Sentients in the Maze

by Chogan Swan

  Jonah nodded. “You, however, are now unofficial head diplomat, Jacksie.”

  “Thank you sir,” said Jacksie as he pulled a cooler out of the new car and opened it. “Fizzy drink?” he said, holding it out for them.

  They pulled into the parking lot of the tribal council building a few minutes before their appointment. It was a simple two-story adobe-style structure with a large labyrinth emblem on the front.

  “Jonah, that’s the same design you wear on that pendant isn’t it?” said Amber.

  “Man-in-the-maze,” Jonah said. “Yeah, that’s it, or that’s us, I suppose.” He pulled the silver medallion out of his shirt so it would show, put on his hat for satellite cover and got out of the car. Jacksie was already in front of him, blocking the line-of-fire from the building. Tiana got out behind him and Austin and Amber flanked them both as they walked toward the building.

  “I still wish you’d put on the modified Dragon Skin,” said Amber.

  “What? After you voided the warranty by changing the adhesive?” Jonah said with a grin.

  They entered the lobby, Amber’s team took seats in the lobby and Jonah and Tiana walked to the reception desk.

  “Good afternoon. How can I help you today?” said the smiling, Native American woman behind the desk.

  “Shap kaij, and thank you. I’m Jonah Galt and this is Doctor Adrianna Archer. We have an appointment to meet with the tribal chairman?” he pitched his voice to phrase it as a request.

  “Of course. Welcome to the nation. I will call someone to take you to his office.” She pushed a button on the desk and said, “Mindy, will you please come and take these folks to the chairman’s office?”

  A cheerful agreement from the phone preceded the sound of a door opening down the hall and the click of heels approaching.

  “Don’t worry. I’m masking your pheromones for you,” Tiana said in Nii.

  Jonah sighed in relief, relaxing his shoulders.

  Mindy took them down the hall to an elevator, chatting about the weather—hot and dry—and asked about their trip as they rose to the second floor and maneuvered through the halls to the executive offices. At the waiting room, she offered them tea.

  “Thank you, Mindy,” Tiana said taking both glasses. She sipped from one before handing it to Jonah. “He’s trying to cut down on sugar,” she explained with a smile. “It’s delicious. Ephedra, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, that’s the Greek name. We call it desert tea. I’ll tell the chairman you're here,” she said, walking over to tap on the office door.

  “Better only drink about half of that, Jonah,” Tiana whispered, “it won’t hurt you, but it might make you need to pee sooner than you’d wish.”

  Jonah sipped, nodded and put the tea back on the tray.

  A moment later, the chairman came out to greet them and invited them into his office. He was of medium height and build, with graying hair. His dark gray suit and light gray shirt set off the large silver labyrinth tie clasp against his redwood complexion. He spoke hesitantly as he greeted them. His voice was quiet, but Jonah could sense the determination and purpose that lived behind his dark eyes.

  “Thank you, Mindy,” said the chairman. “I’ll call you when we are done.”

  As they walked in, another man rose to greet them. Jonah recognized the vice-chairman of the nation. He was a younger man, stockier and taller than the chairman. He spoke confidently. “Welcome to the nation, Mister Galt.” He pumped Jonah’s hand then turned to Tiana. “Doctor Archer, welcome. I hope your journey here was pleasant. We are looking forward to discussing the topics you outlined in your letter.” His coal-dark hair, lightly streaked with gray, fell over the collar of his white shirt. “Please, let’s sit down and get to know each other.”

  They sat, and the vice-chairman leaned forward in a polite listening position. “As politicians, most of our lives are an open book using today’s information technology, but we know so little about the two of you. We are excited by the opportunity.” He smiled with the same unassuming humility that marked the chairman.

  For a quarter hour, the vice-chairman asked them about their lives and interests. The chairman asked for clarification a few times, but mostly watched and listened, calm and intent.

  Jonah shared his interest in Decision Science, and, when the chairman asked him what the Man in the Maze pendant he wore meant to him, Jonah smiled. “I hope you don’t think me presumptuous for wearing a symbol that has so much meaning for your nation to our meeting. It means many things to me. I’ll be brief, though I hope we can talk more about it later.”

  He touched the symbol, running his fingers across the maze. “The path through life has many turnings and opportunities for reflection about where we come from and where we are going. This applies to both individuals and groups of people whose lives are connected. I believe that all of our lives are connected, but many people in the world do not seem to realize this.”

  He gestured to Tiana. “Doctor Archer is a scientist who works to understand the nature of connections between living beings, ecosystems and social structures. I work to discover ways to model those connections in ways that can help us all see their complex behavior. We live in a world where even a simple event in one small element can introduce great change. You may know the proverb about the butterfly whose wings started a hurricane far away. We use the math of probability, large data sets and machine learning, to learn about our world and what might happen if we take a certain path. For many generations, Native Americans have proven they understand the world around them in this way and live respectfully and lightly in the world. What we want is to learn from each other and grow together by networking and building something of lasting value. We hope for this as we share so many of the same core values and our goals may be well-aligned.”

