by Jaspre Bark
The UTN had come a long way since Cheveyo was active on the inner council. A long way in the wrong direction.
They were gathered in the meeting hall of the Crow's general council. Unlike many other tribes the council consisted of every registered tribe member over the age of eighteen. Cheveyo greatly admired the government of the Crow tribe. Although they also had executive and legislative branches, in principle every one in the tribe voted on every policy and every action that their government adopted. While the white man in his White House had boasted – before The Cull – of his 200 year old democracy, there was an older, stronger and more direct democracy being practiced right under his nose, by a nation that had lived here longer.
Cheveyo had hoped that the UTN itself would adopt a similar constitution, but it seemed that the organisation grew more autocratic with each day. Recent events couldn't have played better into the hands of Ahiga and his faction if they'd been planned. Too many things seemed to have gone wrong at once. Too many Native Americans were scared and angry.
Ahiga was respected and admired by the young members who flocked to the UTN and drove the Elders to follow suit. Just as Cheveyo said they would, but not in the way he hoped. They saw Ahiga as a wise and valorous leader, almost as exalted as Hiamovi. They didn't see the deceit and cunning in his heart. They didn't know him like Cheveyo did.
Deep in his own heart Cheveyo still believed in Hiamovi. He knew his Great Chief, as he now liked to be called, had lost his way. But he believed the Great Spirit would move his leader. Cheveyo still believed that the Fifth Age of Man was nearly upon them. He thought the way Ahiga had hijacked the prophecy was despicable. To use such a sacred pronouncement to justify their warmongering was beneath contempt and beyond despair.
There was one solitary benefit from their appropriation of Hopi prophecy however. It had made the tribes more aware of Hopi beliefs and sympathetic to Cheveyo's way of thinking. He had been gaining a groundswell of support from UTN members who were uncomfortable with the concept of all-out war with the white man; tribal Elders, braves and squaws who saw the occupation of Lame Deer as a direct result of Ahiga's militant stance and agitation.
They, like Cheveyo, believed that an escalation of violence towards the white man would only bring further retaliation and result in an endless conflict that neither side could ever truly win. Thousands of lives would be lost to no good end. The purpose of the meeting today was to vote on whether or not they should raise an army to seize a doomsday weapon from the white man. Cheveyo and his supporters hoped to derail this motion and to bring the UTN to its senses.
Cheveyo caught Onatah's eye across the other side of the meeting hall. The Iroquois matriarch was the only other member of the UTN inner council in the hall, as the others had yet to come in. She nodded at Cheveyo and smiled. Onatah had a lot of sympathy for Cheveyo's stance and she was the closest thing he had to an ally.
Technically Cheveyo was still a member of the council himself. He had yet to be voted off, and he could have challenged Hiamovi's four month suspension if he had petitioned the other council members to vote to over rule it. He did not wish to embarrass Hiamaovi though. Challenging his ruling would only alienate Cheveyo further from his old friend. On the other hand, he did not want to apologise to Ahiga, as Hiamovi had demanded, not after the Navajo's disgraceful conduct. So he had not returned to his council duties.
Instead Cheveyo had worked at the fringes of the UTN. His status as a council member still opened doors for him. He had travelled around the country attending meetings and listening to many of his brothers and sisters' concerns, returning to the grass roots of the UTN. Now he was ready to address all the key members as they gathered to vote on going to war.
Cheveyo still believed in the basic decency and wisdom of his brothers and sisters. Any nation that could maintain such a democratic system as the Crow for so many centuries had to be responsive to reason and impassioned argument. Cheveyo had come today to win back the soul of his people. If they truly did believe in the Fifth Age of Man, as so many of them now professed to, surely they would listen to its true meaning and not commit themselves to the atrocity of war and the desecration of such a sacred ideal.
Many in the hall waited in anticipation to hear what he had to say. Cheveyo had only to wait for his moment.
Ahiga entered the hall two steps behind Hiamovi. He was shoulder to shoulder with his fellow council members, Amitola, Hinto and Huyana. As befitted their position within the UTN they had waited until everyone else was seated before they entered.
