7
Orientation
Soft and melodious chimes awoke Peter the next morning. He opened his eyes, looked around, and for a moment, wondered where he was. Then he saw Lucinda standing over him.
“Oh, hi, Lucinda,” he said swinging his feet over the side of the bed and sitting up.
“Good morning. You can call me Luci. All my friends do.”
“Okay, Luci,” Peter repeated, liking the fact that she’d called him a friend. “I can’t believe it’s already morning. This bed is so comfortable I fell right to sleep.”
“Sorry to have to get you up early,” she said smiling down at him.
He shrugged, mesmerized by her beauty. With the light behind her she looked like an angel. “It’s alright. I’ve always hated getting up early.”
There was an instrument near the bed with a digital readout. Peter assumed it was a clock but he couldn't read it.
"How do you keep track of time here on Tarizon?" he asked.
"It’s similar to Earth except we have a 27 hour/kyloon clock and a 408 day calendar year/cycle. Months are phases, weeks are called segments, loons are similar to minutes and kyloons are more or less equivalent to your Earth hours.”
"What time is it now?" Peter asked.
"0900. Which means we need to get you up so I can give you a shower. You've got a long day ahead."
Peter noted that Lucinda had said she was going to give him a shower. He wondered what that meant exactly. He imagined her in the shower with him. It was a very erotic image, but somehow he doubted that would actually happen. Maybe she’d at least wash his back, he thought. Either way having Luci staying with him would totally take his mind off of the fact he'd been abducted and was a prisoner. He wondered if this was some sort of psychological technique to make him cooperate and give his captors exactly what they wanted, whatever that was. If that was the case it was working and he didn't feel like rocking the boat.
"Are you hungry?" Luci asked.
"Yes, I'm famished."
"Good. Let's have breakfast. Do you like eggs?"
"Yes."
"Well, we don't have chickens on Tarizon but there is a bird called a squit that lays a pretty tasty egg. I think you'll like it."
Peter shrugged. "How do you know about American food?" he asked.
"Oh, I was born in Waxahachie, Texas. I lived there with my father until I was seven. That's where I learned English and came to love bacon and eggs with biscuits and gravy."
"Waxahachie? Why were you living on Earth?"
"At the time of my birth the air on Tarizon was toxic and food was scarce. It wasn’t a very good environment for conceiving and raising children. Infertility was a problem and many children born back then were mutants. My father was sent to Earth to propagate. Fortunately it didn’t take our people long to regain their health once they got to Earth. So, once he was declared fit by our doctors, he found my mother, married her, and got her pregnant. Experience has taught us that you can't separate a child from its mother too early or the child will develop psychological problems. It was also difficult to raise small children with the planet in such distress, so he waited until I was older and stronger."
"How did you feel about leaving your mother back on Earth?" Peter asked. Luci gave him a hard look, then turned away. It was obvious to Peter that this was a touchy subject for her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant memories."
"It's okay. It was a sacrifice that was made for the survival of our planet. I have two mothers actually—a biological mother on Earth and my true mother here on Tarizon. I honor my biological mother for giving me life, but I love and cherish my true mother who loved and cared for me everyday when I was a child.
"But, don't you miss your biological mother? If you left her at seven you must have been pretty attached to her. I've just been away from my mother for a little while and there isn't an hour that goes by that I don't yearn to see her. It kills me that she thinks I'm dead."
She shrugged. "The extrication took place a long time ago for me. . . . Anyway, it will do neither of us any good to dwell on the past. You should try to focus on the future."
Peter raised his eyebrows but didn't immediately respond. It was obvious she'd been expecting that question and was ready for it. He wondered if he should be candid or keep his true feelings to himself. Although he had no way of knowing for sure, Luci seemed to be talking to him openly and truthfully. It didn’t seem like she was just giving him government propaganda. He decided to be candid.
"Extrication? Is that what you call it?"
"Yes."
"No offense, but isn't it actually kidnaping?"
"That's what your government calls it, but nobody is kidnaped. We asked your government for help and they agreed to give it to us in exchange for certain technological assistance. It was their decision to keep the Tarizon Repopulation Project secret not ours."
