by DD White
Chapter 4: Eistia the Investigator
Several Earth decades later our story returns to the planet Tze-Doldus-2, or Urania as the natives call it; where another fine day is dawning in the skies of the planet’s only continent. In the capital city of Keshdesh the tip of the white dwarf Sun pokes above the horizon to scatter the greenish nighttime mists from the sky. The Sun will fill a whole 3rd of the sky by mid-day in its daily battle with the upper atmosphere mists of programmed teraforming nano-technology that still cultivated the planet, and maintained a habitable atmosphere at a density that a little planet like Urania shouldn’t even have. To the Uranians that is just the way it is on Urania. Life for the modern day Uranian very much resembled a typical day on Earth as they got in their electrical cars that were charged by an Aungtalli receiver device serving as the battery. The Uranians really have no electrical storage technology in this modern world to speak of since Aungtalli priests who were a higher evolved Uranian species that still maintained contact with the gods of antiquity provided all of the mysterious magical energy, or so they say. Energy storage technology replaced what had been called receiver technology, which provided power to the engine. The receiver technology and the engine were both invented by the great Dayfair before the Aungtalli confiscated his discoveries following Dayfair’s mysterious suicide. That all happened way back in the year 185,660. Now its 14,660 years later in the year 200,120 where we find the Uranian version of police investigating another suspicious suicide.
Eistia the Investigator got out of his vehicle to get a closer look at the scene of an accident that involved a car driving off a bridge over the Keshdesh River last night. Eistia had been contacted when they identified the vehicle as belonging to another Ministry of Science member, now dead in the car submerged in the river below. Eistia investigated the many deaths of these scientists that were all proclaimed to be suicides. Since the Ministry of Science became closed down, a lot of the scientist members had disappeared, probably to continue their work underground, but some have returned from obscurity to be found dead by suicide. Eistia hoped to find some clues before the expected Aungtalli agent came along to shut down his investigation and declare this another suicide. Eistia pondered a history of great inventors from the now defunct Ministry of Science who died as tragically as this case while their inventions embellished civilization with public utilities, lighting, industry, manufacturing, communications, and transportation that all now flourished amongst the citizens of lesser-evolved Uranian society. All thanks to the Ministry of Science established by King Magapor of the Magites royal family in the year 175,300, over 24,000 years ago. Before that a dark age existed where much of what had been taken for granted by common Uranian citizens of today was sacred only to the privileged Aungtalli who still command technologies from the gods that were not yet figured out by members of the Ministry of Science. Eistia figured they must have come close to something to get the whole historic institution shut down so abruptly. To this day the Aungtalli fly through the sky in vehicles that were generations ahead of anything that common Uranians manufactured in their comfortably modern world. It seemed that when the Ministry began to get close to discoveries throughout history their members committed suicide, and much of what they had discovered became classified. It didn’t take an investigator’s professional mastery of deductive reasoning to figure out that much to the magic energy had been provided by the Aungtalli temple up north, which the Aungtalli want the little folk to never know about.
Even now a crowd of the common Uranian bird-people closed in on the crime scene chirping resentful comments about this being another murder turned into a suicide by the Aungtalli. Eistia considered going down that self-destructive direction with this investigation, but he became rescued by the task at hand, which remained investigating a possible murder before the possible culprits do send him back to headquarters to file it away as a suicide or an accident. Uranians seemed extra agitated lately since upper atmosphere fires recently left a smoky smell in the air that Eistia then noticed still lingered. As a professional investigator however, Eistia needed incriminating evidence before accusing the Aungtalli of what everyone seemed to know.
Eistia’s partner Grega finally arrived in his vehicle, and got out to greet his partner in investigation who watched the emergency workers pull the dead body out of the vehicle. Uranians drove round in bubble-like vehicles to accommodate their bird-like torsos. The breaks and accelerators were similar to Earth vehicles, but were controlled by the Uranian’s long toes at the same time to adjust speed. A steering wheel was also used to turn the front wheels; testifying on yet another level of the similarities to evolution throughout the galaxy from DNA to how individual technologies develop, usually in the most logical and practical way.
“Sorry I’m late, seems a long day ahead.
It’s a scientist suicide I’ve read.”
Eistia turned to greet his partner. “We’re concerned with the facts for all our queries
and not recent conspiracy theories.
There is damage and paint marks show the cause
as clues if killed by another he was.”
Grega took a photo of the damage to the side of the car as workers were dragging the vehicle out of the waters. Grega worked on getting a sample of the paint when one of the emergency workers, acquainted with Eistia from many previous incidents, spoke up. “This was rammed until the side door was jammed,
before ran off the bridge, thus victim damned.”
