Disconnected (Connected series Book 1)

by N. P. Francis

  “On that same day she came across a man who was lost in the middle of the same cold dry plain. He had not seen anyone for three days and had a broken leg. He had a TuyTuy stone but no water for himself or to make the TuyTuy stone fly. He was close to death and said he was half a day’s TuyTuy stone ride from his home where he had food, water and shelter. But with no water to pour on the stone he was stuck and dying.” Ralph spotted Adrii’s eyes were glazing over. He knew that look, she was staying quiet only to humour him. At least he had raised a polite daughter…

  “Look,” he said, “you get it. Long parable short. She shared her water and they were Okay. Sharing worked.”

  “Yes, Father, I remember the parable now but how does that answer the question about WaytaPata? They have the food and shelter but they are not lost and close to death.”

  “Yes they do have those things and they need nothing from us. In DiPacha we share because it benefits us all. What we have learned over the last fifty-one cycles is that our two societies have grown apart. We originally shared as a survival need. If we did not we may have died, or at least many of the first settlers in DiPacha would have died. Sharing has become natural to us. It is hard to consider how society would work if we did not share.

  “On WaytaPata they have so many resources sharing was never a necessity. From the history of WaytaPata we have been able to review and understand they have fought over resources. I need to explain that when they fight they can, and often do, kill each other. Not just one or two people but whole communities. Cities of people. This has been one of the hardest things for us to understand.”

  Adrii was now looking shocked and pale.

  “It is hard to explain this. When you’re ready I will show you so you can see for yourself. They do not, however, fight for survival, over basic resources like shelter, food and water. They do not fight as if there was only one jug of water left, only enough for one person to survive. In almost all cases the people of WaytaPata fight because they want more or believe something different from the person they are fighting with. They do not understand the abundance that they have.”

  There was a long pause while Adrii watched the water of the river go by. The warm sun slowly bringing some colour back to her cheeks. She looked at her father saying. “I understand your words and what each one means but the sentences I do not understand. How can people treat each other like that? Life is precious, delicate and should be celebrated!”

  “I agree, my love. This is the reason we keep WaytaPata a secret from all other Pachans, especially the Listeners. Imagine what would happen if people who only want more and more come here? We do have things they would want, TuyTuy stones and the Telelink for example. But they would likely take these things and destroy our society. This we do not want and cannot risk.”

  “Is that our choice, Father?” Asked Adrii.

  Ralph was completely wrong-footed, or thrown from his stone as the Pachans say. He’d grown up believing he was acting in the best interest of Pachamama and all of DiPacha. The knowledge of WaytaPata was too dangerous to be let loose. The Guild of The Punku had been created to protect this knowledge. Here was his daughter asking if they had the right to keep the knowledge to themselves and not for all Pachans to have the right to make their own minds up.

  This was different from the questions Samin had had, or he himself for that matter! He’d just not believed in WaytaPata and once he’d accepted the knowledge Ralph had just wanted to go there. He’d been a natural at learning the English language his mother spoke. It was their secret language they only spoke to each other when he was growing up. It had come as one of the biggest shocks for him to learn it was spoken in another realm.

  Ralph looked along the river, upstream to where a herd of grazing damma had come down to drink. Ralph tried to recall what the WaytaPatans’ called them, “Antelope, that’s it.” He said allowed

  “What father?” Asked Adrii, who was slightly surprised by the unexpected words from her father.

  “Do you see the large horned damma coming down to the river to drink? They are rumoured to have originally come from WaytaPata when all the realms of DiPacha were first discovered. I was trying to remember what your grandmother used to call them, it was antelope I think, that was the English name she used for them. She said they were a bit like another animal from where she came from called deer.”

  While thinking of all the stories his grandmother used to tell he remembered a parable from Earth. Robin Hood. He’d stolen from the rich to give to the poor and almost been killed for shooting a deer for food; if memory served him well. There seemed to be many versions of this parable. Ralph decided to simplify the story and told Adrii a version as he pointed out the deer drinking at the river’s edge.

  “You see,” he said. “In their realm people are not equal. A few have much more than others. They like to keep it for themselves. Robin Hood is a parable of a man from WaytaPata. He did not have things to share so he took from those who had more than they needed, from the wasteful and greedy, and gave it to those who had almost nothing. For that they tried to kill him. Imagine if people who think like that came here? We have little now but we survive and are relatively comfortable. We are well fed and warm. We have our health, we have knowledge from the neural-net and we are learning more each day from our studies of WaytaPata.”

  “The Realm of WaytaPata appears to be badly damaged. They call it global warmin’. Whole areas are being destroyed. People’s homes, crops and lives are under threat. We have a lot of space here and few resources to share. Global warming has happened because they used everything they could get as quickly as possible.” Ralph concluded.

  “You mean like if we ate all the food we stored after the season of plenty and saved none for the dry season? We’d have fun and be full for a few days and after half a cycle we’d be starving?” Adrii asked.