"I understand. I'm not angry at you. It's just if the people on Earth knew what was happening they'd be outraged."
"Then your government has done them a disservice by signing the treaty."
"Yes, that's an understatement. . . . It's the mothers on Earth who lose their children that concern me the most. It's their rights that have been most violated."
"I agree. But it's beyond our control. You should focus on your future here on Tarizon, not on events you had nothing to do with."
Peter shrugged. "It's just hard to focus on the future when I know so little about your planet and what your government expects of me."
"Be patient. I know what you're going through. I went through it too."
"But you had your father and a family to go to. . . . I have no one."
She smiled sweetly, took his left hand, and squeezed it firmly. "You'll have friends and family here soon enough. In the meantime, I'm your guide. I'll be with you."
He turned away and asked, "For how long?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Until you get your permanent assignment."
“How long will that be?”
“Ten to thirty days probably. Then you’ll get a job and they’ll assign you a mate.”
"But what if I want you?"
She gave him a hard look, then laughed. "Sorry. I already have a mate. When you leave I’ll be reassigned to a new Earthchild or Earth-alien."
“Oh,” Peter said trying to hide his disappointment.
When it came time for the shower she followed him in and helped him undress. He felt a little shy with her watching him but couldn’t bring himself to complain. She took his clothes while he showered and returned with fresh ones as he was finishing up. She helped him dry off and gave him an approving look. As he quickly put on his clothes he was so aroused he could hardly breathe.
After he dressed, Luci took Peter to a restaurant on the first floor of the guest house. They had scrambled squit and some green melon called togen. There was even a drink called sankee that was similar to coffee except it was very strong and thick like a milkshake. Peter ate everything like a trooper but his stomach was soon rebelling from this strange fare. He wondered if they had a drugstore that sold Tums.
After breakfast Lucinda took him to a government warehouse where he was issued more clothing. The clothing was basic casual attire, loose fitting, mainly white or light pastel colors. The shoes were light with soft sides—a cross between a tennis shoe and a moccasin. When they were finished, they went back to the compartment to unpack everything.
Later that morning Luci said she had to go home for a few hours to take care of some personal business. In the meantime she said Peter had been invited to have lunch with Robert Garcia, one of the Members of the Council of Interpreters. Luci explained that the Council of Interpreters was the judicial arm of the Tarizonian government. They were the guardians of the Supreme Mandate and could veto any law or administrative decree that they felt was contrary to its dictates. She explained that the Supreme Mandate had been ratified by the general population many cycles earlier after World War VIII that
nearly destroyed the planet. Since then Tarizon had enjoyed peace and prosperity until the cataclysmic volcanic eruptions.
Luci told Peter that Tarizon had been divided into thirty-one separate nations prior to the Supreme Mandate. These nations had been fighting amongst themselves for thousands of cycles. In the twenty cycles before the adoption of the Supreme Mandate millions of soldiers and civilians had lost their lives and much of the infrastructure of the planet had been destroyed. From out of the rubble a peace movement was born led by a charismatic holy man named Sandee Branh. Sandee had been elected Chief Minister of Lyon, the largest nation of Tarizon. Sandee claimed as a child that God had chosen him to save Tarizon from self destruction. From the day He first appeared to him, Sandee devoted his life to spreading God’s message of peace and unity. Sandee told his followers that the petty national governments should be scrapped in favor of one worldwide authority. Since so many were weary of war and feared the destruction of civilization on the planet if something wasn't done, Sandee's movement gathered momentum until there was enough support to call a World Council.
At the World Council, representatives from all of the thirty-one nations hammered out the Supreme Mandate and then called for a worldwide referendum to ratify it. All of the nations agreed to abide by the decision of the people. If the Supreme Mandate was ratified by a majority of its citizens, each nation agreed to subject itself to the World Council and abide by the Supreme Mandate. The World Council set the referendum date off six cycles to allow plenty of time for debate. On the day of the referendum nearly seventy percent of the population voted and the Supreme Mandate was ratified by sixty-one percent of the popular vote.
