Temporal Gambit

by Larry A. Brown

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  “In my reality, Jules Verne was only imagining the possibility of space travel by that time.”

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  “And they’ve achieved success not only in the sciences but as a ruling power on this continent.” Using the vehicle’s data screen, Martin had located an online historical site. He read through the information. “The Maya controlled all of Central America and what we called Mexico by the early 1500s. That means the Aztec empire never had a chance to develop. The Maya pushed their way into South America during the next two centuries, conquering the Inca. Then in the nineteenth century, they took advantage of the devastation of the U.S. Civil War and captured most of the southwestern territories out to the Pacific coast.”

  As if to confirm this information about the Maya regime, along the trip home he rode past several monoliths proclaiming the accomplishments of the current rulers. One played dramatic music which underscored excerpts from a recent speech by the Overlords: “In this greatest of kingdoms, we celebrate the equality of all Maya, our superior way of life, and our peaceful coexistence with the other races.”

  Martin reflected on this political propaganda. “I guess any civilization which has lasted over two thousand years has some bragging rights.” Their impressive achievements were evident all around him.

  “LOGOS, I’ve observed a blending of European and Maya cultures here in New Palenque. The architecture, the way people dress, the food. I’m curious; have you been translating conversations for me over the last two days? Everyone’s not just speaking English, right?”

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  “I suspected as much. The lack of Spanish makes sense, as Spain never conquered Central America in this timeline. Fascinating. But no luck on the old Maya language so far?”

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  The vehicle arrived at the building and rose up to Martin’s penthouse. “Keep working. I believe that’s where we will find our rupture of the timeline.”

  As he entered the residence, he heard voices arguing. Glancing at the wall of ancestors, he now saw two holographic heads projected over their shrines. An elderly female face glared at her ghostly companion.

  “And what about that summer when I caught you with that redhead at the beach?”

  “Ah, stop bringing that up, woman. That didn’t mean anything. And don’t tell me you didn’t have an eye out for those fellas on their surfboards.”

  “There was a time when the young men lined up at my door. I was quite popular. Why I settled for you, I’ll never know.”

  “Keep that up, and I’ll come over there and slap you.”

  “Without any hands? I’d like to see that, you old fart. Oh, hello, Martin.”

  “Hello, uh, Great-Grandma.” Martin thought quickly. “Still having it out with Papa Zach, I see.”

  “She keeps digging up the past. That was over a century ago.”

  “Seems like yesterday to me.”

  “You’re getting senile.”

  “Holograms don’t get senile.”

  “Then your program’s degrading.” Zach added, “Oh, by the way, Martin. You got a call from the office of the Overlords. They said that the honor ceremony which was scheduled for next week has been moved to tomorrow, same time and place.”

  “Honor ceremony? I’d forgotten about that. I suppose that’s an appointment I cannot cancel.”

  <>

  The holographic heads chimed in.

  “What about that, Ezzy? Someone in our family hobnobbing with the ruling class.”

  “Sure beats the lowlifes you hung around with. You never had class of any kind.”

  Martin left his ancestors to their squabbling and tried to find a quiet place to think. To his surprise, he heard someone opening the entrance from the interior lobby serviced by a private elevator. He turned the corner to meet a young woman carrying two bags.

  “So sorry I’m late today, sir. My morning class ran overtime, and I still had to pick up some groceries. How has your day gone so far? I hope less hectic than mine.” She hurried into the kitchen.

  Martin recognized her as his housekeeper Chimal. She worked for him to earn her way through graduate school. At the moment he couldn’t recollect what she was studying. “No problem, Chimal. I’ve been out most of the morning as well. Business as usual. How are your studies going?”

  “Challenging, especially after this morning’s lecture.” He heard sounds of her preparing something with a blender. She spoke louder over the noise. “We discussed the formation of stars in the Horsehead Nebula. The gravitational calculations went above my head, I’m afraid.”

  “I’m sure you’ll get it with some more study. You have a natural inclination for astronomy.”

  She came from the kitchen, bringing him a mug of some steaming liquid. “I suppose so. I guess it’s in my blood. You know I’m pure Maya. My family goes back centuries to the Yucatan.”

  “I didn’t remember that.” He sipped the frothy drink of bitter chocolate mixed with chili peppers and allspice, remembering this was his favorite beverage. In the previous world, he would have hated it.

  “The Old Ones were amazing astronomers and mathematicians,” Chimal said. “Did you know they discovered the concept of zero before anyone else in the ancient world? And their calculations of the orbit of Venus were incredibly accurate, within a fraction of a day of what modern science has determined. All that without computers or telescopes.”

  “Your enthusiasm is infectious, Chimal. It’s admirable that you are maintaining the noble tradition of studying the stars. Your ancestors are proud, I’m sure.”

