by Hylton Smith
Bertil Nordsen was one of the original 2045 cave-dwellers, and he was still remembered for his leadership, which had not only helped others survive the early post-impact years, but produced the vision he later conferred to the scattered groups in the mountains of Swedish-Iberia as it was known at the time. He had declared that the Iberian and Oriental eras were over, and the survivors had to be prepared for a nomadic life, although that was the last thing they wanted to hear. Many who ignored his warnings perished for their intransigence. The rest progressively helped him to forge a mini-nation. One of the first things he instilled was a new identity. They conferred the name of Aurorans upon themselves.
His great-grandson, Grenthe, had recently assumed leadership of the fledgling, mobile nation by birth right, dispelling any further acceptance of democracy. As he assessed the chances of resisting the Dominians, he stressed the need for seeking alliances with other Loci. It wouldn’t be easy because they would have to skirt the borders of Dominia, and slip through the lookout network. In addition to this they had only rumours to work with; they had heard of some from the East and West, but none from the South. They didn’t even know if these disparate nations would welcome their entreaties, or whether they had already capitulated to Dominia. He wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.
*
The Mamani family in Peru had achieved similar cohesion to these Aurorans from the Northern lands, albeit by a highly contrasting route. Their enforced descent from the Andean reserve near Machu Picchu, had given them a little more time to consider heading East or West. They chose the Atlantic over the Pacific without much internal dissent, but the decision to wait for the ice to close in on their coastal stopover almost cost their demise. As the polar push from Antarctica was considerably quicker it resulted in a steeper drop in ocean levels between the sub-continents of what used to be Southern Iberiana and Southern Africana. It also created the conditions for the temperate zone to be skewed toward the northern hemisphere, and eventually created a land bridge between the two sub-continents at precariously cold latitudes. They assessed this to be slightly less risky than an ocean crossing in constant and violent storms. It proved to be correct, but only by relentlessly emulating Eskimo habits, and moving on every day, for over two decades. The descendants of the original Machu Picchu tribes, over time dropped the second part of their name and sufficed to refer to themselves as the Machu. This helped them to accrete support as they travelled. The leader was now bestowed with the title of Altocotl, a new word for an old position of being next in the hierarchy to a God.
*
From the East, it took a little longer for the acceptance of nomadic necessity to take root. It eventually fertilised sufficiently in Japanese Orient to begin the exodus. Knowing of the total devastation throughout the northern extremes of China and the Indian sub-continent, the overland route would be dangerous, but necessary. They brokered deals with many isolated communities by arriving with some preserved technology. Not all surviving humans immediately grasped the significance of the almost vertical rate of disappearance of industrial and consumer society. Apart from loss of the obvious necessities such as fuel, power and agriculture, there were no longer any domesticated animals. Survival progressed without transport, and therefore communication. Metal extraction and refining of oil disappeared, with the knock-on effect of loss of medicines, and chemicals in general. Although plastics had historically in some respects become a planetary curse, society had become somewhat dependent on them, for example, in insulating against heat loss, sterilisation and extending the shelf-life of hard-won perishable nutrients. The support these people garnered was also assisted in a similar way to the Machu, by their choice of identity. The hybrid nomenclature of Tor-Azen was symbolically marketed as being ‘for the common good’.
Hiroi Komatsu was amongst the first to exploit the doctrine of a technology-lifespan coefficient. He postulated that in post-cataclysm periods it was even more relevant to survival than ever. Despite having the detailed knowledge of how to reconstruct a technology tree, as opposed to having to discover it, it could consume a significant part of the life expectancy of an individual to make even modest inroads in a practical way. He likened it to the construction and demolition of a pyramid. A century was but a fleeting moment in this context. His philosophy was built upon by his offspring and was now in the safekeeping of Sendzai – Chief Sage of the Tor-Azen.
*
As these ordered Loci nations were being constantly ‘extruded’ by the ice advance into Dominia, there were pockets of resistance to sharing land, from isolationist tribes. These disparate bands were tolerated by the Dominians, and were now seen by them as a buffer to the emerging problem of the Loci. They were referred to as Korellians, people with no interest in alliances, cooperation or social structure. They took what they wanted or cowered and backed off from unwinnable disputes. They wanted technology, but not by barter or negotiated acquisition. They were an irritant to progress and a threat to survival in a shrinking world.
*
A further element of influence was watching from the gigantic sun-filter. The Travellers were themselves not immune to danger while gleaning and storing up solar radiation. Any intense solar flares had the potential to convert these entities to a shape they did not want to shift toward – that of non-sentient energy. It could be described as the equivalent to slow human death. They had decided that they had sufficient fuel to make their descent. It fitted with the developments in Dominia, and they temporarily dismantled the filter. This had a slight reversal effect on Earth climate. The ice march would slow; this unexpected breathing space would have its own significance.
In many ways this mediaeval world was even more primitive than its authentic counterpart. In such ordered historical progression monarchs had availed of armourers, livery stables, tax collectors and crude but effective communication. In this new mediaeval throwback, the context was akin to that of hunter-gatherers. Every activity drew on the entire Loci kibbutz-style sharing of the load, at least for now. Darwinian law had kicked in again with a vengeance, and the Dominians had already negotiated many pitfalls which stood in the path of the Loci.
