a leather thong. His horse panted behind him.

  "The Gaians?" he asked.

  "Yes indeed," answered Lucas. "Come on in."

  The hunter grinned. "You don't want that. I'd just fill the bus with the stink of buffalo shit. Follow us to our camp."

  He jumped back on his horse and waved them along. The bus joined a line of vehicles following slowly behind the hunting group while the herd went back to grazing quietly. The camp was a circle of tepees around a very large fire pit over which an eight foot spit loaded with buffalo meat slowly turned. Around that center were tables and benches ready to receive the guests.

  Before they could park with the others their personal guide beckoned them to follow and led the bus around the outer perimeter to stop behind one tepee. Once Maeve and Lucas climbed down their guide held the tent flap open and waved them in. The interior was dimly lit by the hole in the high center of the structure and it took a moment for their eyes to adjust. When they could see clearly they were startled by the sight of a very old man sitting cross legged on a rug on the far side of the tent. His iron gray hair hung in two braids, his skin was copper colored and his arms still showed stringy, strong muscles. He was smiling broadly at them, waiting until their eyes adjusted to wave them to a seat.

  "So you're from the Gaians, eh?"

  "Yes, sir," said Lucas, finding himself respectfully muted in the presence of what he assumed was the chief of this "tribe".

  "It is customary to exchange gifts with visitors," said the old man. "What have you brought us?"

  Maeve pressed Lucas' hand to keep him quiet and replied, "Sir, we bring a private message for you from the High Priestess, an attachment that will join you to the Gaian network in total security and an item that will allow you to visit the urban areas but be invisible to their electronic readers."

  "What private message?"

  Maeve removed a jewelry box from her clothing and presented it to the chief. He opened it and his face lit up with delight. A golden Gaia Globe lay nestled in the box and a folded sheet of paper held a note from Moms. He read the note and chuckled over it, then put the globe around his neck.

  "She is your grandmother?" he asked Maeve.

  "Yes sir."

  "Her sense of humor hasn't suffered with time."

  "Do you know her, sir?" asked Maeve.

  Long ago we were in school together, before I reclaimed my roots and this way of life."

  He waved the note at her "and she still remembers our laughter."

  The flap lifted behind them for just a second, just long enough to signal that the meal was ready.

  "Bring enough for them and ask Brave Leg and Runner to join us." He turned to them and explained, "There's no reason for you to mingle with the tourists. They will eat, they will drink, they will watch the hunters dance, they will drink some more and then sleep the sleep of the drunk in their vehicles. Not a pretty sight but they pay dearly for the privilege."

  Very soon two middle aged men dressed in Plains Indian garb joined them in the tepee and two young men brought in enough meat and bread for all. When the waiters left Maeve asked, "No women in camp?"

  "Not here, no. The women and children are camped a few miles away. We don't let them mingle with the tourists. Really, we don't let the tourists mingle with them. We did in the beginning but the drunks kept trying to drag them into the bushes as though they were part of the entertainment. Explaining didn't help so now we keep them safely away."

  Over dinner Lucas explained the dongle to the two middle aged men who were the chief technical officers for the tribe and then showed them the necessary steps to connect to the Gaian network. Since it was a Friday they invited them to gather the group wherever was convenient and they would host the next day's sermon.

  The chief nodded. "This is a good place. In the morning we will send the tourists on their way and bring the families here. Can it be shown outdoors?"

  "Oh yes," said Lucas, "no problem."

  The head technician offered to take Lucas to their electronic headquarters so he could do the communications set-up himself, promising to have him back before bedtime. Maeve thought that was an excellent idea as she wanted to ask the chief about her grandmother.

  "Can you ride?" they asked Lucas.

  "I can bounce now and suffer later," he offered.

  "Good enough."

  They brought him a pony sized horse and the three rode off together. Maeve waited until the remains of the meal had been removed and began asking the chief questions about Moms in her youth, which he was happy to answer. They spoke for several hours and when Lucas returned Maeve felt she understood better the importance Moms placed on this connection.

  Lucas was tired, sore, hot, sweaty and thirsty. In the tour bus he first slaked his thirst and then stripped and showered. When he was clean he fell on the bed and groaned. "I don't know how they ride those things as fast as they do among the bison. I don't know how they ride those things at all. I'm sore in spots I didn't know existed."

  Maeve ginned at him. "Poor boy. I bet you're too sore to make love."

  "I don't think that's true," he muttered, but when she came out of the bathroom he was sound asleep.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  The next morning, when they were summoned to the Chief's tent, Lucas was still hobbling and suppressing a groan with every step. Maeve was composed and lively but held back her more enthusiastic pace so they would arrive together. Inside the tent a small repast had been laid out for them to share and a buffalo hide pouch was waiting for each of them.

  "Open it," commanded the Chief.

  Inside the pouches were buffalo amulets, carved in bas relief into a circle of buffalo horn. The Chief held out another, larger pouch. "This is for the High Priestess," he said, "to seal our compact."

