The Book of Ominiue: Starborn

by D. M. Barnham

  The UeVarda rose from his chair. Though he still looked a little haggard his health was much restored and death now clearly behind him. The room instantly fell into dead silence as he stood; knowledge of the UeVarda’s incurable sickness was widespread. It was only a few weeks ago they were waiting for the messenger to confirm the end of his reign. The promise to heal him seemed miraculous, but there he stood, alive and testament to Earthmen power.

  ‘The Grand Council is now in session,’ he called without any sign of a cough, though his voice was husky. ‘Good people from across the realms: Children of the Kéaran and masters of the lands, rulers and their kin, diplomats and scholars. We have with us today the Hama Ta’Orian’s: a people of great advancement. They travelled from the very stars in our night sky to be amongst us and to share their wealth of knowledge with us. In the name of Ominiue and the Kéaran I say to you, welcome them with all hospitality that we as the people of Dífrun can offer.’ With that all the members of the council rose. Every lionmen and human: the desert people and the city dwellers, the southerners and the northerners; clapped their hands once and grasped them as they bowed.

  After they had all seated themselves back down Far’galanmír stood to take over the proceedings, ‘All should have received the transcribed book of the Star Ta’Orians,’ she called out. The room echoed faintly with her voice. Amplifying her reach without compromising the clarity through unwanted sound distortions. ‘If anyone was late in arriving, or did not have enough time to read the manuscript, or were unable to get a hold of a copy that is not an issue. We shall discuss the contents in this meeting and copies can be obtained from the table on the right of the main entrance.’ Nobody moved to collect the books so she continued on.

  ‘I believe that we are all aware what the purpose of this gathering is. The Hama Ta’Orians seek land. They wish to either be hosted by a nation or to buy land; in which they will build a city.’

  ‘And who has land to spare?’ the Barda[13]-king of Zeathlan rose from his seat. His nation was a close ally of Kértih-Árim’s but they were also Southern in nature and therefore weary of the intentions of an unknown people. ‘The book claims they can settle in regions we cannot. What does this cover? Does it mean lower grade agricultural land? Or can they live on the desert sands of the Corha-Rhí?’

  ‘We can build our city in any region where food cannot be normally grown and herds feed. All we require are foundations to build upon,’ Shayne replied, his flat voice stilling the crowd. ‘If the location has issues with water we can build a pipe system to bring it to us.’

  ‘How far can you build the piping system and will it require an aqueduct?’ another southern human inquired.

  ‘We can build a pipe from one end of Dífrun to the other, if need be, but if you have any salt lakes we can use them too,’ the crowd murmured amongst themselves, their questions resounding around the room as they asked each other how these things could be possible and how can they use salt water before a loud and commanding voice broke through them.

  ‘How can we be sure you will not expand beyond the borders designated?’ A Nakádanese lionman stood up. Her tribal markings were red, showing the people that she was a descendent of the great war hero, Tain. Her head which held elaborate patterns shaved into them told the crowd she was a clan leader, and the crude iron lionman crown upon her brow told them she was a Varda. She was one of the twin queens’ of Nakáda, her very presence signified the importance of this meeting to the region. She looked strong and independent and highly suspicious; her eyes narrow and angry. ‘What will happen when more of your kind come? That is what will occur, is it not?’

  ‘We will have one city in Dífrun. This serves under a contract. With permission our kind will walk amongst you, but they will never settle, not without incurring term imprisonment and extradition back to our world. As for other cities; they will be built elsewhere and will have minimal impact upon any who chooses to continue your way.’

  ‘We have seen such promises in the past,’ the female Varda continued. ‘Again and again people have promised, and again and again they have broken. The Fa’Orian never forgets!’ Some southerners grumbled at the statement, both in distain for her words but also in grudging agreement.

  ‘I swear,’ Shayne stood from his chair, ‘by the power given to me, as the Afrada ala Hama; that I will, with all the authority within me, stay true to any agreement given now by my people. For as long as I stand I will fight and defend any injustice or break from the law.’

