Traveler_Losing Legong

by Tim Dennis

  That's new...

  The man, Pestano, ignored Myles and joined Morgan and Nod at the far end of the table.

  "This man is not a representative of the Colonial government." Pestano said.

  "I'm an Advocate," said Myles, "here under Krykowfert's authority."

  "Does Krykowfert even know you're here?" asked Pig.

  Shut up.

  "The authority to represent the Colony off-world falls to the Council only, not the Shield Guard Director. Clerks Morgan and Nod and myself, Council Assist Pestano, represent the Council on Earth. Your Council has, Mr. Tugot, granted you the status of Observer. You will report directly to me."

  "Krykowfert activated my Shield Guard Commission. I'm an Envoy." Myles said. Council-Clerk Pestano ignored him and carried on. Myles sat quietly between ToEv and a Shield Guard officer.

  "As you witnessed before you left, your presence within the Colony was socially disruptive." Pestano showed images of Mallick's activities on a pedestal mounted f'window. "All further contacts must be based here on Earth."

  Gabrile spoke politely, firmly. "I'm not aware of anyone on Earth that wishes to maintain such contact with Legong. As ToEv said, we have Myles."

  "Mr. Tugot may remain if he wishes," said Pestano, "but official communications must be directed through an agent of the Council. Envoy Nod will stay on the surface for that purpose."

  Gabrile continued. "Where?"

  Pestano looked at her blankly, stymied. Myles filled the pause. "I'm an Envoy." Pestano cut him off.

  "Legong provided for ToEv while visiting our system."

  Gabrile looked over to ToEv, who shrugged in reluctant agreement. She continued. "If there are individuals from Legong who wish to visit Earth we can discuss that on a case-by-case basis, but not today. Today we must discuss this Rip you have created."

  Pestano tensed. "We accept the risks."

  "We do not!" Gabrile was growing impatient. "Earth has no interest in committing the considerable resources necessary to maintain the stability of the Rip."

  "Legong authorities will maintain the passage."

  "Can you?" Gabrile challenged. "Do you honestly believe you have the capability to safely maintain the Rip?"

  Pestano had not prepared for this frank of a discussion. He used his implant to consult with Morgan and Nod. "You initiated this contact," he said, "we intend to maintain it."

  The mood shifted. Gabrile and ToEv threw up their hands and slid their chairs back from the table. Sach, Gwirionedd and Chanly took over the proceedings, pressing a multitude of questions.

  "How do you intend to manage the Rip?"

  "How many ships do you intend on bringing through?"

  "How many personnel do you desire to land on the surface and what are your plans for their support?"

  "Their transit?"

  "Their care?"

  To Myles it appeared that Earth was acquiescing to the Council's demands, even preparing to accept a permanent stationing of Council agents on the surface.

  It must also appear so to Pestano.

  For a while, Gabrile and ToEv watched and listened. Pestano and his cohorts answered what questions they could and attempted to deflect those they couldn't. Without goodbyes or even the slightest acknowledgment, Gabrile and ToEv got up and left. Pestano, stunned, stared at his remaining host and, door closing behind them, debated within himself whether or not to be offended. He sat down and allowed Nod and Morgan to complete the negotiations.

  Myles watched and listened, processing the fact that while Earth tolerated him, it seemed Legong had written him off. He didn't know quite how to deal with ToEv or Gabrile, so he wandered into the corridor to find a way down to the plaza.

  The lighting adjusted itself, suggesting corridors and doorways, quickly leading Myles to a window. A two-meter wide tiled platform appeared outside, ringed at belly-height by a carved wooden railing. The window disappeared, Myles stepped into the platform, the window reappeared and Myles and the platform dropped gently to the plaza. He stepped off and before joining the bystanders, looked up at the building he'd come from.

  Could be a City-Center anywhere on Legong.

  The central plaza was obviously an administrative center of some kind, but more than that Myles couldn't tell. The K-ship that had brought Pestano and his entourage was parked in the plaza's center. Two Council Guards stood at the foot of its ladder, one behind a small box mounted on a tripod. Myles approached and was immediately recognized.

