by Andrew Elgin
Hanlar cocked his head and smiled gently. "Well, Javin. It's like this. You're on a different planet now. That's how it works here." His eyes closed briefly. He opened them and grinned again at Javin. "And Paysa says if we don't get home soon, she and Tarla will have eaten our share." He continued trudging. "I hear Paysa. She hears Harmony. You'll end up hearing somebody or something yourself, I would guess. Now, let's go eat, shall we?"
Notes From Haven
Notes From The Lander
From: A Popular Rebellion? Published 1204
"...So it was that the anti-technology movement gained ground. The (unwritten) manifesto, evident in the speeches and communications, focused on the idea that Haven was the opportunity for a fresh start for humankind. Instead of devoting time and energy on disrupting the planet, forcing it to give up its metals and ores, it would be more proper, so the argument went, if humanity were to take a more respectful view of where they had fortuitously landed. There were hints that there was a strong belief in providence and that a higher power was to be thanked for the colony ship to have been guided here...
...The end result of this political maneuvering was that a ship was provided to transport all those who wished to leave and live on Harmony. The catch was that the ship would leave very soon after the announcement, giving little time for preparation by those who had asked for such help. The ship, Lander 1, would remain the property of Haven and would be returned, on autopilot if necessary, after a 'reasonable' period of time on Harmony. The protests at such a short time were large and loud, but quickly the various groups became organized and a remarkable collective scramble gathered implements and all the necessities of life which was to be restarted on another planet....
There was an almost palpable sense of relief when the ship had left orbit. It was felt that anyone who had raised a dissident voice had had their chance of leaving and now, Haven could get back to being an organized, industrial planetary civilization where opposition no longer existed...
The period known later as The Schism is difficult to date accurately. Some contend that it began in the years immediately following the first landing. Others will date it from the first extant recorded objection to mining which was in 173. Still others argue for a date nearer 250 as that was about the time an organized community opposed to increasing use of technology was recognizable as such. All are agreed, however, that it was considered to have ended with the launch of Lander 1 in 323. As we now know the post- Schism period was merely a hiatus in the rebellion against technology. A very long hiatus, it is true, but a hiatus nevertheless."
From: A Citizen's History of Haven (603)
The notes, from which a selection is taken below, appear to have been gathered together originally by Stella Langriss, a crew member of Lander 2, who had placed them all in a pouch, labeled with the date and time of discovery, under her name where they were automatically filed with the Central Library in Resolve, the then-capital city. How they were misfiled is unknown.
All that is known for sure is that the craft, Lander 1, arrived back at Haven with all 47 personnel on board dead. The craft, on autopilot, went into orbit and the deaths were only discovered after some period of time had elapsed. The colonists had decided that living on Harmony was preferable to living on Haven and had packed Lander 1 with everything they thought they would need. The idea was to send the craft back on autopilot. Therefore, there was little urgency to meet with Lander 1 when it was first detected. It was some time before Lander 2 was able to dock with her sister craft, but it would have made no difference as the small crew of Lander 1 had long since died. (The fact that there was anyone, dead or alive, on Lander 1 came as a complete surprise to everyone.)
These notes had obviously been collected by Stella Langriss as part of her duties as a result of dealing with the bodies. It was only when the library catalog was being upgraded and the collections digitized that a student at the university came across the collection of notes and recognized them for what they were: an invaluable insight into one of the most famous episodes in our history.
The names of the writers are now unknown, as is the original sequence. Some were voice tapes, some were electronic files, and some few were handwritten. Some were damaged in various ways so that only a very small number appear to be complete. But that is also conjecture.
The whole collection is now available to be viewed, but the following comprises a short selection of excerpts to provide an insight into the events following what has come to be known as The Schism. As ever, what is not said is just as tantalizing as the details which are supplied.
[Written on paper]"... It so nearly came to blows. We had all shared the same dreams, had been determined to live our beliefs. But, the [indecipherable].... The remainder were determined to send this ship back on autopilot. Their hatred of all technology was irrational. This ship could have provided them, with us! with so much useful technology. The original plan, agreed by all, was to send it back, but stripped of any useful tech, such as lab equipment, computers, any metal structures which could be utilized in various ways. In other words, anything which would have made life easier for us all at the start of the new colony. It was simply prudent to learn to survive at first with as much help as we could have. However, that changed not long after landing and, apart from the Direct Communication Devices which had been manufactured prior to departure, very little was removed from Lander 1. Those DCD's were harder to use than we thought. Only some few people were able to send or receive anything at all, and much of that was garbled. They were disappointing. Even when disease spread, the lab equipment was not used. It was said by some that it was wrong to have such equipment and that it should be destroyed..."
[Another recording, which has deteriorated over the years, speaks of the early days on Harmony] "... It was hard living. Much harder than any of us thought it would be. The weather felt malevolent. That's the only word I can use... [garbled section]... came back inside. Plagues of insects, or what looked like insects, ate everything. Earthquakes happened daily it seemed and there was... [garbled section]... beautiful. Truly beautiful. The sunsets, the silence. They were real. As real as the way Janickson sealed my slashed arm with just a touch..." [It ends here and is one of the more frustrating entries. It is unclear what is meant here.]
