Earthfall

by Orson Scott Card

  On this day, however, with Elemak gone, there came the first open challenge to his authority, Volcmak, after a glance at Rasa, rose to his feet and began to address the group.

  "My friends and family," he began.

  "Sit down and shut up," said Mebbekew.

  Volemak fixed a gaze of snakelike calmness on his second son and said, "If you care to silence me, feel free to attempt it. But in the absence of physical force, I will have my say."

  Meb took one step toward his father. Immediately, though they had not been prompted in any way, Volemak's youngest son Yasai, Issib's eldest boy Zaxodh, and Nafai's eldest, Zhatva, all rose to their feet. They were nowhere near Volemak, but the threat was clear.

  Meb laughed. "Do you think I'm afraid of your children?"

  "You might want to be careful," Rasa said. "They've been living in low gravity for six years, while you still seem a little uncertain on your feet."

  "Come on, Obring,"said Meb.

  Obring took a step toward Volemak. Now Nafai's second son, Motiga, stood up, as did Zdorab's son Padarok. A moment later, Zdorab himself rose to his feet.

  "Vas," said Meb, "you can pretend not to care, but this looks like a revolt to me."

  Vas nodded, "Obring, go get Elemak."

  "We can handle it ourselves!" Meb snapped.

  "I can see. We're doing so well already."

  Obring looked fom Vas to Mebbekew, then turned and left the library.

  "As I was saying," said Volemak, "this entire dispute is misplaced. It was I whom the Oversold summoned into the desert, and I was the one who led this expedition at all times. It's true that in the desert I delegated the day-to-day authority to Elemak, but this was never more than a temporary arrangement in recognition of his skill and experience. Likewise, during the voyage I have delegated command of the ship itself to Nafai, because he is the one to whom the Oversoul gave the cloak of the starmaster. The fact remains that I am the only lawful leader of this group, and when we arrive on Earth, I shall not delegate that authority to anyone else. Neither Elemak nor Nafai will be in command as long as I am alive."

  "And how long is that, old man?" asked Meb.

  "Longer than you wish, you contemptible slug," said Volemak mildly. "It is obvious that Elemak is out of control. Through threat offeree and the cooperation of three weak-willed bullies" -he looked Vas in the eye- "and because Nafai has submitted to captivity in order to save the lives of his babies, Elemak's mutiny at present seems to be prevailing. However, we are all aware that at some point Elemak will inevitably have to submit to reality-the ship cannot sustain us all awake, and the Oversoul will not permit him to put anyone into suspended animation while Nafai remains bound. So what I ask of you now is your solemn oath, every one of you, to submit to my authority and no one elsc's, after this crisis has passed. While I live there will be no choosing between Nafai and Elemak, but only obedience to me, in accord with your solemn covenant. I invite all of you, men and women, to take this oath. All who vow to submit only to my authority after this crisis, rise to your feet and say yes."

  Immediately all the men who were standing, except Vas and Mebbekew, said a resounding yes. Rasa, Hushidh, Luet, and Shedemei also rose at once, joined by the young women who had taken part in the school; their higher voices echoed those of the men. Issib rose slowly and said yes.

  "I assume," said Volemak, "that if Oykib and Chveya were not being kept in isolation they would also join in this oath, and so I also count them among the lawful citizens of my community. When Nafai is released, I will also ask him to submit to this oath. Is there anyone here who doubts that he will affirm it? And that he will keep that oath, having taken it?"

  No one spoke.

  "Remember, please, that I am asking you to accept my authority after the present crisis has passed. I am not asking you to jeopardize yourselves by entering into resistance to Elemak at this time. But if you do not take this oath at this time, you are not citizens of the colony I will establish on Earth. You may, of course, apply for citizenship at a later time, and then I will take a vote of the citizens to see whether or not you will be admitted. If you take the oath now, however, you will be a citizen from the beginning."