  "Advocate Tugot, Sir!" The young woman snapped to attention far more efficiently than Bento would have. Her uniform was derivative of Shield Guard while being more formal and elaborate, again with that little 'Councilor Six' insignia.

  "Yes, hello." Myles offered. "You all came down in that?"

  The Guard reflexively turned around and looked up the ladder at the small ship. Built for three, it had held almost a dozen.

  "Yes, Sir. Will you be returning with us, Sir?"

  Hadn't thought of that.

  No one in the meeting room had suggested they wanted Myles back on Legong. "No, not today. What's that?" Myles indicated the box-on-a-stick held by the second Guard.

  Again the young woman looked back reflexively. "That?"

  "Yes, that."

  "A dis-Maker, Sir."

  "A what?"

  "A dis-Maker. Sir."

  The name was clear enough, the fact such a thing existed was remarkable. Myles harrumphed aloud at himself. "Harrumph."

  "Sir?"

  "Huh? Oh nothing, I was just thinking. Um, carry on."

  "Yes Sir."

  Myles left the Guards at the ship and made another circuit of the plaza. Boring.

  Another thing in common with Legong City-Centers?

  He walked down one of the side streets and tried to make a broader circuit, but quickly became lost in the wild-yet-carefully-cultivated gardens surrounding the buildings. Finding his way back to the plaza would be easy enough, but Myles tried something else. He wanted to be back in the little hut on the beach. He focused on that desire and closed his eyes. A moment later he opened one in a squint, and looked around. A chair hovered next to him, very similar to the one that sat in Gabrile's lanai, woven reed, big enough for three but more comfortable for two. He climbed in. He felt a hum coming up from beneath and two rings of blue light snapped into existence around him. The craft rose to a height and although it moved fast he felt no sensation, neither acceleration nor wind. Quickly leaving the city behind he flew along at the edge of a vast desert. Soon he was climbing higher, over forests and then mountains. He followed a broad river until there were no more mountains, just a wide, flat plain. Two more rivers joined the first and to his left a delta met an ocean. Although the mountains were now far behind him the craft remained at a great altitude. Soon he was able to see another range of mountains ahead to his right, but the craft lowered itself and shot off across the sea, keeping the mountains and then a desert, to the right. Myles wondered how far he'd just gone and felt strongly that it must have been several thousand kilometers. He'd only been in the chair for a few minutes.

  Soon he came to a point of land, more mountains and then forests. A large lake appeared on the horizon.

  Ah, must be that one.

  The Chair set Myles down by his hut. He climbed out and ran down to the beach. "What's going on?"

  ToEv, Gabrile and Trendle were standing beside a meter-wide metallic globe. Two rings around it glowed a faint blue and two of its legs touched the sand. Its three other legs held a second globe, no glowing rings. Four of its legs hung limply, one half the length of the others. A ragged hole existed where the fifth leg would have attached, edges bent out as if from an internal blast. The active globe slowly turned the other over. Opposite the large ragged hole was a small, smooth-sided hole in the center of a dent.

  "A projectile?" ToEv ventured.

  "It would appear so." Trendle answered.

  The way the legs flopped as the globe was turned gave Myles the
distinct impression the thing had once been alive. If so, it was of no matter to his Earther friends. They were more fascinated than anything else.

  "What is it?" Myles asked.

  ToEv turned away from the globes to answer Myles. "It's- it's a Maker. Sort of. We use a lot of them here." As ToEv talked the functioning globe glowed a little brighter. It emitted a blue haze, eating away at the broken sphere, dissolving it in a manner not unlike his own Maker had transmuted sand into wall. Beside them little flashes of light fizzed and faded, leaving tiny components hovering in the air. The damaged sphere slowly disappeared and components popped into existence and assembled themselves. By the time the broken globe was gone the new one was almost complete. The blue haze that had dissolved the wreck now turned to the sand below. A smooth silvery surface wrapped itself around the mass of components and five spindly legs grew out from it.

  Although this fascinated Myles, ToEv and Gabrile were already onto other subjects. They started their questions as they walked back to the lanai. "The Council representatives, you know them?"