Eistia gave the emergency worker an assuring look that told him he understood. Both of them knew a crime had been committed here as sure as both knew it would be written off as another mysterious suicide. It became clear that the cause of death had been drowning. The vehicle’s only door had become so jammed by previous damage that the victim struggled in vain to get out before water filled the vehicle, drowning the trapped victim within. The vehicle number had already been sent in, and that identified the victim as Nikteslo, one of the Ministry of Science members who’s accomplishments were already revolutionizing modern technology and mass production. In the beginnings of the Ministry of Science’s long history they were devoted to mainly studying the mysterious energy that made the more elite Aungtalli species more advanced then the multitudes of primitive Uranians who still grew feathery hair on their smaller less evolved heads. Before the Ministry of Science they had fire and crude tools to build the great cities of the planet. In that accomplishment the common Uranians proved to possess cleverness and abilities that rivaled the Aungtalli who were just the more pampered chosen one’s that still flew through the sky while privileged with the secrets of magic from the gods.
As mediators for the people, three dynasties of regular Uranian families, the Magites, the Worites, and the Swerites took turns appointing a King to mediate with the Aungtalli. The King kept the peace with both Uranian, and the gods who were known to be as wrathful toward regular Uranians as they were generous with Aungtalli technology. Over 24,000 Uranian years ago the first Ministry of Science had been established. That was when King Magapor appointed Sonedi, Thybla, Likjed, Sonspar, Housewesting, Siemensvon, Hamgra, and Vinkel as the first Ministry of Science in the year 175,300. With the help of the King they were allowed to study the mysterious energy to find practical uses for it, and begin the history that raised primitive civilization into the modern world of middle class luxuries that were enjoyed in the current year 200,120. In the current enlightened age Uranians were taught in schools that the energy was a property of sub-atomic particles determining a charge, and a current. Since the early studies of the energy in antiquity, the famous Ministry of Science member named Dayfair, around the year 185,000, made real advances. Dayfair had been the first to speculate that a similar energy passed signals in the body to muscles through the medium of nerve cells. Dayfair kept much of his research quiet during his life because of Aungtalli persecution, but eventually Dayfair published a now long lost writi
ng in 185,622 that featured designs and theories to make an energy generator, which showed this energy could be generated by using the principle of magnetism. Needless to say this all led to Dayfair’s mysterious suicide in the year 185,660, and today nobody is taught about Dayfair’s energy generator in schools. His death however, didn’t stop others from following in his work, and the theories of Dayfair led to the invention of the modern energy engine for cars. Then there was the famous suicide of Wellmax in the year 194,230 who developed a set of equations that demonstrated the relationship between the Aungtalli energy with the phenomenon of magnetism, and how it related to the charge and current of the energy. Wellmax had also been famous for proving that light also could be formed of this Aungtalli energy. Still the suicides were parts of established history, which fell to pieces under Eistia’s trained investigative skepticism. He could not dismiss the conclusion that history now wrote a new rash of conspicuous suicides by famous scientists.
Eistia would love to prove his suspicions before the Aungtalli forced him to stop investigating. Then he could submit his evidence to the Ministry of Prosecution for justice to be served. Eistia quickly confiscated an envelope from the dead body that he found in the pocket of Nikteslo’s jacket before the emergency workers carried the corpse off for an autopsy sure to be halted along with Eistia’s investigation. Eistia hid the envelope in his own pocket as a saucer-like vehicle descended out of the sky to land at the crime scene. From out of the aircraft a slightly different version of Uranian anatomy emerged like some kind of cliché of the Earth parody that featured a superior alien from another planet landing to request that they be taken to our leader. The expected Aungtalli agent named Volock arrived to tell Eistia and his partner that there would be nothing to investigate here.
Eistia looked around to the crowds that were gathered along the bridge who were well aware of what now happened. Eistia figured those Uranians would beg to disagree. He felt the tension in the air, and today wasn’t the first time he felt this along with the quiet chirping about Aungtalli getting away with murder to protect their precious secrets, which would be supposedly for our own good. An unwritten fact of history screamed out from between the stanzas of the written pages. Eistia looked at the crowd, and speculated that the past can’t be repeated into the future forever. That was simply because the population of common Uranians kept growing exponentially larger than the more elite and fewer Aungtalli species, and that growing population will not deny reality its justice forever.
Volock approached Eistia while also pulling Grega away from the victim’s vehicle. “Get away from this scene by Aungtalli decree!
There is nothing to see here.
You are trespassing when there’s nothing you can see.
Heed the Aungtalli you fear.
You gotta get back
or I will attack.
This investigation is done.
Don’t talk back to me now son.
Get another case to work on.
Get away from this scene
by Aungtalli decree.
There is nothing to see here.
You are trespassing
when there’s nothing you can see.
Heed the Aungtalli you fear.”
Eistia’s brain quickly put together a less than appropriate song to sing in response to Volock’s intimidating ditty, but he made the wiser decision of keeping it to himself. Eistia as a professional investigator had been allowed to pursue any justifiable suspicion and investigate all incriminating evidence as long as it didn’t interfere with the will of the superior Aungtalli who the common Uranians were supposed to obey without question. Eistia composed something else to say. “Close down my investigation you may,
but I’ve just got one thing I’d like to say.
There is evidence at this scene of foul play,
which I have authority to translate.
It is my job here to investigate.”