  ‘Afrada ala Hama,’ a male human jumped up and scoffed. ‘You are but a stranger from the skies like the rest. You only wish to steal our lands!’ he spat. His thin frame and simple clothing showed him as a western nomad; accustomed to the sun upon his back and not the grand halls of the Karmoníth Palace.

  ‘We will not settle anywhere within a nation, if that nations says no.’

  ‘And who will say no, when you come with more sky Ta’Orians and your city is not enough? Who is to say no, when you are dead and buried and your descendants take a liking to the fancy cities and golden halls. Who is to stop the next generation from just walking through?’ The room broke out again as people agreed, expressing their primal concern.

  ‘The wandering Ueda has a point,’ the Nakádanese Varda agreed. ‘Even if the Afra’hama can make a promise and maintain it. He will not stand forever amongst us. He cannot say that once he is gone that we will still be safe from invasion, it will be the days of Jahaarah all over again.’

  ‘Wouldn’t you even give us the benefit of the doubt?’ Hendingson stood, the android behind him translating his words. The general was a grim man, who rarely smiled, but there was an honesty behind him at times, and this was one of those times. ‘You’re already judging our people for actions that haven’t come to pass. Our Federation and our rival empires have been at peace for centuries. We’ve not been involved in a single conflict since the dictator; Kaningdorf rose centuries ago. Surely that’s got some credibility?’

  ‘What you say could be true,’ one of the human leaders rose, she was an Isradian elected holy-ruler they call the Hankída. Isradia was considered both conservative and progressive; they followed extremely strict doctrine but surpassed most primitive human societies in that they also had true equality. ‘But how can we possibly know? How can we; the people, who have never dreamt of such wonders, as you have promised in these books,’ she lifted the white book for everyone to see, ‘possibly come to believe what you say?’ Shayne indicated for the general to sit, before he placed his hands upon the dark varnished wood of the table; thinking for a moment.

  ‘From your perspective is it possible we are lying?’ Shayne finally asked them. ‘If I was in your place I would consider the possibility, even as we stand, opposite of each other I admit it could be. As a man of science, a man of the way, I must concede that behind my back there are those who plot,’ he lifted himself up and spoke a little louder. ‘I would be a fool to think that it was not so, but!’ and he held his hand up and his face took on a dark expression as he carefully inspected the people before him. ‘How does anyone prove themselves? How are we to promise you that our children will be good law abiding citizens, how can we make sure that he will not murder someone?’ The crowd looked upon each other. Shayne returned his voice to the quiet and haunting tone he normally used. ‘Our actions here today are of peace and goodwill and we aim for our successors to be better people then we are today, to be more humane and more equal. The offers we present are for anyone and we do not expect anything in return except for what you wish to teach us about yourselves. We realise you come to us with understandable reluctance and that is why we offer our gifts of science to you; a more comprehensive and complete understanding of the way.

  ‘We promise that all who choose our medicine will have a lower child mortality rate. We promise most of those crippled will walk again, and those who were once thought to suffer premature death will have a longer and better quality of life, just as the UeVarda h
as been given.’ Everyone glanced up at the king who sat silently in his seat, nodding at the Earthman’s words. ‘We promise to give you the knowledge and tools to create great things as well — if you desire it — we also promise to leave you to your own ways if you choose them. This is all we can do to win your trust. And that is all we wish, for you to trust in us, we are here because we want to communicate; we want to learn and the only way we can show our good intentions is to trade with you, what else would you have us do?’ Shayne looked around at the faces watching him, but they remained silent. He took his seat indicating he was finished; knowing the most difficult part was now over.