  Jonah paused.

  The chairman leaned forward and asked in his soft voice, “What would be the nature of this partnering? How would it start, and where would it go?”

  Jonah nodded, expecting the question. “I would like Doctor Archer to outline some of our ideas. Of course, we value your input and any suggestions you might share.”

  Tiana leaned forward, mirroring the chairman. “To start, we desire a land-lease agreement with your nation to construct a data center and research facility. Most of its structure would be under ground to minimize energy consumption and the impact on the desert ecology. This would include satellite linkups to the World Wide Web, and would open wireless information to all parts of your nation. If they used it, your members could have basic internet access provided without charge. We would want to use your workforce for the construction and support work as much as possible.”

  Tiana shifted back as she brought up a new subject. “We’ve noticed that tribal casino operations tend to create strife between the Native American nations because of the competition it engenders. So, we would like to suggest including workers from other tribes in the project so your nation and our organization can build bridges and connections to their communities. Our project would create about twelve hundred immediate direct jobs and five hundred supporting jobs for the local community during the construction phase. These jobs would last three years, but would build skills leading to more long-term positions in areas where we will need people: Support, Operations and Security. Many of these longer-term jobs would be in information technology and computer science. They would pay a competitive wage above the national average for the job skills they learn. To build a strong skill base in the area, we would also like to partner with your schools offering scholarships, internships and teaching support from kindergarten through community college.”

  Tiana paused, sipping her tea, to let these ideas settle. Then she continued. “We would also like to offer your nation legal support on the existing and future land leases that are not in the interest of the nation. In many of these, most of the income from the lease goes out of the nation because of the exploitation allowed by the federal government. This could be in pa
rtnership with the Tribal Land Tenure Foundations now working on fighting these injustices. However, we would focus on your nation to start with and then on sponsoring talented young people in the nations to attend law school to represent their tribal interests.”

  The Vice Chairman leaned forward, his eyes intent. “All of this sounds very interesting, Doctor Archer. Of course, the devil is in the details, and we need to learn more about these plans and your organization before we bring a proposal to our tribal council.”

  He motioned with his hands together, pushing forward and clearing away to show that he wanted to get to a more central issue. “But before we discuss that further, please tell us; what is the benefit for you besides what you refer to as our shared values? You must understand that many people made promises for hundreds of years, but they kept few.”

  Tiana nodded, leaning forward. “You are right to ask and I am glad you are cautious. My people have also struggled for centuries against those who would exploit and enslave us. In the past, Native American tribes adopted many with dark skin into their tribes and families. They found common cause and became stronger for it. But, they fought a unified power that exploited everyone and everything to get more power. The common cause was never enough to defeat the power arrayed against them. Though Native Americans value consensus, there was not enough of it between tribal nations or those with African origins. Those in power used tribe against tribe whether the tribe was from this continent or Africa. Red men and black men fought red men and black men for white men.”

  The vice-chairman nodded.

  Tiana tapped her knee with a stiff finger. “This system still exploits those it is pledged to serve, protect and represent. Your nation and other Native Americans still suffer. The powerful continue stealing your lands and water from you, using so-called oversight. We…” she gestured to herself and Jonah. “…represent people with ancestral origins from many places who intend to change the system and make government accountable for its actions and policies. We need your help, and offer ours to you, inviting you to learn more about us while we prove ourselves faithful first.”

  The tribal leaders looked at each other. The chairman turned to Tiana. “We will talk together and discuss this idea then we will contact you and talk again. Perhaps we will walk this path together, though we both realize it will be a dangerous one.”

  Tiana bowed her head in acknowledgement. “The paths of honor and dishonor can both be dangerous,” she said in his tribal language.

  The vice chairman, chuckled. “You got that right, Doctor Archer.”

  ~~~{Jonah}~~~

  Amber had commandeered the front passenger seat on the first leg of the return drive as they left the reservation. “How did it go?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Jonah and Tiana.

  “They are curious,” Tiana said.

  Jonah nodded agreement. “We left them information to review, and I expect they'll call to talk again. We invited them to visit. They were particularly interested in our security jobs training proposal. The Mexican border has created a huge headache for them because of the heavy-handedness of the border patrol. We can help them, but if they choose not to, there are other nations and we still made contacts and—I hope—friends.”

  ~~~{}~~~

  “What did you think of our visitors today?” asked the younger man.

  “I can tell you what I dreamed last night, but I cannot say at this point what I think of our visitors.”

  “Well, the dream then.”

  “I dreamed I was atop Waw Kiwulik, and the wheel of the maze stretched all around, across the desert as far as I could see. Though I knew myself to be near the center, the paths seemed to shift like sand in a windstorm. I heard a voice say, ‘If you choose well, the path to my house will be reduced. If not, your people will walk far around the wheel—again and again’. Then I woke, and I was out of coffee.”

  “But that’s what you always dream,” said the younger man.

  “Yes, but this time I was out of coffee.” His lips twitched.

  Chapter 20 (Loops)

  “Mister Arnold?”