Only Onatah had already taken her place. That was typical of her. She held the respect of many UTN members with these displays of humility. Ahiga knew they were calculated to increase her standing and influence, but he was uncomfortable with the integrity they also displayed. Hiamovi had once been the same. Now he liked being called 'Great Chief' too much.
Onatah was chatting to the Crow chief Casper Yellowtail when they entered. She stopped her conversation and sat upright as Hiamovi and the other council members sat. She looked serene and full of quiet authority.
Ahiga was wary of Onatah. She was the only council member he had nothing on. He had no hold over her and she seemed unimpressed by his arguments or his actions. She expressed neither condemnation or admiration for his schemes. He found her inscrutable and therefore very dangerous. She knew this and held it over him. He had much to learn from her before he finally put her out of the way.
Ahiga wondered if that fool Hopi would try and take a seat with the council. He knew Onatah was sympathetic to Cheveyo's cowardly mewling, but she was too clever to openly endorse him. The only UTN members who actively supported Cheveyo were young weaklings and frightened old women.
Ahiga knew all about Cheveyo's pathetic attempt at uprising. He had informed Hiamovi how the cowardly little Hopi planned to foist his misguided pacifism on the UTN at this meeting. Ahiga had plans to head off Cheveyo's laughable little stand before he could even make it. Hiamovi had eventually seen sense, of course, and had given Ahiga the go ahead, but not without some reluctance. It seemed Hiamovi still had some inexplicable fondness for the Hopi. Ahiga couldn't think why, but he wondered if it was something he could use against Hiamovi at some point.
Hiamovi stood and the general murmurs of conversation died out across the hall. "Brothers and sisters. Today is a momentous day in the history of our people. We stand on the brink of a new age – the Fifth Age of Man. To see every tribe of our people gathered here today fills me with joy and great hope for our glorious future. We have many matters to discuss and voices to hear, but before all this we have another pressing matter to attend to. Ahiga, if you will."
Hiamovi sat down and Ahiga stood. "Brothers and sisters of the UTN, it pains me greatly to say it, but we have a traitor in our midst." Surprised murmurs broke out across the room and many faces turned to him in disbelief. "That's right, a traitor. One who not so long ago actually sat at the very heart of the UTN." There were more murmurs. Ahiga looked over and saw Cheveyo trying to stay calm and reassure those sitting around him who looked concerned. "Do you see what a threat the Neo-Clergy pose to us?" Ahiga continued. "When they can reach so far into our organisation and make someone of such standing turn on his own kind? You all know who I'm talking about. The Hopi chief who even now is working against the UTN from within. Trying to talk you all out of defending yourself against the Neo-Clergy aggressor. Lulling you all into a false sense of security and dividing you so that the white man can pick you off one by one. Cheveyo I accuse you of the worst form of betrayal and deceit. Do you dare to deny it?"
"Of course I deny it," said Cheveyo leaping to his feet. His face was full of righteous indignation. "This is absolutely preposterous. What proof, what evidence do you have to back these claims up?"
"I'm glad you asked," said Ahiga. "Bring in the Hopi woman"
Hastiin got up and came back with the elderly Hopi, Martha Homolovi.
"Martha," said Ahiga. "Can you tell those assembled here what you gav
e to a group of Neo-Clergy soldiers recently?"
Martha turned to look at Cheveyo. Her face was full of surprise and concern. "My chief, I had no idea they wanted me to speak against you."
"That's alright. Tell the truth Martha we have nothing to hide"
Martha turned back to Ahiga. "We gave them food, animal hides, fuel and… and…"
"And what else Martha?" Ahiga said. "What else?"
"… and guns. We gave them guns." Martha hung her head.
Ahiga bent towards her. "You gave guns to the enemy Martha, you and three others of your tribe. On whose orders did you do this?"
"Well my chief's. But it wasn't like you think. We were just…"
"That's enough Martha. We don't need to hear any more you can go. So," said Ahiga turning to Cheveyo. "Do you deny arming our enemy?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Those men weren't Neo-Clergy soldiers they were a band of scavs."