  Ralph thought quickly and was scared and amazed by his young daughter's insight. “Yes,” he said. “It’s only now they are realising that they have burned all the fuel they had and eaten all the stores. It’s now a mad rush to limit the damage. If we opened the Punku and said, ‘Hello, we’re here come and share what we have.’ We risk so many people coming we would have nothing left. What I am saying is contrary to all our sharing principles, but we have to be sure that before we share our meagre resources that we can trust the WaytaPatans.”

  “The parable I told you earlier is actually reversed. We are the traveller and WaytaPata has the broken leg. The difference between the parable and our current reality is that we must consider not just our own lives but all of those in DiPacha. Those on WaytaPata still have more than us. They just do not know how to share what they have for the benefit of all. If they learn this, or we can help them learn this without risking our realms then, and only then, can we open the Punku.

  “That is how we are sharing. Your brother, and Illary before him, have been trying hard to understand WaytaPata so we can work out how to help. To help bridge the gap of understanding between WaytaPata and DiPacha.”

  “Father, that’s a lot to take in, but I liked the parable of… Robin Hood? But WaytaPata and its people sound scary.”

  “Remember they are people like us. Just a very different history. There is a lot more to the tale. For today I think I have shared enough. Yet I must remind you that this cannot be shared with the neural-net outside of our group. I will give you access to our rooms in the neural-net so you know who you can talk to. Are you OK?”

  “Yes, Father, just confused and upset. I had no idea of your… secret, but I think I understand why you have chosen this path; I think.”

  Ralph moved closer to his daughter and hugged her. “It’s a lot to take in at first. We’ll go and see Illary and Kendra later. However, before we see them I would like to show you some more of our rooms in the neural-net that only members of the Guild of The Punku know of. This is our guild's history, our secrets.”

  “Which guild, Father?” said Adrii perplexed. She'd
never heard of that guild before.

  Smiling, Ralph replied, “It’s the guild Illary started when your grandma and her friends arrived in Millham. Sit with me and I'll show you their history. The truth we must protect.”

  Ralph and Adrii found a patch of dry grass near the riverbank and sat together in the warm sun. Adrii had only had her neural-net implant within the last cycle and the scar on her temple was still healing. She and friends her age who had also just had the implant were still getting used to the instantaneous communication and had only recently started to explore the neural-net itself.

  Looking at his daughter Ralph called to her in his head. “As always with our training I do not want to talk with you aloud. We will talk together in our heads using your implant, telelink. Okay?”

  Adrii replied out loud “Yes…” and then corrected herself. Concentrating hard on her father she said in thought, “I mean, yes, Father. Sorry; it's still strange talking without talking.”

  “I remember,” grinned Ralph. “Right, do you remember how memories and information can be stored in the neural-net so others can find them?”

  “Yes, Father. They're stored in rooms we can enter in our minds. Each room contains different memories and information. We can learn the way around these rooms and the type of information in each.”

  “Well done, Adrii,” said Ralph impressed by his daughter yet again. “Well some rooms are also hidden and require special information to let you in. I am about to show you one of these rooms. It's the Guild of The Punku's room. Very few people have ever known of it and the information and history in here is very important. Let's go and see how your grandma came to Millham and the realm of Pachamama.

  5Shock and Awe - Part 2

  Chris shook his head slightly as he came out of the brief dreamlike trance. “What the, Adrii!” Chris exclaimed and then paused trying to find the right words, “Questions I have so many bloody questions. Starting with how the hell does this implant thing work? Your history, I am totally confused about that, and your grandma, what?” Taking a breath and standing Chris started to pace up and down the small room. He shook his head and continued, “I think I get the rooms in the neural-net now, they’re like finding memories. Your own memories and other peoples’ memories all collectively stored in one place. That’s amazing, really bloody amazing!”

  Adrii finished her drink, put the mug down and grinned at Chris and quietly said, “I thought you would find that instructive and the memory useful. I only moved it from my private room this morning.” She looked at little embarrassed.

  “Please don't speak of it to anyone unless I say it's okay. We don't believe in secrets in DiPacha but we still believe in privacy.”

  Chris could see Adrii was exposed bearing her personal memories. He had to respect that.

  “I understand. I grew up in a world where you could share every part of your life, and many parts were shared for you, without your permission or knowledge. Photos, pictures of you as a baby for example. You had no choice. Keeping things private went against trend. It was considered odd to be private. However that changed recently. The Social Media Revolution began to crumble. The Community Revolution started. Similar tech but targeted at the people you wanted to share with, those you wanted to invite into your room.

  “Don't get me wrong. SM is still huge and most use it but not for everything like the old days.”

  “We watched emissions about it. Emissions changed a lot when your SM came along. Shall we go for that walk and get some fruit? I'm sure your friends would like some when they wake.”

  Reaching for two woven ponchos hanging by the wooden door Adrii passed one to Chris.