  Myles considered for a moment, trying to review what he could remember from the general meetings. It wasn't easy without his implant. Anything to do with the Council was foggy. "I might, I mean I may have before. I don't know. I recognize them, I think they're attached to Councilor Six, but I don't know them personally."

  "Are you in communication with them now?" Gabrile asked.

  "No! Me! Of course not-"

  ToEv tried to calm him. "It's OK Myles, it's just a question. We don't mind if you are in contact, in fact it may serve us."

  Myles sighed. "No. I had my implant removed. I mean Krykowfert took it. It's what we use to communicate with."

  His hosts didn't seem affected one way or the other. They moved to the lanai and Gabrile took charge of the button on the table. She opened an array of images and focused on the Rip. "Perhaps we should just close it." She offered.

  ToEv looked at Myles. "They're unpredictable. It might just push them into some kind of action."

  "How many are there?" Gabrile asked.

  "Best estimate is between five hundred and a thousand." Guessed ToEv. "Myles?"

  Myles had no idea how many Legongs were in orbit. "Um, a lot. There's two Diverter Transports, they're used to ferry troops between Legong and the outer system Diverter Bases." He pointed to each type of ship as he talked. "These are Rail-ships. They're new, got a lot of Krykowfert's new gizmos on them. These bumps along their sides are Drop-Capsules. On Legong they're used to quickly deliver crews and material to the surface in case of emergency. Just adding up those, I'd say, fifteen, twenty thousand."

  Trendle spoke to Gabrile. "Even if we made the tanks available we couldn't Flash them."

  Myles broke in. "What did they say they want?"

  Gabrile didn't want to answer. ToEv did. "They saY they want to open diplomatic channels."

  "And you don't. Why?" Asked Myles.

  Another round of silence. Gabrile placed her hands delicately on her lap and looked directly into Myles's eyes. "Earth has changed. It is a very different place from what your people remember from the Diasporas. We've changed, not just our society, but us, as people. We are different from you. It would be best for everyone if the Legongs just went away."

  ToEv clarified. "To be more specific, Earthers are different from Colonists."

  "We're no longer compatible Myles." Said Gabrile.

  Myles waited for more. Gabrile remained silent. He concentrated, digesting her comments and interpreting her manner. "You think you're better than us? Like a master race."

  ToEv took over. "There are neurological differences, variations that have existed to some degree throughout history but during the diaspora they clustered, and after our populations separated, well, we changed. The Colonists didn't."

  Myles took in a breath and shook his head. ToEv's tone's softened.

  "Look at the trouble you have with mathematics and language." ToEv said. "One of each is all most of you can handle, one language, base ten math." ToEv looked directly into Myles's eyes.

  Gabrile added: "The nav devices you stole from us are not functioning examples, but that doesn't matter. You have the technology to create these devices, Krykowfert could do so tomorrow if you weren't so-"

  ToEv interrupted. "You don't have the neurology. You live in a three dimensional world contained within a multi-dimensional universe. Your brains can't think beyond those three or four dimensions. Your computers can, but your imaginations are limited-"

  Gabrile stopped him with a glance. "This is a conversation for another night. Myles, you are welcome here on Earth, as I'm sure many of your compatriots would be. But we must be in control of that process. Currently this control is being challenged by your Councilors. This is what we must focus on now. This, and the Rip."

  As if that wasn't enough for Myles to handle, helmet-man emerged from the kitchen. Actually it was recently-helmeted-man. He stood there in the doorway, bald as an egg. Myles stared at him.

  "That's the guy Peto killed..." said Pig.

  Nafasi caught his daughter's eye. Gabrile sat back and shrugged.

  "You're dead!" Myles exclaimed.

  "I got better." Said Nafasi.

  "But I saw you, from the pilothouse. Your head was crushed. That's why I, I..." he couldn't finish the sentence.

  "We know Myles, it's OK." Sach entered the lanai from the beach. "The ambulance took Nafasi to a tank."

  "I didn't have a Flashing link you see," Nafasi came around the side of the table and stood over Myles. "That big fellow kinda caught me off guard." Nafasi tossed the comment in casually, trying to lighten the mood.