  She hesitated before responding. “Sir, I need to speak to you about something. After this semester, I’m leaving school, and I won’t be able to work here anymore.”

  “Is there a problem?”

  “I’m going to Mars.”

  “Chimal, that sounds exciting. Congratulations. Did you get a research grant?”

  The expression on her face told another story. “I’m not going to study. I’m being deported.” She paused, obviously assuming he knew the reason. “I was born in Wayeb.”

  “LOGOS,” Martin thought. “Do you know that term?”

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  Martin put down his drink and looked at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “What exactly does this mean, Chimal? What’s going to happen to you?”

  She pressed her lips together as if trying to hold the words back. “According to the official explanation, I’m being ‘offered to heaven as a sacrifice to the gods.’” She gave a harsh laugh at that sanctimonious statement.

  Martin stared in amazement. “I don’t understand. I’ve never heard about any of this.”

  “Most people don’t know about this practice. It’s a state secret, but it’s been around since the Great Revival.” Chimal became more upset, barely holding back tears. “They used to exile Wayebs to work in slave labor camps. In the old times, I suppose they sacrificed them on their altars. But now they send us off-world. On Mars I’ll do housework and cooking, but not in a n
ice place like this. And I won’t get to continue school.”

  Martin stood and began pacing the room. “This is wrong! Unconscionable! We can’t let them ruin your academic career. What can I do to help? I’m meeting with the Overlords and his staff tomorrow. Perhaps I could —”

  “Please don’t.” She held up her hand and shook her head in resignation. “There’s nothing you or anyone can do. If I don’t show up voluntarily on the transport date, they’ll just arrest me and deport my family as well. I won’t let them do that.” She turned and went back into the kitchen.

  Such an intelligent and aspiring young woman. Thinking how unfair it was, Martin crossed to the windows overlooking the city. Its gleaming pyramids didn’t shine as brightly as before. The Maya utopia had its flaws after all.

  Remembering the hollow boasts of the Overlords about equality, he muttered, “All Maya are equal, but some Maya are more equal than others.”

  15

  5 Ok / 18 Ch’en

  After a troubled night’s sleep, Martin awoke midmorning on his own, having turned off the alarm system. Thankfully, he had canceled all appointments for today other than the honor ceremony. He inquired about LOGOS’s progress with translating the early records.

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  “It’s ironic that back in the original timeline, scholars deciphered most of the classic Maya language over eighty years ago. Let me know when you have something.”

  The ceremony with the Overlords did not start for several hours, so he searched for something to do. He knew he would be no help in cracking the Maya glyph code and regretted that he had not focused more on ancient languages in his graduate work.

  One idea occurred to him. He directed the house system to play an episode of the “Kooky Kaan” animated cartoon which the young boy had mentioned. Perhaps a popular depiction of the ubiquitous character would contain some clue to this mystery and his relationship to the alien Xenox.

  The show began with a young boy and girl dressed in traditional Maya garb, wandering down a path through the forest. Up ahead, beyond their line of sight, a fork in the road offered two options. The sinister Dr. Ignorance cackled maniacally and manipulated a sign, pointing the arrow in one direction. An overhead shot revealed that this particular path ended in a region of spooky darkness surrounded by gnarled trees and crawling with strange creatures. The other path led to a land of warm light, butterflies, and rainbows. To entice the young people to follow the dark road, Dr. Ignorance scattered some candies along the way.

  Suddenly, Kooky Kaan arrived at the scene in a flying craft, accompanied by a burst of dramatic music. Using his powerful Rays of Enlightenment, he defeated the villainous doctor, who ran off howling in fear. Kaan hugged the children with his three arms and directed them down the correct path.

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  “Oh, LOGOS, you were watching this too?”

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  “What have you found?”

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  The telescreen continued to broadcast local news. Lady Eveningstar, royal consort of Overlord Black Jaguar, announced that she was expecting their eighth and ninth children. As their only set of blessed twins, the boys would become direct heirs to the throne with the official names Stormy Sky and Smoking Frog. Police reported more trouble with violent street gangs protesting the current regime and cautioned residents to avoid certain sections of the city, especially at night. The weather service predicted a twenty percent chance of light rain in the evening.

  After a few hours, Martin dressed in one of his most expensive suits and left for the ceremony. Apparently the location had been pre-programmed into the vehicle since it started off with no directions from him. On his way there, he looked past the city structures for natural landmarks which might provide a clue where he was going. Heading due west, he surmised that they would be close to what, in his previous world, had been the site of Fort Stanton and the Snowy River Cave.