  To everyone's surprise, Vas spoke up. "I will take this oath," he said. "When the crisis has passed, your authority is the only authority I will accept as long as you arc alive. And I will do all I can to prolong your life as long as possible."

  With Vas having spoken, his wife Sevet rose to her feet, along with her three young children. She said, "I take the oath," and her children echoed her.

  Those who remained seated obviously were feeling beleaguered indeed.

  "Elemak won't be happy with you," said Meb to Vas.

  "Elemak isn't happy these days anyway," said Vas. "All I want is peace and justice."

  "My father was part of Nafai's little plot, too, you know," said Meb. "He's hardly unbiased."

  "I know that some of you are unhappy about the children who were kept awake to be schooled during the voyage," said Volemak. "Unfortunately, Elemak has never permitted us to explain. Every one of us whose children were included in the school were urged by the Oversoul to do so. Nafai was very reluctant to do it. We pressed him until he agreed. These children were chosen by the Oversoul, and they and we freely chose to go along. The result is not an unhappy one. Instead of having only a handful of adults and many unproductive children, we have divided the younger generation, so that we will now have a continuous population of young people coming into adulthood for many generations to come. Whatever disadvantage you think you perceive at this time will disappear when you realize that you will have more years of life on Earth than those who stayed awake during the voyage."

  Dol rose to her feet, causing her children to stand, also.

  "Sit down, you disloyal bitch!" screamed Mebbekew.

  "My children and I will be citizens of your colony," said Dol. "We all affirm the oath."

  Mebbekew rushed toward her. Vas stepped between him and his wife, putting out a hand to restrain him. "This isn't a good time for violence," said Vas. "She's a free citizen, I think, and has the right to speak her mind,"

  Mebbekew flung Vas's hand away from his chest.

  "None of this will mean anything after Elemak comes back!"

  Only a meter away from him, Eiadh rose to her feet. Immediately her oldest son, Protchnu, plucked at her sleeve to pull her back down. "After the crisis, I will submit to your authority, Volemak," she said.

  Protchnu turned to the other children and shouted at them, "Don't you dare take the oath!" The children were obviously frightened of his rage.

  "I recognize that your younger children are being intimidated into not taking the oath," said Volemak. "So they will be given a chance to take it freely at a later time."

  "They'll never take it!" shouted Protchnu. "Am I the only one here who is loyai to my father? He's the only one who should lead us!"

  Kokor stood up, her children with her. "We'll be citizens too," she said. "After the crisis."

  "You will if you take the oath," said Volemak.

  "Well, that's what I mean, of course," she said. "I take the oath."

  Her children nodded or murmured their assent.

  From the doorway, Elemak spoke softly. "Very well," he said. "Everyone has made their choice. Now sit down."

  Immediately, Kokor sat down and urged her children to join her. Gradually the others also sat, except for Volemak, Rasa, and Eiadh, who turned to face her husband. "It's over, Elya," she said. "You're the only one who doesn't see that you can't possibly win."

  "What I see," said Elemak, "is that I won't permit Nafai to rule over me or anyone else."

  "Even if that means that your own children suffocate?"

  "If Nafai's pet computer chooses to kill the weakest of us, I can't stop it. But it won't be me killing anyone."

  "In other words, you don't care," said Eiadh. "As far as I'm concerned, that's the final proof that you aren't fit to rule th
is colony. You care about your pride more than the survival of our babies."

  "That's enough from you," said Elemak.

  "No," said Eiadh, "that's too much from you. Until you stop this childish display of masculine temper, you are not my husband."

  "Oh, not renewing me, are you?" asked Elemak with a nasty smile. "What do you think of that, Proya?"

  His eldest son, Protchnu, walked to his father. "I think that I have no mother," he said.

  "How appropriate," said Elemak, "since I have no father and no wife. Have I also no friend?"

  "I'm your friend," said Obring.

  "I stand with you," said Meb. "But Vas here took the oath."