[Written on paper but in a different hand to the first record] "... After the first plague which killed about 20 or so, there was a decision to split into two. Those who wanted to could strike out and attempt to settle a community about a day or two away. I think the idea was that it might be the plants we were eating which were the problem and that different vegetation had been spotted further out. I don't know who was the first to show strange talents, but it soon spread...."
[Perhaps the same person who recorded the second excerpt?] "... none of us knew what we were capable of. I heard Estillena talking to me. Talking! Inside my head. She was inside my head.... And now that idiot man practiced throwing stones at a target. He just smiled at me, stood still and there was the sound of a stone hitting the target... I couldn't do anything. [Long, garbled section]...I think they are going mad. I have to believe that, because I know I am not mad. I know it, but I can't prove they are. What other explanation can there be?"
[The following is a transcription of a brief, damaged electronic recording. It is a male's voice.] "We gathered what specimens we could. I think we wanted to continue [garbled]... research into what we had witnessed amongst ourselves. I still don't believe what happened. Yes, I saw it, I witnessed it, but I can't explain it. There were some strange theories being suggested about the planet, about some strange change in our blood, but [garbled]... Perhaps we should never have gone there."
[This seems to have been amongst the last notes made by the crew. It is not possible to estimate when the deaths started, nor how long it took before all were dead.] "I think I am the last. I am finding it hard to write. I can't see to use the recorder anymore. Like the others, I am not in pain, just not healthy. I don'
t know how to say it. It is as if I am drifting away. No anchor. Nothing to hold me here. Nothing to hold on to anymore. There is something huge and nameless missing from my life. And that is what is taking my life away. I can't find the words. I don't care either."
After The Lander's Return
From 'The Public Recorder', Spring 1, 20, 325 (A printed publication):
"They have returned, the cowards. They have come begging for forgiveness and for restitution. They stole the ship. They stole equipment and food and medicine. And now they return begging for forgiveness.
And why would we forgive them? A young society has been torn apart by their selfishness and deceit. Their actions threatened the very stability of this, our home. And now they come back.
We had thought we had healed the wounds they tore in us, in our way of life. But the fact they were only scabbed over has been proven by the outcry, the whole planet's outcry, as the ship comes back to its rightful home.
The question yet to be answered is, 'Why should we allow them to come back?'. They turned their backs on this planet. What right, then, do they have to be readmitted?"
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From 'The Public Recorder', Spring 2, 28, 325 (A printed publication):
"Now we know they are dead. They and the dreams they had, the selfish dreams they had, they are also dead. Now we cannot allow their remains to be on the surface, for who knows what plague they carry?
Why they died, we do not know. How they died is likewise a mystery. All that we do know is that some few botanical samples were reported as being found by the first, brave decontamination crews who went aboard. Why those plants were chosen we have no way of knowing. Perhaps they were to be used to invade Haven, to destroy our native species. Perhaps they were the source of powerful mind controlling drugs, to be used to enslave us to their desires. We do not know. All we can hope is that everything in that ship, everything which had been exposed to the evil influence of that planet, has been systematically destroyed by the authorities, and will never be able to threaten us in our homes."
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From the notebooks of Serrin Olsen, clerk of the works (an honorary title, now defunct, for the person responsible for the contents of the governmental archives):
"Spring 2, 35, 325. Six sealed casks, lightweight, metal, handles on top, no markings on the sides, about one meter in height, accepted into high-security storage area 3. Papers did not accompany them, but the presidential seal was evident in the accompanying folder. It would appear that the contents were sealed in vacuum, hence the need for high security to ensure continued integrity. All calls to chase up paperwork ended in one or another nameless office with assurances that all would be made regular in due course, but that it was an emergency and some consideration should be given. ...
Spring 3, 16, 325. The casks remain in secure storage. No paperwork forthcoming. Area will be sealed permanently in due course to ensure that nothing will be done with them until proper procedure takes place."
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From the memoirs of Hirren Fordun, a high-ranking Council member, "The Duty Inherent", privately printed in 361:
"It was only later, after the Lander 1 had been fumigated, that a carefully doctored version of the process was released to the public. This was to ensure that the horrors of the dead passengers was not to be transmitted, for fear that there would be some movement for their burial or some form of remembrance on Haven.
It is prudent to assume that the majority of the colonists remain on Harmony. In any venture such as this, there will always be those for whom the dream is better than the reality and they will always wish never to have started. And to assume that only these very few survivors were all that remained of such a well-equipped expedition is either naive or ignorantly hopeful. The mass media were carefully nurtured as to what to say and how to say it so that all sympathy for the dead and those who remained on Harmony would be snuffed out before it could take root. The greatest fear was that a similar dissident movement would arise and, this time, completely destroy the fabric of society.