The delegation of Travellers numbered only nine, but this had been considered sufficient for a project team. Their brief did not extend to overt intervention. The guiding principle was to remain anonymous, and rank the ecosystem as a whole, above the needs of any particular flora or fauna. That was a perfectly understandable view from the distance of 61 Virginis, but it could look different once on the surface of Dominia. Five of the nine set off for this habitable band, one to check out each ‘nation’ and study their objectives. The other four were to assess the regions under the ice and prepare a report for reverse engineering it to a more ‘acceptable’ domain for all species – similar to the one around the time of the dawn of mankind. This would then be the subject of a review, which would definitely engage in serious intervention where necessary. When in their natural or resting state, the Travellers recognised one another by designations of multiple ‘wavelengths of personality’. They now needed to take on references and shapes which would be sympathetically viewed by the respective nation to which they had been assigned. They were quite excited as this was a very rare activity for them, it could be described as one small step for the Travellers but one giant leap for shape-shifters.
The first Traveller made landfall in the main barricaded settlement of Dominia. The use of cement had been recovered and deployed to build a ‘fortress city’. Although there were other minor settlements throughout the region he decided this was the best place to begin – close to the fountain-head. It was located some distance from the western bank of the barely liquid river Nile. Taking on the guise of an agricultural labourer, he began to observe. The ruling structure was loosely based on the feudal system of Landowners and Serfs, but without the Serfs being sold with the land. As yet there had been no restoration of currency. The Serfs had been systematically weeded out since 2045 as the weakli
ngs, and they either accepted employment or starved.
He chose the designation Karim. He quickly picked up on the pecking order of the landowners, which once more reflected the uneven balance between the weak and the strong. Khaled, leader of Dominia, was continually accompanied by henchmen and advisors. All others bowed in his presence. Karim told all who were interested that he had come from a settlement toward the west. He related tales of the increasing probability of conflict and stated that was his reason for seeking safety. He had the ear of many Serfs because they rarely heard of battles with the Korellians or other incomers; they were kept in the dark. He made friends with one Serf who agreed to speak on his behalf with the landowner about work. Amir kept referring to the city as Carthos, and indicated that his master had access to the ear of Khaled. When he was summoned to meet the landowner he was expected to deliver knowledge of the situation in the settlement from which he had come. Karim’s knowledge was based on orbital observation and he was able to sketch in rough detail of the Loci to the west.
“There is a very long caravan of these people heading this way. We knew this from scouting parties and captives we took. They tell stories of there being no living space between here and what used to be Mexico.”
The landowner, Reda seized on this as being useful to discuss with Khaled. “Do you know how many of these Loci are in the caravan?”
Karim shrugged his shoulders and said he didn’t know. “I could try to find out, but it would be dangerous.”
Reda said he would get back to him and in the meantime he could work the land for his keep. Karim gladly accepted and went off with Amir to inspect his place of employment. Even from this short interaction he began to question how he could comply with the directive of observing this nation with precision, yet avoid any kind of intervention. He actually wondered if he had already breached the designated code of conduct.
Having decided upon the name Ragna, the Traveller assigned to study the Aurorans appeared just behind the frontline with Korellia and therefore Dominia. He had taken note of the steady rate of arrival of new units from the Machu caravan and quickly concluded that this pressure for food and space would determine when skirmish would turn to war. From orbit he had seen precisely what the Aurorans could only hope for – that other Loci weren’t far away. The immediate problem would be the Korellians, especially those contracted by Dominia. His knowledge of how to find the Machu and the Tor-Azen would be valuable, but like Karim, he wrestled with how blending in could clash with intervention. After much deliberation he felt compelled to help. This urge was at least fractionally influenced by the observation of Grenthe’s daughter Meridia, during a rally of the clans to discuss strategy. She was very striking for two principal reasons – she was the only female allowed into the inner sanctum, and she was a fine example of breath-taking Nordic beauty. Ragna couldn’t quite comprehend why he felt quite so strongly about this. Observation from orbit had indicated that all of these nations relied heavily on male decision making, even though the females seemed more prepared to negotiate rather than fight. His vision of her flawless appearance was even more difficult for him to reconcile, except for the Travellers’ natural tendency to generally take pleasure in categorising nature’s perfection. This felt somewhat different.
While listening to conversations on the periphery of the large meeting area, he picked up several interesting views of what the future may have in store for these people. There were those who were completely fed up with nomadic life and extoled the virtues of going head-to-head with anyone who denied them arable land. Others were certain that Grenthe’s plan was the only way to establish the bedrock of an agrarian society. They conceded that it could be dangerous to seek out allies purely on the assumption that they were in the same predicament. The majority however, felt that the Korellians would have to be dealt with sooner or later, and that should be determined by the Auroran ranks being swelled to the optimum numbers for such a pivotal conflict. The common view was that whichever plan was agreed, the only leader they could envisage was Grenthe. Ragna decided to proclaim he had knowledge of the other Loci, not their philosophy, but their position and numbers. He established a significant audience very quickly, and this registered with one of the senior guards. Thinking it was some kind of wrangle over food he acted swiftly, and encircled the group with fighting men. When he heard the explanation from one of the participants, he quickly arrested Ragna and began interrogating him.
