Songs Of Harmony

by Andrew Elgin

  It is the firm conviction of this office that only the military can provide a sufficiently powerful example to the civilian wing of government.

  This order to be in effect immediately. Further communications will give blueprints and suggestions as to how to achieve this goal as quickly as possible."

  The Coup

  Internal Broadcast, House of Council. 08:38 Aggar 7, 1095 :

  "To all Councillors in the buildings. It appears that troops are massing outside the city limits, but there has been no order given. The apparent reason is to prevent possible riots on the anniversary of the curfew for all students. The President, Marak Sarnum, has declared a state of emergency and has issued a decree ordering the troops to disperse and return to their barracks. He has taken his family into the Presidential quarters inside the Council building as a precaution. It is the advice of this Council and of President Sarnum that its members remain in session. Those who have left are being sent for to return immediately. This session will remain in existence until such time as the state of emergency is considered to be over. Please return to the Chamber where an emergency debate is in progress."

  ------------

  Extracts from live news feed, date as above:

  "... [Timestamp 08:56:34] The images you see now are of troops blocking the road. We have heard that the same thing is happening on all major roads into the city. No-one is being allowed to enter or leave. As you can see, there is no violence. All guns are either holstered or shouldered and the atmosphere of the troops seems to be quite genial....

  ... [Timestamp 10:21:06] We have just heard that the Commander in Chief of all armed forces, General Mikkan, has been seen entering the city with a small entourage. Reports say that he had an armed escort of somewhere around twenty men...

  ...[Timestamp 10:44:18] Shots have been fired! Shots have been fired! I repeat, there has been shooting. I am told that it sounds like heavy machine guns, and possibly a grenade was heard. Certainly an explosion of some kind. We cannot get any closer. All troops are now on alert, guns at the ready. We have been turned back twice now. We will attempt again to find a way through this cordon and see what is happening inside. All we know so far is that, inside the cordon, all electronic media, servers, cameras and anything which can transmit, have been offline for several minutes. No news is coming out. We shall try again to get closer..."

  [This was the last intelligible report sent from outside the city for two days.]

  ------------

  Presidential Office, Aggar 10, 1095:

  "It is with deep regret that this office announces that the President, Marak Sarnum, together with his wife, Sallinam, have been found dead inside the Presidential residence. There had been long, detailed and constructive negotiations between the President and General Mikkan on the role of the military and how the rebel troops could be most easily disbanded with minimum loss of life.

  It was during a mutually agreed brief suspension in these discussions, when General Mikkan and his staff had left for a short break, that an intruder, obviously sympathetic to the rebels, apparently entered the residence and shot the President and his wife.

  Since then, there has been an exhaustive search for the perpetrator or perpetrators and, obviously, a great deal of constitutional debate at the same time.

  As a result, General Mikkan has reluctantly agreed to become President by acclaim of the Council members in session. The vice-president could not be reached at his country estate in time for any swift resolution.

  Javin, the son of the president and his wife, has not yet been found. It is assumed that he was upset or startled by events and has run away and hidden. There are many places a young boy could find to hide. So far, he has not been found, but the search is widening for him and all are confident that he will be discovered shortly. As yet, the killer or killers have not been found, but there are several leads which are being followed."

  ------------

  Extracts from the dissident underground newspaper "Resist!" widely circulated after the coup. It is not now known who wrote, printed or distributed it:

  "...We must never forget that Haven is not just a toy for whoever wants to control it. This military usurpation of power will not last. It is up to all free-thinking peoples to oppose this illegal rule in every way possible. Oppose it in silence by rejecting its illegal legislation. Oppose it loudly by joining together in the legal demonstrations. Oppose it in any way you can, but oppose it you must!"

  "...If the military continues their harassment, then make their lives difficult in return. Abandon the cities and take to the fields and forests. Learn again that we can provide for ourselves, grow what we need. Retreat from the technology which tracks us and controls us. Rediscover the strength of those who rejected the original tyranny here and left to form their own colony on Harmony! We can learn from them, follow them, have their ideals be ours!"

  The Plan

  Private journal entry of Councillor Herban Low - handwritten, no date, but assumed to be sometime after 1097. He maintained the journal after he resigned up until his death in 1101:

  "Mikkan surprised us all today! How he maintained the presidency [words crossed out and illegible]. But, considering the turnover of members in the past years, it is clear that he is sure to have supporters.

  He actually wants to go to war with Harmony! The exact words he used: 'go to war'. For all I know this is the only recording of the event as it was in a closed meeting of the Security Council. I will be glad to vacate my seat soon and take up fruit growing!

  But go to war? Really? We now have more armed people than ever before in our history. And a planet we have not even had contact with for hundreds of years is now, apparently, a threat to us.