Volock had become familiar with the routine since this had not been the first death of a scientist in recent days that he had to arrive at in order to stop any criminal investigations of foul play. “You obstinate Uranian.
Why must this just go on and on?
Your job I’ll tell you how to do.
This investigation is through.
Don’t be obstinate or have pride.
Declare this death a suicide.
It’s easier when you are done.
Aungtalli have already won.”
Eistia obviously didn’t suspect suicide but he became forced by the conventions of this society and the powers that be to obey what the Aungtalli told him. Eistia and Grega returned to their vehicles while the crowd collectively concluded correctly what had just gone down. They began to all chirp a jeering sound that would translate into the Uranian equivalent of the word “boo!” Volock returned to his saucer shaped flying machine, which then flew above them all while the victim’s vehicle also rose up off the ground along with Volock’s flying saucer as if grasped by a magic invisible force. He used another mysterious Aungtalli technology to remove that bit of evidence. Both Eistia and Grega stopped next to Eistia’s vehicle to discuss the situation. Grega had been as perturbed at being stopped from doing his job as Eistia. Then a young Uranian came up to the investigators and introduced himself. “I know that your case must be closing.
I witnessed this, and I saw the whole thing.
Another vehicle did cause the crime.
I saw the number of the car this time.”
Eistia and Grega both took down the vehicle number as they both got in their cars, Eistia called into headquarters on his communication device and put out an alert on the vehicle as a possible instrument used in the murder. At last Eistia had a piece of evidence he could use to justify not closing this case of an obvious murder. People will not remain quiet and in denial of the truth forever just because some superior authority orders them to. First Eistia would track down the vehicle and find conclusive proof that it had been the murder weapon, and get this case reopened. The Aungtalli should not be allowed to poach common people above the law with impunity. What if the King found out about this?
Eistia and Grega both drove their separate vehicles back to headquarters. They drove electric vehicles that ran on energy receiver technology first developed in the year 194,960, which could receive the mysterious Aungtalli energy used to power a vehicle. Needless to say the energy receiver led to the Ministry of Science inventing the car in the year 195,825. All this as part of a renaissance established by the Ministry of Science to develop new technologies, which have raised the common Uranian from fearful primitive serf into a proud Uranian middle class. The Aungtalli didn’t hide their resentment over this very well, and in fact seemed to look down on common Uranians even more as a result. Uranians were now too intelligent to just allow the silly Aungtalli religion to make them into obedient slaves of Aungtalli whims. Electricity on the planet Urania measured several times more powerful for powering cars and running equipment because the planet had about a third of the gravity of Earth. Humans from Earth would indeed be a lot like Superman on the planet Urania.
Before Eistia and Grega could arrive at headquarters to reluctantly report the death as a suicide, a call came over on both investigators’ communication devices. They were ordered to change course, and investigate a disturbance in the city’s downtown area where a crazy nudist annoyed the pedestrians in a shopping district. Both vehicles responded to the call, close to where they were anyway. Both were in no hurry to return to headquarters to file a report full of lies. Both investigators arrived to find the scene as described. Women were hurrying children away from a naked Uranian who stopped people and insisting that they listen to the gibberish he went on and on about. Eistia figured this to be just the kind of madness that Aungtalli oppression of truth induced. They watched the mentally disturbed naked man going out of his way to bother everyone around him. A couple of young Uranians had stoppe
d to actually listen to the crazy guy. Some laughed and heckled the guy who seemed desperate for someone to listen to him while most people crossed the street just to avoid any confrontation. One person had been halted by the naked guy from his own attempt to escape to the other side of the street. “Waves and wave forms
sound rivers of storms
in the ears of the past
in the mouth of the future.
give ear.
give ear.
Chaos and destruction signals
pound down trees and sail
in the point of the rail,
in the tip of the tail,
to hear
to hear.
Fountains and mountain peaks
ground lights that the lost one seeks,
in the eye of the needle
in the hand of what’s real,
and fear…
fear…
fear…
fear….
fear…
fear…
Hear …
The TIP … Of the SUN!
Hold that thought
before you rot.
Make it bake!
Make it brake!
In the eye of the needle.
Beataphoriah!”
Grega started running the younger spectators away while Eistia got between the nude Uranian and the other guy who just tried to cross the street. Eistia hoped it would not be difficult to bring this guy in as instructed. The guy was clearly crazy, and might even require shackles, even backup if he proved really difficult. Eistia figured the best strategy would be to become what the naked crazy guy wanted, someone to listen to his incoherent songs. The crazy guy fell for it and began allowing Eistia to lead him back to the vehicle so he could take the guy some place where he could get some help. He asked the naked guy what his name is.
The man seemed to listen to inner voices while he recited his answer. “I’m a Syd, bubble, babbler,
bamo-beter, heater, greater,
free-her, seater, skeeter,
reader, feeter, shrim, shram,
flum, gram, head, dead,
borus, score-us, ram mam scam,
Rambler, dambler, shandler, nandler,
Beataphoriah Channeler.”