Ragna’s claims were considered to be pure fantasy and he was thrown into custody. The jailor was sympathetic, as he liked a good story, but was horrified that Ragna was no longer in the detention hut when he returned with a culinary bribe of stewed fruit. He instantly panicked, knowing that his own freedom was in danger of being compromised. Having done his research carefully, Ragna walked up to the guard who had arrested him, and calmly stated that his powers as an escapologist were conferred to him by the same source as his knowledge of the Loci, namely the ancient Nordic icon Odin.
“You may attempt to imprison me again, but it will not be successful. I have offered information which is of great benefit to Aurorans and when I am eventually proved to be correct, you will be considered as having been the one who could have prevented serious errors of judgement. You cannot change this sequence of events. I advise you to take my information very seriously.”
The guard thought about this and hurled a spear at Ragna. He couldn’t believe his eyes as the weapon passed through space left by Ragna’s torso, which was no longer there. Ragna was already regretting his own haste in trying to gain counsel with the inner sanctum. He had attracted another crowd and was already perceived as different by these Aurorans. He decided to seek cover and ran at breakneck speed to the shelter of a wooded refuge. The guard also had another problem to contemplate. Not only could the crowd verify the claims of knowledge of the Loci, but they had witnessed the extraordinary powers which tended to support these claims. He conceded to inform the Auroran General, Sondor, of the stranger in their midst. Sondor was irate at being dragged out of the strategic council for such a preposterous report. He summarily instructed the guard to produce this stranger, as he was probably a spy. The guard was at least relieved that he had apparently managed to avoid serious repercussions; he simply had to locate this spy.
Chapter 2
The third Traveller had given more thought than the others about his chosen character. The Tor-Azen were fastidiously true to the old ways of the Samurai in terms of honour and philosophy. Choosing to be a member of the servility would help to minimise the attraction to intervene. Kiozo wouldn’t stand out as anything but a loyal sword-maker. The Tor-Azen not only felt they had superior technology to aid the quest for suitable living space, they were extremely confident in their firepower to overcome those who chose not to share their culture. Therefore they were not disposed to proactively seek allies simply to increase the flock. Kiozo had no difficulty finding a sponsor for his attributes in making superb weapons. He had failed to predict that this in itself would bring him to the edge of intervention.
He was well received by the House of Torramita, one of the founding tribes of the early Tor-Azen, and a primary patron of Sendzai’s order. This honour was restricted to three houses, and was accompanied by pledges to enforce the ‘Hagora’ – the doctrine of the immediate post-cataclysm era. Having failed to blend in, by offering superb craftsmanship, Kiozo was immediately deluged with ideas for new weapons. So many had been unofficially submitted, that the Head of House, General Nakamukin called on Sendzai, to form a cliquot, to assess the relevance of these requests to the central cause of the Tor-Azen. Kiozo had been in attendance, and swiftly realised his error in becoming such a high profile presence. His clumsy attempt to extricate himself from this envied status only compounded his predicament.
“My expertise is simply in crafting blades from plans of proven design. It is an undeserved honour for me to be involved in the creation of new concepts.”
This utteranc
e was taken by Nakamukin, and indeed Sendzai to be one of genuine humility. Set against his outstanding skills, this ready observance of his place in terms of hierarchy particularly impressed Sendzai.
“Your skills in fashioning our weapons of close quarter combat give you the right to show what you may be able to contribute in alternative weaponry. I cannot imagine that you are ever satisfied with what comes from your hands, without considering improvements you have in your head. I therefore authorise Nakamukin to ensure you are enrolled in the cliquot, even if it initially merely helps to avoid costly time being wasted on impractical suggestions.”
Kiozo offered his profound appreciation and observed the ostentation of the fawning Nakamukin as confirmatory proof of his own naivety. It was a salutary lesson in the difference between orbital and surface perspective.
*
Having seemingly drawn the short straw of studying the Korellians, the newly-named Rubina appeared to be content as she gained her first employment in a ‘tavern’ of reasonable repute. The passing trade provided a continuous flow of information, especially with respect to possible contracts from Dominia, skirmishes with Loci, and the constant jockeying for position of the various internal clans. Broken agreements and backstabbing were not only the norm, but served as a kind of invisible ranking scale, which ultimately translated to kudos, as perceived by the Dominians. The filthy home-brewed liquids on demand were purchased on the barter system. The tavern owners were the entrepreneurs of this rag-tag nation, and garnered much wealth and influence as a result. Even in these days of bleak prospects, information was power. Rubina was instantly aware of this leverage, and at the same time horrified at the prospect of consensual rape being part of her unspoken duty. It had been assumed that everyone knew of this, except those whose ‘upbringing’ was nurtured in orbit.