  A part of me wants to admire him for saying it to us with a straight face! But I cannot condone this. I cannot vote for it. The reasons he gave were so vague, so obviously ridiculous, so based on a desire to act powerfully, to be a bully, that they are beyond belief! Really? There is really a race of super beings, of some sort of genetically mutated humans on Harmony? And they want to conquer us? [Words crossed out and illegible]

  I pointed out that everything about Harmony points to them having no obvious industry, no means of traveling through space, and no reason to do so. These were brushed aside and ignored and instead a promise to show us secret research undertaken by Mikkan at his own expense would persuade us of the validity of the threat.

  My doubt is infinite and my disgust with this mockery of a presidency just as large."

  ------------

  Private journal entry of Councillor Herban Low - handwritten, no date, but is after the previous one:

  "I am resigning with immediate effect. I have no choice. After today's vote to approve funds for building a fleet of ships to attack Harmony, it is clear that there is nobody, no group left capable of standing against Mikkan's authority. It must now be only a matter of time before the presidency is abandoned and we are all placed under martial law. Civil rights will no longer exist. I have done what I can. I can do no more. And yet I feel I have failed. I saw retirement as being a time of reward for years of service. Now I see it only as a way of passing time in sadness at the spectacle of this planet's sinking into hopelessness and despair."

  ------------

  Private electronic recording of a meeting, presumably having taken place in Mikkan's office. No date and no means of identifying the speakers.

  ... Speaker #1: "We have found some definitely interesting aspects of the samples you provided.

  Speaker #2 [Mikkan?]: Define 'interesting' for me.

  #1: Well, without getting too technical, it seems that there are certainly some compounds, proteins if you like, which could certainly affect neuronal transmitters, maybe even create new, linked proteins which would alter synaptic processes, create new genes, maybe even new types of brain cells. However, we can't be sure of the purity of the samples due to degradation over time in transit --

  #2: Assume that what
you just said was too technical and start again.

  #1: Um, yes. Er... Perhaps...

  Speaker #3: Well, it seems that the plants have a definite effect on brain chemistry, on how the brain works. What those changes might be is impossible to say because all we're doing is looking at the chemistry, if you like, not at how the chemistry affects the biology.

  #2: What would you need in order to find out how this chemistry you have discovered would affect the brain?

  #1: Well, obviously, a brain. A human brain.

  #2: But not a brain in a jar, is what you actually mean, isn't it?

  [Several seconds silence]

  #3: We have no way of knowing what effects there could be. And, for all we know, there may be something vital in how the chemicals, the proteins, the controlling mechanism, how that is delivered. It might be that it has to be consumed directly, or in water, or... . We must even consider the possibility that the composition of the plants has changed since they were harvested.

  Speaker #4: We can provide you with the people if you can provide us with results.

  #1: It could take a very long time indeed to even discover how to administer--

  #2: As he said, we are interested in results. We will provide facilities, funds, samples and everything else you need. Think of the possibilities. You will be engaged in cutting edge research. No results will be wasted because everything you will be doing will be new. You will be making huge strides in new and fascinating areas. Rewards, honors, recognition: all these will be yours without a doubt. And, beyond that, whatever you uncover will be of use to this, your home. And the more we find out about Harmony, the better position we will be in to determine our own future in that regard. Tell me one thing.

  #3: Yes?

  #2: Do you believe, from what you have seen so far in these samples, that this is an area previously untouched or unconsidered in your area of work and that there is much to be discovered?

  #1: Oh, yes. Certainly. That is certainly the case.

  #2: Then we are agreed. Thank you, gentlemen. We will be in touch with you shortly with details of the facility we will prepare for you.

  [Sound of door shutting]

  #2: Make sure their families are with them when we relocate them. It makes for a more amenable working environment.

  #4: And the test subjects? Who do you suggest?

  #2: That's the easy part of all this. And as for how those plants really affect people? That should be easy, as well. Where there's no metal to be had, think how much a simple thing like a knife will get you? Trade some metal items for a voyage on a ship. What could be easier?

  #4: Is that recorder still on?

  #2: Ah, yes. Thank you."

  ------------

  From the unpublished memoirs of Colonel Mikkan:

  "I did not want the boy killed. The death of his parents was unavoidable, given the circumstances. But I had come to know the son. I became fond of him. His intelligence and energy were what I fancy I would have seen in my own son if I had married. But, more than that, I believed I saw something in him which I felt would be of value to this nation, something which, if nurtured properly, could be immensely useful in uniting all factors. After all, he was his father's son. There was a legacy there.

  But, it could not be done immediately. There had to be some time gone by, a time when he was nearing adulthood when he would be old enough to be presented as a figure to respect. And, with my weight and influence behind him, it would have been inevitable.

  However, the progress we had looked for in society was slower than we had hoped for. It became obvious that something stronger than a figurehead was required to drag these people into a more forward-thinking, optimistic and energetic direction. We had, for too long, assumed that we would be forever alone in the universe. We no longer had great dreams. We were, so to speak, sleeping. I always believed, and still believe, that we have a duty to ourselves, our heritage, and to our fellow human beings elsewhere in the universe, to seek each other out, and to reunite. We need, we must, return to the stars and join with our brothers and sisters again. It is where we came from. It is where we must return to.