  Myles, already numbed by his recognition of Peto's victim, fell into a daze, reliving the events of that day, Peto's irrational attack, Norte's complicity, his own temporary imprisonment. And the Wall.

  "Myles," ToEv drew him from his reverie. "What you did was rational and predictable, based on what you knew to be true. You did see Peto commit the violence, you did hear Norte's threats and you did see the ship react to her. Had there been further contacts it is probable that their level of violence would have increased. You acted in fear, but you acted to save yourself and others. Nafasi's survival does not diminish that."

  Sach sat beside him, holding his hand and letting his thigh press against hers. He couldn't speak. ToEv's words didn't help. Up to this point he'd been able to block the memory, almost convincing himself that the crash had indeed been an accident, the inevitable result of Norte's own aggressive behaviors. "You knew?" Myles asked. "You saw?"

  "You were in our ship, Myles." Gabrile said. "Did you imagine otherwise?"

  Another self-deception encouraged by Norte's narrow-minded interpretation of Earth and his own distracted self-interest. Colonists may be slow and limited in their thinking, but they do think, and feel, and right now Myles felt like an idiot and thought his plans for a happy life flitting between Earth and Legong were quickly unraveling. "Um, I need some air. Excuse me."

  ToEv followed him out to the beach. He stood beside Myles, not too close. "You feel alone and vulnerable. This is appropriate, given the circumstances."

  "Thanks." The sarcasm was lost on ToEv.

  "You cannot expect to adapt so quickly to your changing circumstance." Said ToEv. "I believe you have many qualities required of an Envoy, but you mustn't push too hard. We are patient, so must you be."

  "Traveler?" Myles asked. "Why isn't Nafasi dead? I mean, what I saw... you must have seen it too."

  ToEv placed a fatherly hand on Myles's shoulder. "I will tell you. Come." The two of them went to Myles's hut where ToEv played host, revealing the built-in bar and providing Myles with something very similar to his own vodka-plum. They sat across from each other in Myles's modest lounge. "Nafasi mentioned he wasn't prepared to Flash, and you saw the ambulance, right?"

  "Yes."

  "Our bodies are only one element of ourselves, you understand?" Myles nodded tentatively. In his hands T
oEv held three little balls which he placed on the table between them. He squeezed each in turn, forming them into three tiny homunculi which then began cavorting about. Myles snatched his drink away from one overly curious creature, wondering if it was real or a projection of some sort. ToEv then took a fourth ball and twisted it into a transparent rectangular box. "In the event our bodies are damaged severely," ToEv brought his fist down on a homunculus, "to the point where the self may separate from it permanently," As Myles looked on in horror ToEv brought his fist down repeatedly, knocking its tiny little up-raised arms into its face. "that 'self,' that which makes us individuals, slips out of these four dimensions..." A faint wisp of colored vapor oozed from the collapsed creature, hovering over it as the body deflated. The other two tiny figures ran over to the broken body, kneeling down and shaking gently, as if silently sobbing. The vapor dissipated. ToEv pointed Myles to the translucent box. "...and transfers itself across space and time to a Tank." The pink vapor re-formed inside the translucent box, coalescing as an amorphous mass of skinless muscle and viscera. "The Self is able to drag with it a certain amount of living tissue, allowing the re-growth of the original corporeal elements of the Self." The two surviving homunculi trotted over to the miniature tank, appearing gleeful as the mass of tissue grew a protective skin and the bones reformed within it. Still on the table, a few inches away, lay the creature's original skin and bones. ToEv snapped his fingers and all the elements of the display dissolved into vapors of varying colors. With a wave of his hand they were gone.

  Myles looked over the empty stage with unease, still not knowing if he'd seen images or actual creatures.

  "Of course Nafasi wasn't prepared, we hadn't anticipated such behavior, so he didn't Flash, an ambulance was sent."

  "Yes. Of course."

  They shared a second drink and then ToEv left Myles to himself. With so much to process Myles had no trouble falling asleep.

  '...we're patient...'

  "What?" asked Pig.

  That's what Gabrile said. 'We're patient.' They've accepted me, as an Envo.