Meeting with what amounted to a Supreme Court justice was pretty exciting and a little scary for Peter. Luci had told him he'd be picked up at midday, so he got ready to go way early and sat by the door of his compartment anxiously. He didn't have a feel for Tarizonian time yet, so he kept a close eye on the clock on the console next to the door. Each room had one of these control consoles on the right side of the door at eye level. He assumed they were a combination clock, intercom, radio, telephone, camera, and thermostat.
Right on time a member of Robert Garcia's staff arrived to escort Peter to the restaurant where Councilman Garcia was having lunch. He led him down to the lobby and out to the subtram station. They entered a car and just a few seconds later the door opened in front of a restaurant called Scuggi's. It had a kind of Mediterranean look but Peter didn't know if that was intentional or just a coincidence. He led him inside to where the councilman was sitting with a young blond woman. The councilman stood up and bowed slightly. Peter did the same.
"Mr. Turner," Garcia said. "Thank you for coming." He pointed to the young lady sitting next to him. "This is my daughter Lorin. She's been anxious to meet you, so I invited her along. I hope you don't mind."
Peter smiled. "No, I don't mind at all. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lorin."
"Sit," Garcia said. "What would you like to drink?"
Peter shrugged. He had no clue what people drank on Tarizon. He finally replied, "What are you drinking?"
"Tekari. It's a bit like your beer back in America."
"Oh. I'm only seventeen. I guess I better get something non-alcoholic."
"There's no age limit for drinking Tekari here. Since nobody drives, we don't have to worry about drunk drivers."
Peter nodded and smiled. He was liking this place more and more each minute, "Okay, Tekari it is then."
Garcia smiled and motioned to the waiter. "Get Mr. Turner a Tekari and I'll need another one too." The waiter nodded and Garcia continued. "You're probably wondering why I have a Spanish name. I was actually born in El Paso, Texas. My father was Manuel Santiago Garcia. We were extricated in 1959 when I was five years old. I barely remember those years on Earth and have little memory of my natural mother."
Peter shook his head and took a deep breath. He couldn't believe so many aliens had lived on Earth without anybody knowing about it. He thought of his own mother, Rebekah Turner of Dallas, Texas, USA, planet Earth, at home sick because she’d lost her youngest son, except he wasn't dead . . . or was he? And there was his grandmother and grandfather of Richardson, Texas, USA, planet Earth whom he'd never see again either. He knew that all these children from Earth must live with an empty feeling inside knowing that even though their real mother is alive, they will never be able to see her. He knew it because he was feeling that same horrible feeling of emptiness and despair.
Lorin smiled and said, "So, Mr. Turner. How do you like Tarizon?"
Peter's eyes shifted to Lorin. He couldn't believe how everyone was treating him like he was a tourist. They seemed oblivious to the fact that he'd been abducted from his family and taken to another planet. The urge to grab Lorin and shake her violently came over him, but he thought better of it. The fact that he was here wasn't her fault, he kept telling himself. "Well, what I've seen so far is quite amazing."
"Isn't it? I hope you'll let me show you around later . . . when you have time."
He shrugged, still amazed at how everyone was being so nice to him. It seemed very odd, indeed, but there wasn't much else to do but go along with them.
"That would be great," he replied appreciatively.
The waiter came with the Tekari and then asked what they wanted for lunch. Peter looked at the menu and then closed it and smiled. Lorin said, "The back page is in English."
Taken aback, Peter turned the menu over and was shocked and delighted to see that Lorin was right, it was in English. "Wow. That's a relief."
"There are so many Earthchildren living in Shisk a lot of the merchants have English menus," Lorin said.
Councilman Garcia replied, "It's probably not a good idea. The Earthchildren need to learn Tari, the native language of Tarizon, when they come home so they will feel comfortable and be accepted into the community. If we allow them to continue to speak English it only impairs their ability to assimilate."
"I know you're right, father, but American English is the rage nowadays and the day is coming when Shisk will be a bilingual city."
"Well, I'm not so sure about that. Anyway, we better not bore Mr. Turner with such a trivial debate. I want to make him a proposition."
Peter looked at Councilman Garcia with interest. "Oh, really. What's that?"
"First, let's order."