  That is why I wanted to have Harmony as a target. It didn't matter what the target was, as long as it was not of this world, and Harmony was easiest. I needed something to drag us out of lethargy into growth and aspiration; something we had lost gradually over the years.

  And that meant that the son, Javin, was no longer needed. I still did not want him killed. It seemed cruel enough to deprive him of his memories. The technique used was rough and ready, but effective. I did have reports on him and his progress over the years. As I had seen in him, he had a natural talent for leadership, for attracting followers, for doing more than surviving. That is when I considered moving him to Harmony. The idea grew and it did seem to present us with an excuse to perform another run to Harmony, to try out new equipment and to collect samples, even to collect some people for observation. Plus, I felt better knowing that, at least he would be living somewhere where nobody knew him and where he could live out his life in peace. Amkar (Mikkan's second in command) never did feel the same as I did about this, but he did see the potential for increased efficiency of the overall project.

  I admit to wondering every now and then what became of Javin."

  Chapter Twelve

  It took two days to reach Sweetwater. Actually, they saw it after a day and half of pushing the mandria hard. Banith, Torrint and Javin were all silent as usual but for a different reason. Each one was filled with the weight of what they had seen. Javin felt there was nothing he could have said which would not have sounded trivial or demeaning to the memory of the people who had died.

  He kept running through what they could possibly say to the people of Sweetwater. How would they react? The relatives in Sweetwater, perhaps they had already 'seen' or somehow known about the disaster. If what he had learned so far was true, it was unlikely they were bringing fresh news. But he didn't know what to do if they were. The plain fact of it was that he felt helpless.

  They came to a rise of hills, slowly sloping up from the relatively flat, wide valley they had entered upon leaving Blackeye. They labored to the top of the rise, the mandria breathing heavily and making their displeasure known by the tossing of their huge heads and the incessant flicking of their tails.

  From the top they could see the town in the distance, with a silvery sparkle of the stream, which gave the town its name, running down from the opposite hills. Javin could see that it was certainly much bigger than Red Rock. Like that place, Sweetwater was not so much a close collection of buildings, but a sprawl. Isolated buildings dotted the landscape, the distance between them shortening as his eye found the center. He knew it was the center because he could see two tracks meeting there. The one they were on continued ahead into the hills on the very far side of the wide valley. It met the other one which, following the path of the stream, headed down the valley, away into the distance where he thought he could see some higher hills or rocky formations.

  Torrint hauled the mandria around to a small outcrop of rock topped by some low bushes. "We can't get there today," he explained. "Kesit and Kasser are too tired. If we keep pushing them, they'll be of no use at all. They'll drop. They're strong, but they do not have speed. They cannot keep going. They reach their limit and then," he grimaced, "they are finished, ill. Very ill. You look after them carefully. Check everything about them. Look for sores and muscle strain. We need them well. Not just tomorrow, but for the days after that."

  Despite the emotions from Blackeye still gnawing at him, Javin welcomed the time with the mandria. It allowed him to focus on something else. He took his time checking each of the mandria in turn. He found a raw spot on Kesit's shoulder and rubbed some liniment in it. Then he checked the harness and spent time softening the leather and binding a patch of folded cloth to it to lessen the chance of making it worse.

  Running his hands down their legs, he felt heat in a couple
of places on Kasser's front legs and Torrint, taking a break from applying some thick grease to the axles, gave him some ointment he could apply. As he worked, so the rumbling of the two beasts began to tail off into shorter, more breathy sounds, more reminiscent of how they usually sounded. He made sure they had water, giving them most of what was left in the barrels, and he also gave them some of the feed which Torrint reserved as a treat. He finished by brushing them down and collecting the wiry hairs.

  During this, Javin found himself feeling lighter than before, the tension leaving him, and he realized that he too was able to breathe more deeply.

  By the time he had finished, the light was failing and the moon was rising up the sky. It was still a new enough sight for him. It drew his eye even as he was sitting on the ground, chewing on some dried meat. Looking up at it, suddenly he felt a deep yearning to be back on Haven, memories or no memories. To be amongst the bright lights and the familiar smells, the hard, flat roads and solid buildings with tall, straight walls. Few stars were visible in the night sky of a city. Few reasons for looking up. For a moment the need to be back there was so pure that it stabbed his chest and his breath caught in his throat. There was a desperate craving to be in a place where he felt he could at least understand how everything worked, where he could feel that he fitted in. Instead, he chewed on the tough meat which now had no taste, the darkness now feeling like it was a threat. And Haven was where that piece of metal had come from. That had also been a threat, apparently. Both Torrint and Banith had known that the metal had come from there. Haven was responsible for creating that scene, those deaths. In the midst of Javin's longing there was also a sense of guilt. Guilt because of being associated with that metal, as if he were, in some indirect way, also responsible for all those deaths.

  Neither Banith nor Torrint could be bothered with a fire, so Javin sat in silence in the dark feeling more alone, more separate than ever.