"Who would have taken your guns straight to the Neo-Clergy soldiers they work for."
"You don't know that. You have no way of proving it."
"And you have no way of disproving it."
"I was simply making a trade. Those men had medicine I desperately needed for several members of my tribe. The men had something we needed. They named their price and we met it. It's common practice for tribes to trade with white men when they have something the tribe needs."
"It's not common practice for Navajos," said Ahiga, banging his chest with his fist. "And it isn't common practice for the Crow tribe either. These friends of yours have declared war on all our tribes. Why would any of us give them the weapons with which to kill us?"
"They are no friends of mine. Is this the best you can do Ahiga? Because you and your warmongering faction must be desperate if this tiny transaction is all you can come up with?"
"This is just the beginning. You've already admitted to running guns to our enemies. But I can show your treasonous behaviour goes much deeper than this."
"I'd like to see you try."
"You're about to," said Ahiga and motioned to Sam Long Arrow, an Arapaho brave, to stand. "Can you tell us all where you were three moons ago?" Ahiga asked Cheveyo.
The Hopi looked unimpressed. "I attended a meeting held by the Arapaho tribe. As I'm sure you know."
"Thank you for admitting that, even though your frankness obviously comes from your arrogant belief that you're above reproach." Ahiga smiled as Cheveyo bridled at this remark. "Tell me Sam," said Ahiga. "What did Cheveyo say to you when he approached you after this meeting?"
Sam cleared his throat. He spoke with hesitation. "He, err… he told me that if I supported his attempts to sabotage the UTN's fight for freedom the Neo-Clergy would see I was well rewarded. I'm sorry to say it, but I did have a few, err… doubts about the UTN's views on the Fifth Age. He said there were lots of others like me who had accepted the Neo-Clergy's offer. He also said I needn't worry about being found out because he was a Hopi and people would believe the way he… twisted the prophecy."
"This is a lie," said Cheveyo. "It's a totally unsubstantiated accusation. I've never even seen this young brave before. There were hundreds of people at that meeting, nearly all of them can vouchsafe for me."
"Can you call any of them to speak on your behalf?" Ahiga said.
"Can you call anyone to speak on this young brave's behalf and substantiate his story?"
Ahiga turned to address the hall. "Are there any other braves here who can support Sam's story? Perhaps some of you have been approached in the same way by Cheveyo. If there are, I ask you to have the courage to be honest with your brothers and sisters. We will not condemn you for listening. We condemn only those who side with our enemy against us."
A few of those assembled shifted uneasily in their seats, then another brave stood and said: "I was approached by Cheveyo in the same way."
A further brave stood. "So was I."
Then a young squaw stood. She was nervous and managed to say only "me too", then went to sit down again, thought better of it and remained standing, biting her thumb and looking at the floor.
Cheveyo looked like he had been totally blindsided. "This is preposterous," he said. There was a shrill note in his voice. "I've never spoken to any of these people. This is all your doing." Cheveyo pointed at Ahiga. "You told them to say these things to discredit me."
"Come now Cheveyo. I thought you could do a little better than that."
"Can't you see what he's trying to do?" said Cheveyo, addressing the hall. "Don't you see his little game? He's trying to discredit me so he can silence everyone who's against this war he's trying to peddle. This is all lies. All of it." Cheveyo turned to Hiamovi. "Great Chief, surely you can see that none of this is true. In all the years you've known me and counted me as your friend have you ever known me to turn on my own people? I helped you build the UTN from nothing. Why would I suddenly turn on it and try to tear it down? You can't honestly believe these fabrications can you?"
Hiamovi stood. He wore a solemn expression. "Cheveyo can you bring forward anyone to speak for you now and defend your name?"
"Well no. But why should I need to? This is so obviously a fabrication."
"So you say. But you can produce no-one to verify your side of the story. It pains me to say this, because we are old friends, but it seems the case against you is irrefutable. You've admitted to giving guns to the Neo-Clergy. You claim this was a trade in return for medicine. Yet, according to the testimony of others, you've been shown to have collaborated with the Neo-Clergy to sabotage and subvert our movement. This calls your claims of simply trading with scavs into question. And you can't produce even one person to verify your story."