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  “That explains why New Palenque extends over most of old New Mexico. The territory includes Carlsbad Caverns and several other cave systems. If I recall, the early Maya constructed Chichen Itza in the Yucatan over a cave.”

  When he arrived at the site, a huge crowd filled the expansive plaza, at one end of which was a speaker’s platform and a large viewing screen. Staff members of the Overlords’ office met him at his car and applied lines of dark blue makeup to his forehead and cheeks. They led him to the podium where three other people already waited. He thought he should recognize some of them but couldn’t recall any names.

  After a half-hour or so, the Overlord twins arrived with great fanfare blaring from the loudspeakers. Martin was fairly sure he had never met either one in person. Why was he here? The speakers announced their royal titles as Ek B’alam, “Black Jaguar,” and K’uk B’alam, “Plumed Jaguar.” Both men wore jaguar-skin robes over their modern suits and elaborate headdresses decorated with feathers of many colors. They each carried a staff with a double-headed serpent on top. As they climbed to the podium, they shook each guest’s hand, then turned to the cheering masses.

  “People of New Palenque.” Ek B’alam raised his hands to silence the crowd. “On this day of 5 Ok 18 Ch’en, we stand proudly on this sacred spot over the dark caverns below. The old legends told how the great plumed serpent was born in a cave until he grew too large, burst forth, and ascended to the sun. Of course, we know that Kaan the All Wise came not from below but from beyond the stars. His guidance brought us to this glorious period of our history today.” The people roared in approval.

  K’uk B’alam stepped forward. “Led by the spirit of the great Kaan, we celebrate the wondrous achievements of our people over the centuries. In particular, we have come today to honor four individuals who have broken new ground in our mastery of both the natural and human realms. For their tireless and inspiring work, we grant each of them the title of Ajaw.”

  The Overlord turned and gestured at the honorees behind him. “First, we name Dalid Yaxkin as Ajaw Wojol, Lord of Signs, for his efforts to decipher the language of our ancestors. Next, we name Jason Bax as Ajaw Mih, Lord of Emptiness, for his leadership in our exploration of space. Third, we name Imma Niche as Ajaw Xok, Lord of Numbers, for her work in quantum computing.”

  Ek B’alam traded places with his twin. “Last, we honor a man not of our people but whose vision, ingenuity, and dedication to our national goals make him one of us. For his development of technology allowing men of our age to view the lives of our ancestors, we name Martin Chamberlain as Ajaw Tzolk’in, Lord of Time.” The four honorees stood to receive the crowd’s enthusiastic acclamation.

  “He believes that we can only transmit images from the past,” Martin commented silently to LOGOS. “Apparently, the Chronos Project here hasn’t told them yet about our achieving actual time travel.”

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  Ek B’alam called for quiet again and continued. “Since the year of the Great Revival at the beginning of this bak’tun, we have chosen to venerate our ancient ways while continuing along the path of progress into our future. One of the most hallowed traditions of the Old Ones was the giving of blood. Our ancestors taught that the gods gave their blood to create the world, and so we must return this sacred gift.”

  With melodramatic flair, each man removed his robe and pulled back his sleeve, raising his bared arm for all to see. Two pairs of me
dical technicians came onto the stage with paraphernalia to draw blood. The twins sat on identical thrones which reclined slightly. For the next five minutes, the crowd waited in silent awe as the rulers surrendered their royal blood to honor the gods of creation. Once the collection bags were filled, the medics handed them to the Overlords, who stood, raised their faces to the heavens, and poured the blood on the ground.

  Martin stared at this spectacle in disbelief. “They must not understand the concept of transfusions here,” he thought to LOGOS. “This is mere political pageantry with no medical purpose at all. What a waste.”

  The twins stepped forward to the edge of the platform, heads held high and chests out as if they had made the supreme sacrifice. The crowd exploded in shouts of praise, chanting the names of the Overlords. Among the exuberant throng, Martin observed one small group toward the back who did not participate in the celebration. They were oddly dressed, but at a distance he couldn’t make out the details.

  Once the ceremony concluded, the staff invited the four new lords to a reception. Tables overflowed with fruits, exotic meat dishes, and luscious desserts. Martin had hoped to speak to the Overlords to learn more about the Great Revival, but both of them departed quickly after completing their official duties. Recalling that he had met Imma Niche previously when she had helped the Chronos Project in acquiring some advanced computers, he greeted her briefly but avoided any discussion of his work’s progress.

  In the distance, thunder rumbled, and dark clouds began filling the sky. Martin took this opportunity to make his way through the reception area, saying his goodbyes to the staff and other honored guests, and head to his car. He climbed in as the first drops splashed on the windshield. The vehicle moved into the lanes of traffic and started toward the city center. Frankly, he was relieved he did not have to drive himself in this downpour.