It has to be said, however, that in the first day, even the first few hours, when the Lander 1 was first boarded, it was unclear how many bodies there were, or what, if anything, had been brought back from Harmony. There were rumors, unsubstantiated at the time, that certain items, even a survivor, had been smuggled out before any authority was in place. I have my own views on this but cannot prove anything.
Some used this whole episode, where lack of order was evident, as a sign that some form of military arm, military discipline, if you will, was lacking in government in such situations. Certainly, the prison population increased, and there were numerous groups all claiming to have special interests in maintaining the harmony of the planet, of 'looking after it', as they put it. Such dissidence did make it harder to ignore the call for military involvement.
The problem was, and remains, one of, where is the line drawn for military involvement in government?"
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From 'The First Millennium: A Soldier's Perspective" by Colonel A. J. Aggar (ret.), published 1000
"At the time, there was widespread anger upon hearing of the Lander's arrival back at Haven. This was not tempered by the news of the deaths. Indeed, it could be said to have intensified as a result.
The reason for this hostility is made clear when one looks back through the media archives of the time. The press had been working hard to discredit the emigrants. It was the press who gave this period the label of 'The Schism' and generally made all of those who left into selfish, ignorant dissidents who would rather die on a foreign planet than work to try and accomplish useful goals on Haven.
They were called by various names at various times, but the result was that even the corpses which circled Haven were denied burial on their home planet and were, instead, ejected into space.
This entire episode illustrates the power of unchained opinion in the mass media. More importantly, the unrest caused by the initial departure as well as the possibility of further unrest with the arrival of Lander 1, proved the value of having a reliable, disciplined cadre on call to maintain order.
It was, in fact, the origin of the growth of the military arm in society."
Chapter Five
It was the end of another long day outside. Javin hated to admit it, but he was aching less now. There was no enjoyment still, but there was a reduction in the pain he was feeling.
He pushed open the door and the small, sealed clay pot, which was hanging behind it, clacked against the wood as it always did at the end of its leather cord.
"Are you tired, Javin?" Paysa was preparing the meal, with Tarla's help.
"Mmmhmm."
"Good." Paysa swung round, her long braid nearly hitting Tarla, who moved her head just enough to avoid it. It looked like a well-practiced move. "We've decided, well Tarla suggested it, that we help you find... how did you put it, Tarla?"
"To help find your talent, how you can live better on Harmony," Tarla spoke without turning, intent on her task. Her voice was quiet compared to her mother's brisk, bright delivery.
"Yes. That's it. Talent and Harmony."
Javin still had no idea what she was talking about.
Paysa beckoned him over to the table. "We'll eat first and then we'll try something. Hanlar can eat later so we can be undisturbed. I've told him. Now sit and eat."
Javin sat, grateful to rest. Mother and daughter quickly laid out the dishes; some stew meat and vegetables, the hot, sweet drink called simesh Javin had come to think of Harmony's version of coffee and some sliced dark-green fruit in a bowl with a sweet sauce ready to pour over them. His stomach growled quietly in appreciation.
Tarla served him as Paysa explained. "Hanlar told me how you feel." She put her hand up to stop Javin. "We're married. We think to each other. We're close. We can't keep secrets, even if we wanted to. And if we did...," she shrugged and pointed to the door. "If we did, then that would get broken
."
"That pot?"
"That pot is us, if you will. Inside is something we each hold precious, and no, Tarla, I'm never going to tell you what it is." She smiled briefly at her daughter. "We made it when we decided we were to be together and if we ever decide not to be together, then we'll break it and take back what we put there. It's there on the door so we see it every time we go out. So that's why he told me. And so we, Tarla and me, thought we could help in some way."
Tarla took over as Paysa spooned her food up. "I thought you should find out what your talent is, Javin." She blushed a little as she spoke in her quiet voice, looking more at the table than at Javin. "Everyone has a talent. That's what we call them, anyway. Something they're good at."
Paysa took over again. "We thought we could help you find what yours is, Javin." She licked a piece of meat from the edge of her lip. "So we set up some things we can try. Well, actually, what you can try." She took a sip of simesh. "What do you think?"
"Honestly? I have no idea what to think. I just assumed that I would be able to listen to Harmony, whatever that means. I've heard it said, but I've never really given it much thought. I don't know what it is, to tell the truth. I thought doing things like you and Hanlar do was for people born here."
"I don't think so,"said Paysa. She put her hands together in front of her, fingers interlinked. "This is how I always see us and Harmony. Together. Inseparable. I think the longer you're here, the closer you'll get to Her. And that means finding your talent."
While Paysa spoke, Javin had been rapidly spooning up the fruit after drizzling the sweet, sticky sauce over it. He licked the spoon and then his lips clean and looked regretfully at the now empty bowl.
"The only talents that I've heard of so far are things like you and Hanlar do; talking to each other somehow. Lisick and Gerant did that, or something like it, back where I arrived. Are you saying there are other things, talents, I mean?"