  Maeve received the gift with a smile. "Thank you sir. I'm sure she will treasure it." She hesitated then cleared her throat and asked, "Will you tell Lucas the story you told me yesterday. The story of the beginnings?"

  The Chief looked at her benignly, "Who could deny you what you wish?" he answered. "I will tell the story but only if you eat while you listen."

  When they both had a plate in their lap he began. "I am Thomas Harrington, not a name from the history of my people but one from your history. It is a conquered person's name but it is the name the government calls me. I was sent to white schools and white colleges and white university. I say white to name the culture and the world view of my education. Every summer I came home to my parents' little house on the reservation. They had nothing, my parents, my grandparents. They lived on the white man's dole. No casinos on the res. No money. Not much hope." He stopped talking for a moment. Maeve and Lucas were raptly intent, most of their food untouched. "Eat," he ordered. "Eat."

  Only after they had taken a couple of bites did he continue.

  "I was the hope of my family. Not the hope that I would rescue them but the hope I'd rescue myself. And I did. I learned well. I became a lawyer and I worked on housing issues in Phoenix. My parents were happy and proud that I had escaped, but I was not happy. I was not myself. I was living a different person's life. I was miserable. And then they officially re-wilded this area and added it to the re-wilded area north of here, and reintroduced a bison herd, two hundred animals which quickly became five hundred. I came to visit my parents and a nephew came to me. He was fifteen then and I remember his words incre
dibly clearly. "Uncle, come chase buffalo with us."

  "Chase buffalo with us," amazing what those words did to me. Outside the house I could hear the stamping of horses, the tough, rangy horses the boys raced and rode for fun. "Sure," I said, "I'd love to chase buffalo."

  "I borrowed a pair of leather riding britches and took off my suit and tie and joined the pack of teenage boys and rode out after the buffalo." The Chief paused to sip some water and indicate again that they should eat. "That day, racing among the running bison I heard myself whooping madly with the rest and when we had all slowed to a walk, the buffalo, the boys, the horses and me, I threw my head back and surprised myself by yelling "I am Strong Horse, the Arapahoe!" And from that day forward that is how I've lived my life. It is almost thirty years now, the herd has grown to the tens of thousands and our tribes have grown greatly as well. The land has changed. It is reverting to prairie as though the factory farms had never existed. We have reclaimed much of our culture and have added to it in ways that improve life, modern health care for instance." He sat thoughtfully quiet for several minutes. "It would be a sin to extinguish the bison. A sin in every school of thought in the world. How much more of a sin is it to extinguish a people and their culture. The bison and the Arapahoe will survive together."

  Maeve, her voice trembling said, "And Gaia will support you."

  The passion and sincerity in her voice clearly affected the Chief. "You are truly the High Priestess' grandchild and share her nobility."

  When it was time to watch the sermon a virtual screen was shown on a backdrop provided by the Chief's tent and it seemed the entire tribe was present. Moms spoke about the need to look forward into the future when making decisions about our use of the Earth and its life forms. "The original inhabitants of this continent," she remarked pointedly, "whose descendents still live among us, spoke of seven generations into the future as a measure of the care to be taken and the responsibility that is laid upon us."

  The tribe broke into applause at that statement and listened raptly as she continued. Near the end she mentioned them directly as "The Buffalo Hunters who are the guardians of the Great Plains and the bison that roam there."

  When the screen went dark a line formed in front of Lucas and Maeve who became busy handing out the Gaia Globes. When the tribe had gone back about its business they took their leave of the Chief and his close circle of elders. Maeve made sure to offer two scholarships for training at the ranch with the promise of more to be supplied if wanted or needed. "We want to cement the friendship and cooperation our two groups share," she told the Chief earnestly.

  "We will send our two brightest," he promised.

  Once they were alone in the tour bus Lucas handed Maeve a communication from Moms, which read, "Come home."

  "Do you think something's gone wrong?" wondered Maeve. "She seemed fine in the sermon."

  "I think she needs you by her side," said Lucas.

  "But why?"

  "I think she feels better and works better with you there. Anyway, we're going and we're going as fast as we can."

  With the autopilot set Lucas hobbled into the bathroom to draw a hot soak.

  "Still feeling sore?"

  The answer Maeve received was a low groan as Lucas lowered himself into the tub.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  They arrived at the ranch shortly after midnight on a clear, moonless night with the stars icily brilliant in a black sky. Maeve wanted to rush into Moms room but was restrained by Lucas. "She'll be fast asleep by now," he said gently. "Why wake her? Let her sleep peacefully while we do the same out here. That way we'll be ready to go in the morning."

  Maeve's instincts were pushing her forward but she appreciated that rushing at this point might do more harm than good. They sat and watched the stars slowly wheel overhead and then went to bed. In the morning they went into the dining room to joyous greetings from the cadre and noticed several new faces. Before they could be introduced Mai Ling called and beckoned them to come to Moms' quarters.