  The two of them left the house turning left for the short walk to the river. As they walked outside Chris breathed in the crisp clean air, it smelt good. The house where they were all staying was in the outer ring of Millham and very close to the cities paddy fields. The earth of the path below their feet had been trodden to a smooth finish by countless generations but Chris could not see a single wheel mark. As they approached the river Chris could see the sun beginning to come up over the horizon in front of them. The sky above the river was starting to turn a pinkish hue. Chris smiled to himself as he approached. Even though he and his friends were lost on a planet, or realm, or whatever this place was, he had rarely seen such simple beauty. Yes, they were surrounded by countless miles of desert but right here and now he felt safe.

  At the river Adrii found the small path down to where the vines grew along the bank. At this time of year the vines were above the water, flowering and fruiting. Chris could see the high water mark just at the top of the bank. He estimated the river would be at least five times the volume that currently flowed passed. Momentarily he forgot about where he was and started looking at the white water rafting and kayaking possibilities. This area would be a fantastic egress point from the rapids he guessed lay-up river. Then he thought of the mammoth parks in Siberia. Judging by the things he’d seen so far the mammoth parks and safaris on Earth would be nothing to safaris you could do in some DiPacha realms. Jurassic Park, eat your heart out…

  Adrii passed him some fruit which halted his daydream.

  “How far is it to the place in your memory?” Asked Chris with a mouthful of the sweet fruit.

  Adrii slightly blushed. “Not far. Let's pick some more and I'll show you, better yet I'll take you back to the paddy fields and you can show me!”

  Chris was about to protest at the absurdity of that idea when he realised he could find the way from Adrii’s memory. It was then he understood how personal and powerful the neural-net was. You could literally learn from others’ experiences.

  “Do you have books, writing?” he asked. It had been one of the many questions that had been bugging him.

  “No, and we had no concept of them until a few generations ago, why would we with the neural-net…”

  “That's mad!” Chris was silent for a long time considering everything he’d learned that morning, and the sun was only just breaking the horizon.

  “I can't quite get my head around it all. Since I came through the Punku so much madness has happened. My head feels like it's about to fall off. I think that's partly why the others are sleeping so much. It's just too much to take in.”

  “From your perspective I can see that. Our realms are extreme versions of WaytaPata. For us the revelations are huge too. We are also learning that our guild and secrets may be compromised in ways I could never have imagined. My fellow guild members are horrified and terrified in equal measure. Jakob and my father are studying that as we speak. What can we do to protect our worlds…? Two such different societies and cultures. You have such wonderful technology and such terrible destruction and death. The people of our fifteen DiPacha realms have no comprehension of WaytaPata as it is now. Most think it’s a myth and some Listeners believe it was real but lost forever.”

  Chris stood staring at Adrii. He knew she’d warned the knowledge of Earth was dangerous but now he began to realise her fear. The DiPacha realms were passive cultures and socieities. He felt guilty of even considering bringing tourists here in his daydream. Adrii was right. All he saw here, had seen, would be consumed by Earth's insatiable appetite.

  Chris remembered seeing lions in a zoo as a child and pictures of Rhinos which had been driven to extinction. In that moment he the felt guilt for what humanity had done to Earth and a fear of the destructive might the humans of Earth could unleash on these realms. A shiver went down his spine as a mirror was held up to the world he'd grown up in. He did not like what he saw.

  Chris's lifetime of adventuring had just become a very real experience. On Earth, it had been part of the culture and economy that kept the world working. Here there was no economy and the culture of the realms would be consumed by Earth. Real jeopardy gripped his heart and soul. There was no adrenalin buzz or sense of awe. Instead, the sense of guilt on behalf of his own people for being part of the problem became very acute. This was shock a
nd awe, his moment of epiphany.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Said Chris honestly. Where to begin, how to begin, what could he say to Adrii who looked as lost as he felt. She looked scared behind her big blue eyes and was looking at Chris as if he had the answers.

  Chris opted for the truth. Diplomatic at first then plain and honest as his parents had raised him.

  “Adrii… you and your people have been so generous. Helped us when no one else could. Protected us from dangers we could not have imagined. I am struggling to comprehend the dangers you would face from my world, the world I come from, but what really scares me is that I understand why you're scared. I think.” He paused trying to gather his thoughts. “Can we go for that walk, walking always helps me think. Get things straight in my head.”

  “Yes, we can walk and thank you, Chris. That means a lot. We value life so highly here. It comes with such a struggle and with such hard work. Our people on WaytaPata have given so much to help us understand your realm. There are so many contrasts yet individuals do not seem to represent the whole culture of your realm. Individuals can be generous and kind. I'd like to understand why there is a difference between individuals and your society as a whole. That confuses us here. But let's finish gathering the fruit. Then we can walk up the river. Let's see if you can use the neural-net to show me the way.”

  It was still early although the sun had now risen above the horizon as Adrii and Chris walked away from the river back towards the paddy fields. From there Chris used Adrii's memory to help him find his way towards the leat and beach Adrii and her father used to visit when Adrii was a girl. Chris was still having to work hard to calculate the ages of people from DiPacha as the DiPachans measured time by human pregnancy. Years on each Pacha realm were different, a cycle or pregnancy was constant once. Chris got used to the idea it kind of made sense. He estimated Adrii to be in her early forties in earth years but his head hurt trying to make sense of everything.