Although the menu indeed was in English Peter didn't see anything familiar on it. Lorin recommended the pollib which she said was like lamb. He took her advice and prayed he'd like it. It would be embarrassing if he got something so grotesque he couldn't stand to eat it. Or worse yet, he vomited it all over the table.
"Tomorrow, Central Authority will be giving you a temporary assignment,” Garcia advised. “I did a little checking around and found out they intend to assign you to a chemical factory."
"A chemical factory?" Peter groaned.
"Yes, I'm afraid the people at Central Authority don't trust Earth exiles very much so they tend to assign them to rather menial jobs in obscure locations."
A sick feeling came over Peter. A chemical factory would be so boring. "But, I didn't even take chemistry in high school," he protested.
"Don't worry. I've studied your file and I know you've done very well in school and were a championship debater."
"Well . . . yeah, I guess. We did go to the state finals."
"So, I suspect if you were back on Earth you'd follow in your father's footsteps and become a crackerjack advocate."
Peter nodded. "If you mean an attorney, that was a distinct possibility. I hadn't made up my mind entirely, but it was either that or some kind of business."
"So, I guess you know what I do?"
"Well, my guide told me you were a member of the Council of Interpreters, the highest court on Tarizon."
"Yes, and I was thinking that you might enjoy being an intern in my office."
Peter nodded enthusiastically, "Definitely. That would be cool . . . I mean . .
. . excellent—much better than working in a chemical factory."
"Good. Then I'll contact Central Authority and request you as an intern, but there will be a couple of conditions."
Peter hated buts. They always complicated matters. He held his breath as he waited to hear what they were. "First of all you'll have to be our guest at my home for awhile until they find you a permanent place to live."
"We live on a hill overlooking the city,” Lorin added. “Our house is quite nice. I’m sure you'll love it."
"I would love to stay with you, but won't that be an inconvenience?"
"Nonsense," Lorin said. "We have plenty of room and we would love having you."
"Okay. What's the second condition?" he asked.
"You'll have to give me your word that you will be on your best behavior at all times," Garcia said. "I will be responsible for you and if you cause any trouble, I will be held accountable."
"I would never intentionally do something wrong," Peter replied assuredly. "I assume someone will give me instructions on what to do and what not to do on the job?"
"Yes, of course, but let's be perfectly candid here Mr. Turner."
"Okay."
"You're what we call an Earth-exile. You're not here voluntarily so you may harbor some animosity toward our government for taking you away from your family and friends. Many exiles have difficulty accepting their situation and become hateful and belligerent. Worse yet, some get the idea that they can somehow get back to Earth and they waste much time and energy trying to figure out how to do that."
The Councillor’s words jolted Peter. He had already vowed to do that very thing. Could he promise to give up his quest to return to Earth? But if he didn’t he’d end up doing manual labor in a chemical factory. The idea of that horrified him. Finally, he shrugged and said philosophically, "My father always told me to go with the flow—you know, don't try to swim upstream because you'll probably drown."
"Your father is a wise man and I can see much of his wisdom has rubbed off on you. I'm looking forward to having you on my staff."
"Me too. When will I start?"
Garcia thought a moment and replied, "It will probably take seven to ten days for the bureaucrats to do the paperwork. That will give us time to ready you a place at our home. I trust your current accommodations are satisfactory?"
"Oh, yes. Quite. Thank you."
"Your guide is taking good care of you?"
Peter nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, she's been quite helpful."
The councilman gave Peter a wry smile. Lorin frowned. Their food came and Peter was pleased that it did indeed taste like lamb. They ate and continued to talk for quite awhile. Peter liked Councilman Garcia and enjoyed Lorin's witty sarcasm although she seemed to him to be preoccupied at times. He was excited about his new job and the prospect of living in a mansion. Despite his good fortune, his enthusiasm was dampened a bit by the thought of losing his guide, Luci. He hadn’t known her long but there was something about her that was intoxicating. She was one of those women who took your breath away when you first saw her. Besides being beautiful, she made him feel so comfortable and safe in this strange world and, most of all, she seemed to like him. He wondered if there was any chance she could come with him to the Councilman’s mansion.
Tarizon, The Liberator, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 1 Page 9