  When they entered Moms rose to embrace Maeve and held onto her tightly. After a very long moment of holding on to each other she took Maeve's hand and drew her into the chair alongside her own. "I am so glad you're here, my love. I've been missing you terribly. Will someone get breakfast for them please? How was your trip? Did you see the Chief? What about the Vegans?"

  Maeve laughed. "I'll tell you all about it if you give me a chance, but first, what made you call us back?"

  "Oh, I just felt I needed you here to help me. And Lucas too. But first, let's eat."

  While they arranged themselves around her table Lucas took note of Mai Ling who seemed to be hiding some sort of strain she was feeling and Sam whose face was also tightly controlled. When food had been brought and consumed and Moms had asked for Maeve and Mai Ling to stay with her Sam motioned for Lucas to follow him.

  Outside the apartment Sam said, "Something's wrong and I don't know what it is. I thought it might be medical but the doc looked her over and said she's all right. But something's wrong."

  "Mai Ling looks stressed as well," said Lucas.

  "Yeah. She feels it too but she says she's as much in the dark as me."

  "She says?"

  "I believe her. Mostly. She might have some ideas she's not sharing about female stuff but I don't think she knows anything."

  "What do you want me to do?"

  "I want you to find out and tell me."

  Lucas felt cornered. "What if she tells me something and says not to tell anyone?"

  "Then I'll have to beat it out of you," Sam said smiling slightly but serious nevertheless.

  "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

  "Right. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. This place is exploding. We're bringing in new cadre as fast as we can process them. It seems like everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon and we're barely keeping up."

  He handed Lucas a sheet of paper. "Here's a list of IT tasks I need you to take care of. Some are urgent. And I hope to convene a strategy meeting now that you and Maeve are back. Plus we need to do a planning session for the Fall Festival."

  "What's the Fall Festival?"

  "An idea that Mai Ling floated to deal with all the requests for audiences we've been getting. She posted a date and a request for reservations and we've gotten thousands."

  "It sounds like you've been busy and that things are heating up."

  "You have no idea. I suggest you take care of that list right away. I have the feeling we'll all be running like mad for the next several, I don't know, years? Decades? I'm serious. You'll see when you check the communications board."

  Lucas shook his head and looked at the list in his hand. "Okay. I'll get right to work. See you at lunch, maybe."

  As Lucas made his way to his underground bunker of an office he was amused by the number of newbies rushing around the ranch house. He had the feeling that both Moms and Sam were probably over-reacting to modest increases in traffic. He held onto that idea right up to the moment he settled into his work chair and brought up the communications log.

  "Holy smokes," he said, invoking the ancient rite of choosing a new pope, "Sam was right!"

  He scrolled and flipped through the log and then went to the running total. In the nearly three weeks they were gone they had received well over a hundred thousand messages and the daily average was climbing. In one way or another the messages sought information, contact and merchandise. Lucas began to wonder if they could train enough staff quickly enough to meet the demand. Meanwhile, I'd better get going, he thought.

  Lunchtime came and went without him giving it a thought and the evening meal time was quickly growing closer before had finished the tasks. He caught Sam just leaving for the dining room and they went in together. "I can't believe the traffic we're getting."

  "You better believe it and you better upgrade our security. When traffic gets this large it attracts miscreants."

  "I'm on it. I'm running a threat detection prog
ram right now and when it's done I'll fix any problems and install another level of security."

  When they carried their food to a table against the wall Sam said, "I tried to get a meeting going for this evening but it won't happen until the morning. We'll meet in Moms apartment for breakfast at 7:30."

  "What do you want to meet about?"

  "Security, what else? They're bringing volunteers and interns in as fast as they can sign them up and no security checks are being done until after they've been here. And planning is being done on the fly. We need to slow everything down."

  Lucas looked at Sam's worried face and said, "You might as well start planning for a speed-up rather than a slow-down. Judging from the volume coming in we're going to have to run faster. Much faster."

  "It's dangerous."

  "That may be but we'll never have as good an opportunity to achieve Moms' goals as we do now. Make hay while the sun shines, you know, whatever that refers to."

  "Farming," said Sam. "It means take advantage of the circumstances."

  "Anyway, I don't think slowing down is an option. Why don't you assign some intelligent newbie, whose past you've vetted personally, to work with me. I can train them in background checking relatively quickly and you can then have a person dedicated to that task. That should help speed the process."

  "Okay. I'll look through the files on the new arrivals and get someone to assign to that."

  Lucas grinned broadly at him. "This is the price of success," he said. "Brighten up. This is certainly a better result than to have us all sitting around with no recruits, no interest and trying to think of how to stimulate some. This is success!"

  "Oh yeah?" said Sam, glumly.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Lucas worked into the night ticking off the list of tasks and waiting for Maeve. He had resigned himself to losing her to Moms for the night when he finally went to bed and then was delighted and surprised when she came in.