  "Vas will take whatever oath you ask," said Elemak. "But his word has always been worthless. Everybody knows that."

  Sevet laughed. "Look at your friends, you poor man," she said. "One deluded eight-year-old boy. And then what? Meb! Obring! They were both worthless back in Basilica."

  "You didn't say that when you invited me into your bed!" Obring shouted at her.

  "That had nothing to do with you," said Sevet contemptuously. "That was between me and my sister, and believe me, I have paid deeply for that mistake. Vas knows that since then I have been faithful to him, both in my heart and in my actions."

  The children old enough to understand what was being revealed here would have plenty of family scandal to talk about later. Obring and Sevet had an affair? And how did Sevet pay for it? And what did she mean that it was between her and Kokor?

  "Enough," said Elemak. "The old man has made his little play, but you'll notice he didn't have the courage to ask you to stand against me now. It was only in some imagined future that he rules over you. He knows, as you all know, that I rule over you now, and believe me, you will never see a future in which I do not." He turned to Obring. "Stay here and keep everyone in the library."

  Obring grinned at Vas. "I guess you aren't going to be giving me orders anymore."

  "Vas is still a guard," said Elemak. "I don't trust him, but he'll do what he's told. And now he'll do what yon tell him, Obring. Fight, Vas?"

  "Yes," said Vas quietly. "I'll do what I'm told. But I'll also keep all my oaths."

  "Yes yes, a man of honor and all that," said Elemak. "Now, Meb, let's take Father and his wife to visit Nafai. And while we're at it, let's bring along the woman who claims she is no longer my wife."

  "What are you going to do?" asked Rasa contemptuously. "Tie us up the way you've tied Nafai?"

  "Of course not," said Elemak. "I have respect for old people. But for every person who took that little oath of yours, Father, Nafai will take a Mow. And you will watch."

  Volemak glared at Elemak. "I wish that before I fathered you, I had been castrated or killed."

  "What a sad thought," said Elemak. "Then you would never have fathered your precious Nafai. Though, come to think of it, I wonder if Acre was a man's seed involved in conceiving him. He is so completely his mother's little girl."

  A moment later, Elemak and Mebbekew manhandled Volemak and Eiadh down the ladderway and through the corridor to the storage room where Nafai lay. Rasa followed helplessly behind.

  Nafai was not really asleep, not ever during the past few days. Or if he did sleep, it felt as though he was awake, so vivid were the dreams. Sometimes they were his worst fears, dreams of the twins gasping for air until fi~ nally they stopped breathing altogether, their eyes open, their mouths agape, and in the dream he tried to close their eyes and close their mouths, but they kept flying open again as soon as he took away his hand. He woke gasping for breath himself from these dreams.

  Sometimes, though, the dreams were of other times, better times. He remembered getting up in the morning at his father's house and running out under the shower and turning on the cold water. At the time he had hated it, but now he remembered it with fondness. An innocent time, when the worst thing that could happen to you was a shock of icy water on your head and back, when the worst thing you could do to someone else was smart off at them until they got angry enough to stop laughing and start pushing you around. Only now they never laughed at all, they never forgave at all, and the cold water was nothing, would be a pleasure if it could ever come again. How could I have known in those days, he wondered upon waking from such memory dreams, how could I have known that Elemak's annoyance would turn to such hatred? That such evil days would come upon us? I made smartmouth jokes because I wanted his attention, that was all. He was like a god, so strong, and Father loved him so much. All I wanted was for him to notice me, to tell me that he liked me, that he thought I might someday ride with him on a caravan to some faraway land and come home with exotic plants for Father to sell. All I wanted was for him to respect me and put his arm around my shoulder and say, This is my brother, look at my brother, I can count on him, he's my right-hand man.

  Who else could have been your brother, Elemak? Meb? He's the one you chose? Was I so despicable to you, that you chose him over me?

 

  Yes, with the cloak of the starmaster I'm stronger.