  Far’galanmír stood up, ‘As is directed within the book, and this point concerns the matter just discussed, the Star Ta’Orians have requested ambassadors from any willing nation. This too is only a recommendation. If no-one wishes to participate in the affairs of the sky people than they are free to that entitlement, but they desire at least five people from different nations, to speak on their behalf and to journey with them to the stars when the time comes. These individuals will not only be ambassadors between the new city and the nation they hail from; they will also be the planet’s ambassadors to the stars!’ Far’galanmír looked sternly down upon the people sitting before them. ‘You do not have to select one person, you can pick your best and they will move to the new city. They will learn the ways of the Hama Ta’Orians and they will also teach their ways in return. This is the arrangement. The school will then select those to be ambassadors and so forth.’ This created some level of interest in the hall, with even the public stand chattering excitedly.

  ‘We have with us, a map depicting the locations of interest to the Ta’Orians,’ Far’galanmír raised her hand as the council started to talk and some looked around, not seeing any maps. It was the queue for the Earthmen to unlock their computers that were hooked up to a projector. This was the Board of Chancellors idea; they believed exposure to advanced technology would influence the nations to accepting and wanting them, if only to learn the secrets of their craft. They expected some degree of repulsion and fear but it was clear this was a settled region capable of handling this kind of shock. The Earthmen’s current approach was definitely not standard procedure to be taken lightly.

  ‘It is a map the Hama Ta’Orians have made and you will see —’ just then Hanniver connected the projector which flooded the space beneath the king’s balcony with an image of Dífrun and a dozen or so red patches that they previously decided as the best locations. The crowd gasped in awe as they looked upon the image; it was distorted a bit as the wall was not smooth, with wooden panels from the king’s balcony clipping the projection. ‘You can see,’ the imperial guard called louder to be heard over the voices, ‘that their locations of interest are marked in red.’ Most of the red regions were in the middle kingdoms of Dífrun; there were none in Kérith-Árim itself, but a few in the other lionmen states. Regions outside that included: one in the Cohra-Rhí desert, one in Zeathlan, a few in the western districts. Some of the locations were pseudo sites, planted to make the spread of choices appear broader, but they were strategically placed in locations that would not be accepted, with them either being too dangerous or too important. The real selections were scattered in safe kingdoms.

  ‘I do not accept any city in our lands!’ the nomad chief rose angrily, responding to one of the false locations. Hanniver and the general feigned innocence, while Shayne maintained his normal straight expression.

  ‘Then it shall be removed,’ Shayne declared after the Ueda’s angry outburst. With a pointer they pinned the offensive location. Shayne deleted the point to the amazement of the natives. It was easy to mesmerise by means of using the unknown, including layers of data which appeared to those who did not know better as a single map.

  ‘You require a city over such a large area?’ a southern ambassador asked, pointing to some of the larger points that covered more areas than others.

  ‘No, we are merely expressing that anywhere in that region is acceptable to us. The area we will request will be no more than any other large city, plus space for mining and farming.’

  ‘And how do you expect to farm in a desert?’ someone else called. ‘Some of those places you could not even graze a single goat.’

  ‘We can improve it to our needs,’ was all Shayne said.

  ‘And will you show us to improve our land yields?’

  ‘It is a part of our agreement when it will be forged, it will be written in the planetary constitution.’

  ‘Will you pay royalties for your mines if we allow you to dig them?’

  ‘Yes,’ Shayne simply said. ‘Most of our mines will be far away, even so, wealth from them will be spread to you. The one or two mines we seek here will be linked to the city.’

  ‘How much will you pay for the lands if we were to sell them to you?’ another person asked.

  ‘That will be a price between us and the nation that hosts us.’

  ‘And is the magic of healing for all?’ another jumped in. The room erupted into an unintelligible mess of noise as delegates shouted their questions over each other and the rest quarrelled, all trying to be heard.

  ‘Silence!’ roared the UeVarda. He stood angrily above everyone, the power of his stare and the rage of his voice stilled the people. ‘I will not have the dignitaries of my hall behave in such a manner. You are distinguished Oríde[14], so please remain so,’ he then sat himself back down, rubbing his throat and looking weary.