  Derek looked up from his notes to see the assistant producer of his show at the door to his ready room. Her wavy hair was flying away from her ponytail in places, so it must be close to show time. “Yes, Carol?”

  “Heather is here if you’re ready for makeup,” she said, pushing her glasses higher on her nose.

  “Thanks Carol. Sure, I’m ready.”

  Heather came in a few moments later trundling her makeup table in front of her. Derek, leaned back in his chair, shut his eyes and tried to relax. He was taking a chance on this interview. His online talk show, Coming Soon—to a future near you, caught fire last year when he’d uncovered important trend stories that had escaped network notice. Recently, it turned into wildfire when he was the first to cover the organizing of the Confederacy of Native American Tribe’s who were preparing to petition for membership in the United Nations.

  Derek’s instincts told him this interview with the retired MIT professor, might be complex. It might be easy for his viewers to miss the ramifications. Worse, it might be hard to get them interested. It might tank the negotiations with the channels interested in making a weekly out of his show. He took a deep breath and let it go; the calming ritual of the makeup—the smell, the stroking, the scent of Heather’s Chanel Number 5—was helping to settle his twitchy stomach.

  “Ten minutes!” Carol called down the hall

  “Almost finished, Derek,” said Heather. After a moment, she whisked the makeup bib away and patted him on the shoulder. “Go get em, Chief! Bring home the paychecks.”

  “No pressure, right?” said Derek with a chuckle, levering his lanky frame from the chair.

  “You got this, Derek, no sweat.”

  “Why, are we out of waterproof makeup then?”

  “Ha! Save it for the camera.”

  Derek walked down the hall and into the small studio where they rented time. Emerson Potter, his guest for the show, was settling into the chair next to Derek’s and sipping from his water glass. Heather had done a good job dulling the shine from the professor’s balding dome and had even trimmed up the wispy graying hair that framed it.

  In their conversations setting up the interview, Derek was delighted to find that the professor was a quick-witted and gifted conversationalist. It was obvious why he’d been a popular lecturer at MIT. Now if he could just make it play on prime time. He took a deep breath and stepped on stage for a chat with his guest to get things warmed up before the cameras started filming.

  “Derek! Good to see you again,” said Emerson, rising to his feet.

  Derek stepped up on the raised stage and shook the professor’s hand. “Thank you for coming Doctor Potter. I’m excited you could make it here in spite of your busy schedule.”

  “I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to talk about this topic; the SST project is the most exciting cooperative effort I’ve seen in applied mathematics, but I’m guessing you aren’t looking for Nash equilibria in payoff matrices. You probably want the Big Picture. That’s what news is all about isn’t it?” His eyes twinkled behind his glasses.

  Derek grinned. “Absolutely, I’m glad we’re on the same page. I knew you’d be the right person to talk with. The history and goals of the foundation launching the SST internet gaming portal will interest people. Let’s sit; it will be time to start soon. Do you need anything before we start?”

  ~~~{}~~~

  Carol called out the two-minute warning, and the jumpy feeling in Derek’s stomach amped up a notch. The countdown timer dwindled to zero.

  Derek launched into his intro. “Hello again, everyone. Welcome to today’s edition of Coming Soon—to a future near you. I’m Derek Arnold and today we are here with MIT Professor Emeritus, Emerson Potter. We are going to talk about the recently launched internet gaming site its followers are calling, ‘SST’.”

  The camera panned out to include Potter.

 
; “Doctor Potter is recognized worldwide for his expertise in many areas of applied mathematics and his past students will tell you he is truly a wizard with numbers. Which means I have to ask…” he turned to Potter with a serious expression on his face. “So, Professor Potter, any relation to Harry?”

  Potter chuckled. “I can say on behalf of Potters everywhere, that we are all very proud.”

  Derek laughed. “I had to ask, otherwise our viewers would all be focused there and we would never keep them with us as we move on to your particular area of magic, Systems Thought and Modeling. Tell us Professor, in a few words, what Systems Thinking is and then we’ll move on to the Modeling part.”

  “Of course, Derek.” Potter leaned forward and spread his hands. “Systems Thought can be understood as recognizing, in an organized way, that life is complicated and doesn’t always work the way you hope when you try to change it. For example, one common economic remedy that politicians on both sides of the aisle have tried to use in the last decade or so is an ‘economic stimulus program’. Money goes to consumers in hopes they will spend it and that will bring money to businesses. Then, businesses will spend money to make more goods, hire workers and economic activity will start to snowball. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work. If consumer confidence is low and people are afraid for their jobs, they might choose to save that money. Businesses might prefer to cut costs and get lean. This is what happened in 2008. When something depends on something else that is uncertain, life becomes complicated. So, that is Systems Thought in a nutshell.”

  “So it says, ‘life is complicated’.”

  “Right. Wise men have been saying as much for centuries, but I won’t bore you with the quotations.”

  “What about Systems Modeling?”

  “Okay. This may sound like a joke at first, but bear with me. When Systems people talk about Modeling Systems, the first thing we admit, because of what we already said—life is complicated—is ‘all models are wrong’.”