 

  No I can't. The cloak can. You can. But I can't. I'm tied up here and my wrists and ankles hurt.

 

  He wants me in pain. If he sees my skin chafed and bleeding, maybe that will satisfy him.

 

  So be it.

 

  Stay away from me in my sleep. I want none of your dreams now, and certainly none of your meddling.

 

  I hate the pain of having my brother hate me. And knowing that this time maybe I deserve it.

 

  Oh, and here I thought you were helping me by having us keep those children awake.

 

  Are you really talking to me? Or am I dreaming this, too?

 

  So if this is a dream, why can't I wake up from it?

  As soon as he said this in his mind, Nafai awoke. Or rather he dreamed that he awoke, for he knew at once that he was still asleep, perhaps more deeply than before. And in his sleep, thinking he was awake, he fek the cords melt away from his hands and he rose to his feet. The door opened at his touch. He walked through the corridors and here and there he saw people lying about, mouths open, panting, none of them noticing him as if he were invisible. Ah, he thought. I understand now. I'm dead, and this is my spirit walking the corridor. But then in his dream he realized that his wrists and ankles hurt and he was having trouble walking straight, even in the low gravity, so he wasn't dead after ail.

  He got to the ladder and climbed up, higher and higher, to the highest level of the starship, where the shielding field was generated. But now the ladder didn't stop. It went up, and the next opening was not onto the smooth plastic floor of the starship, it now opened onto a stone floor. He stepped out onto the floor, and felt his body weigh heavily, his steps painful because gravity was normal again. It was dark, a cave. He heard footsteps here and there, but none of them came near; nor did they go very for away. Just a scurry of steps, and he walked a little, and then another scurry of steps. That's all right, he thought. Follow me, I'm not afraid of you, I know you're there but I also know you won't harm me.

  He came to a corridor and saw a light burning in a small side chamber of the cave. He walked there, entered the room, and saw dozens of statues, beautifully carved of clay, perched on every shelf of rock and all over the floor. But as he looked more closely, he saw that all the statues were marred, smoothed here and there, the detail lost. Who would deface such m
arvelous work? Deface it, and yet keep it here as if it were a secret treasure trove?

  Then at last he noticed a statue high up and far back from the fight, a statue larger than the others, and un-marred. It wasn't the perfection of the detail work that made him stare, however. It was the face itself. For unlike the others, which were all either animals or gargoyles, this was a head of a human. And he knew the face. He should. He had seen it in every mirror since he became a man.

  Now the footsteps came closer, not scurrying, but slowly, respectfully. He felt a small hand touch him on the thigh. He did not look; he did not need to. He knew who it was.

  Except that it was only in the dream that he knew. In fact he had no idea who it might be, and he tried to make his dream self turn, look down, see who or what had touched him. But he could not make his own head turn; he could not make himself bend over. In fact, he was bending backward, and his neck was caught between two cords, and there were footsteps, loud ones now, not quick scurrying steps, and a light went on, dazzling him.

  He blinked open his eyes. Really awake now, not just dreaming that he was awake.

  "Time for my walk?" he asked.

  A quick whistling sound, and then a sharp pain in his arm. Against his will he cried out.

  "That's one," said the voice of Elemak. "Tell me, Rasa, what's your count? How many took the oath?"

  "Do your own foul business," said Mother's voice.

  "Could it be hundreds?" asked Elemak. Again the whistling sound. Again the excruciating pain, this time in the ribs of his back. One of them broke; he felt the bone stabbing him as he breathed. And yet he couldn't stop breathing, he had to gasp, because he wasn't getting enough oxygen anymore, he couldn't breathe deeply enough to get the air to stay conscious.

 

  "I don't count any of these against the total, until you tell me what the total might be," said Elemak.

  "Count it yourself," said Rasa. "It was everybody except Protchnu, Obring, and Mebbekew. Everybody, Elemak. Think about that"