  ‘Please keep your queries to the issue at hand,’ Far’galanmir reminded. ‘For now we are focusing on questions concerning the map.’ The arguments and debate over the Earthmen’s location had barely abated by the time the lunch break arrived. The decoy points were all eventually ruled out, taking longer than they expected. The only agreement that everyone could come to was for the Earthmen city to be built within the central region, so most of the nations would have equal access, but that was all that could be settled. The southern kingdoms did not want the city to be in Fa’Orian ruled territory at all and the Fa’Orians argued their central location was the best, with the exception of the Nakádanese delegates who were fine with the Earthmen settling anywhere so long as it was not in, or near them.

  There was one location that appeared to have agreement between the two major parties. It stood in Zeathlan. At first it looked like the prime location, as Zeathlan was the link between the northern and southern lands and peacefully held cultures from both regions, but the region selected turned out to be in a major trade highway and the Earthmen did not want to influence every merchant passing by. It was also only viable major road that connected the middle and northern kingdoms so each time Keríth-Árim announced army support for any particular nation that road was likely used. With great reluctance they eventually said they would not settle there, but if the Zeathlanites desired they would build an embassy in their major city.

  They eventually narrowed it down to three locations, one in the desert of the Corha-Rhí, near the border of two human nations Na’Andaníde and Na’Lydamin; both of which were a part of the middle kingdoms. The second location was Tallagar, which was the southern neighbour of Na’Lydamin, and the third and final location was north of the middle kingdoms; above Kíbaroth, in unclaimed wild lands known as the Ámel Merodan plains. It stood between the middle kingdoms and the northern human settlements and was home to a large species of running bird that made the Moa look like a small cousin.

  Once they determined the three sites the lunch break was called. Tired delegates and honoured guests were directed out of the hall and across the throne room to the grand dining hall in the other wing. The Earthmen were left alone in the room with their designated bodyguards. Níurthan stood forward, he remained standing at the top walkway; looking down upon them from the cowl of his hood.

  ‘That was brutal,’ Hanniver rubbed his eyes. He looked as if he could sleep for a week, ‘and you say this could take days?’

  ‘I don’t think
it would take that long,’ Shayne answered as they gathered themselves together to head to the dining hall. ‘It will be solved today, possibly tomorrow.’

  ‘You’re throwing yourself around well Colonel,’ the general commended. ‘But it does make it easier when you’re not restricted by a third party,’ he pointed to the droids.

  ‘To be honest, I don’t know how we’d do this without him,’ Hanniver agreed as they started to climb the steps, their appointed guards upon their heels. Níurthan still stood in the top aisle, waiting for them, his dark cloak making him difficult to spot in the low light.

  ‘Undoubtedly you’d get there in the end. Most are arguing for arguments sake.’

  ‘I hate that in human nature,’ the general growled. ‘If there’s one thing I respect about those smegging space rats, they don’t stuff around; they only speak with point at hand.’

  ‘Afrada ala Hama,’ the monk addressed. Shayne stopped before him, bowing his head slightly in recognition. ‘I request a word.’ Shayne turned to the two humans who nodded in understanding and wandered off talking sleepily to each other. Shayne’s guard remained but the monk gestured for him to leave and he obeyed; falling into step behind the humans.

  ‘The old Hama Ta’Orian seems to be well-natured for a general.’

  ‘He is on his best behaviour today,’ Shayne commented. ‘His temperament is as fickle as the wind,’ Níurthan’s expression did not change an inch but he got the impression he was amused.

  ‘What would happen if your kind broke the boundaries of their promise?’

  ‘If it does happen,’ Shayne spoke honestly. ‘It would be a slow process, so slow that most would not notice.’

  ‘And the chances of that occurring?’ his lip twitched.

  Shayne sighed as he thought about that, ‘I would not say it is a high probability but I cannot really tell. Most countries in the past slowly accepted the changes. The first generation usually has trouble, and most eventually do everything in their power to repress the technology given to them. It is natural, but with the next generation comes the willingness and desire for change. When that happens the boarders usually open up, but even following that a strange occurrence often happens with following generations born longing for their ancestors’ ways, after a time rejecting rises again. Usually you have a balance of those wanting and those not wanting. It’s all very complicated.’