"Not at such short notice no. But give me time and I can tear this preposterous accusation apart."
"With witnesses bought for you by the Neo-Clergy no doubt," said Ahiga.
Cheveyo looked about the hall trying to find someone on his side. "Great Chief, Onatah, brothers and sisters of the UTN, don't you realise what's at stake here? The Fifth Age of Man isn't some excuse to go to war to steal a weapon off the white man. It's a sacred becoming. A radical new development of our consciousness, a whole new way of being. You can't let this man and his accomplices silence me with their lies."
"Enough," said Hiamovi raising his arm for silence. "Cheveyo we've heard plenty of testimony claiming you're a Neo-Clergy collaborator. But we haven't heard anything from you that disproves it. All you've done is accuse your brother's and sisters of lying at the encouragement of a fellow inner council member. I find your behaviour dishonourable. You've done nothing to prove your innocence. I have to declare your guilt and make certain you're punished."
"Great Chief don't do this, I implore you," said Cheveyo. "For the sake of our friendship, of everything we wanted the UTN to be. For the coming of the Fifth Age of Man."
"It's for the sake of all those things that I pass judgement Cheveyo," said Hiamovi, with genuine sadness. "You're a proven traitor to your own people. I'm going to expel you from the UTN for life. You're to be taken from this hall and confined under armed guard until the Neo-Clergy is no longer a threat to our people."
Ahiga nodded and Hastiin and Akecheta seized Cheveyo. Cheveyo glared at Ahiga as they dragged him from the hall. Ahiga met the Hopi's gaze. He acted as though he was unmoved, bored even by the Hopi's reaction. Inside though, he was choking on his anger.
"Brothers and sisters," said Hiamovi once Cheveyo was gone. "I know some of you were taken in by Cheveyo's promise of a Neo-Clergy reward. I know you were going to speak out with him. I don't approve of your actions but I won't have you hunted down and expelled. Now is not the time to turn against each other. That is what the white man wants. Now is the time for lenience and unity. To show we can come together in a common purpose. For this reason I give a full pardon to all of Cheveyo's conspirators as long as they give up their attempts to sabotage us, and start to work with us again."
There was a huge cheer at Hiamovi's magnanimi
ty. Everyone clapped, stamped and whooped victory cries. Ahiga was impressed. He would have rooted out all of Cheveyo's sympathisers and put them down with brutality. Instead Hiamovi had effectively silenced them. No-one would dare speak out against the war now, or they'd be branded a traitor. Yet he'd still managed to look merciful and just while he did it. He'd forced everyone to side with him and made it look as though he'd restored unity where there'd been dissent and division.
The rest of the meeting went exactly as Ahiga had planned. He couldn't have hoped for a better outcome. He didn't feel victorious though. He just felt an uncontrollable anger growing inside him. At first he tried to ignore this, it made no sense. Then he realised where it came from.
It was the Hopi's glare as he was dragged out. Ahiga had seen that self same look before. From the most beautiful pair of brown eyes he'd ever seen. Eyes that had looked up at him along the barrel of a pistol. A barrel he'd pushed between two tender lips. Lips that could have sealed Ahiga's fate if they'd chosen to.
Instead they were wrapped silently around his gun. Ahiga still felt the recoil as he squeezed the trigger and silenced those lips forever. He still heard Fitch and Golding's laughter. "That's the end of that little faggot!" Fitch had said.
"He ain't gonna fuck with any of the 57th Street bangers no more," Golding had said. "Ain't that right Tom?"
Ahiga had dropped the gun and left the room. He vowed right then he'd make them pay. Now he was about to make good on that.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Cortez was tired and hungry. He hadn't eaten since the previous night and he hadn't slept since the night before. All their provisions had gone down with the whore. The brave, dead whore that Cortez couldn't find it in himself to hate anymore.
He said nothing about his hunger and fatigue and neither did Anna or Greaves. He could see they weren't taking it well. Anna was quiet and withdrawn. She walked with her head down and her shoulders slumped, hugging herself. She shivered whenever she stood still.
