Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition

by Moulton, CD

  "Maita, make a large floater into a fishing boat conformation and identify it as belonging to Lape the Fisherman," Z suggested. "They have their symbols for ownership. Maybe a teller of tales can get a fisherman and a buyer out of the pokey!

  "How deep are they into a story and what is that story? I'll have to know exactly so I can use whatever they didn't screw up too bad."

  *They were asked for identification and, when they had none, were asked where they were from. They were seized when they said they were from Royal City. They've since acted indignant and have refused to answer further questions. That tends to keep them from saying things that'll only get them more deeply involved in something they know nothing about. There are tortures planned, I think. I won't allow that, even to a robot.*

  [ Calm down, Maita. We won't either. Tell us what you plan to do, Z. ]

  "I'm not sure yet," Z replied. "First, I have to learn a few things. Larj was a cagey old man and studied the customs of all the people everywhere. He was a true master storyteller and knew the theatrical moves that would draw an audience.

  "Maita, have Thing's floater make me a crystal of that Iaft man who was so good at making up stories that you got involved with whether you wanted to or not. Himlt. We met him on Islipona. He was director for that theater group. I can insert it in the secondary socket. Only the basic method and maybe several of his story outlines. He improvised from a sort of list, I think you said. Look at the times when Larj first heard of things changing in Royal City. Look what it was. I think I'm beginning to suspect what's happened. It hasn't been that long and people tend to be suspicious about some kinds of things."

  [ It was a typical farming town at the edge of the mountains twenty years ago. It advanced to become an important center in that time. I don't really see what you're getting at. ]

  "You can think better than that!" Z replied. "Where are all major cities at these stages of civilization located? What kinds of places would YOU build a city that would have to depend on external supplies to even exist?"

  "They're at commerce centers. Trade centers," TR answered. "At the places where.... I see!"

  *They're at crossroads of various types. Usually major rivers or seaports or where major land routes intersect. I see. They are NOT in the foothills where access is limited to one direction and that so far displaced from a port of one sort or other. It's much too long a trip from Dockside, and Dockside's the nearest port where supplies they MUST HAVE can be brought in!*

  [ So the progenitors of this ended up here and can't move for some reason. They are trapped or marooned here. A spaceship that was disabled? ]

  "Or a colony ship that could make only one landing," Z agreed. "There isn't any evidence of colonists though so I can't imagine what we have here. Even Larj had never heard any stories of alien beings. The chance that either such thing happened when the ship was carrying beings who could move about among these peoples without being noticed is beyond conception! Even our phenomenal good luck doesn't allow for that!"

  *Such things DO happen. Get Tab and Kit out of there first, then we'll make other plans. We have to find what's going on here before we can hope to do anything to counter it. Let's not go off on some stupid tangent yet because we can't take that degree of chance with a world this close to moving away from their world. There are no Immins here. We must NOT make these people into the same kind of galactic refuse by repeating the mistake the Maitans made with them.*

  Thing's floater produced the crystal and Z snapped it into the secondary input socket. He searched the new crystal's information, then had Maita make a low two-wheeled cart of Thing's floater, packed the items from the backpack Larj had been carrying into it and settled down for the night. It was just getting dark when the floater returned in its modified state. TR reported the status of Tab and Kit was unchanged.

  In the morning at dawnlight Z perched Thing on his shoulder, grabbed the pulling handle of his cart and headed toward town. The floater showed the barge Larj had come on was sailing up the river so no one could be asked about a deck hand who left at the docks. If there was any report of Larj being on that boat there was no way anyone would know which direction he went when he left Dockside.

  They entered the city gates where Z headed for the government center. People would stop to stare at Thing until finally two policemen came to ask for identification. Z showed them the traveler's symbol and claimed he was Larj the Traveler, who was known over all of Savaraj. It was exactly the kind of statement Larj would make. He would assume they'd heard of him.

  "And what the nine hells is that thing?" the cop asked, pointing a billy club (Much like had been used on Earth!) at Thing.

  "It is called Zonn and is the pet of one who gave me a ride in his boat," Z answered. "Perhaps you can tell me where I might find Lape the Fisherman and his companion, Kemat the Buyer? They were to have returned a day past. I agreed to a short time of watching the boat and the pet here. I must continue my travels so wish to give over the pet to Lape."

  The officer looked a bit shrewdly at Z and said, "Lape the Fisherman? Kemat the Buyer? Are they of this city?"

  "I believe Kemat was born here, perhaps thirty years past, but he left the city – it was but a small farm town then – when he was quite young. Lape said he was born here, but I don't think either has been back in several years, at the least. Perhaps not in decades. They are very interesting people, having traveled along the coast and to many of the southern islands. They found Zonn on an island past Firecone Island in the Klanch chain. A fascinating story. I believe very few have ever explored among those far places. They may someday return and I have the promise of passage with them because they say they will not be believed, but a traveler will.

  "I tried to tell them that little Zonn is more proof than they could desire. No one has ever seen such an animal on the land before.

  "One should try to keep one's proofs in a guise others will know. Their proof is in Zonn – who NO ONE knows! It reminds me of the time I was on Night Island. There is a pass where the sea is very violent at midtide and the sea is highly phosphorescent. Truly luminous on a dark night when both moons are hidden. The air itself was alive with a fragrance and sheen to suggest strange forces were about, hovering just past the fringes of vision. The feeling of portents lurking below the surface sent ripples of thrill along my backbone.

  "You know the feeling.

  "I was with Jena the Beautiful, enjoying the company of ... hum!, er, yes. I was with a lovely lady. We were watching the sea as the jewel sparkles and the fire streams, eddies of light, streaks of dream stuff, played in a fantastic landscape of cold white flame through the oily blackness of the raging waters. The fires of the sea were reflected in her eyes as she stood close – touching to ward off the slight chill of the night, that chill more of the spirit than of the evening temperature, which was quite pleasant.

  "Suddenly a strange spiraling circle appeared and rose swiftly to the surface to throw off shimmering jewels of cold fire, flames of dream stuff, in all directions. It had eyes like those of Zonn, but it was far larger. It looked directly into my eyes and I saw great wisdom hidden there – a wisdom born of many vast eons of time and observance of the petty trials and tribulations of mere mortal man. I saw knowledge of all things forbidden.

  "It seemed to be trying to tell me something. Something of vast importance. Something of cosmic complexity. Something, perhaps, beyond the possible comprehension of a mere mortal.

  "The raging waters soon swept it away. It sank slowly beneath the surface, those cold intelligent eyes never once leaving my own. My very spirit refusing to unlock that gripping gaze.

  "I often wonder what the message was to have been. I wonder if that creature perhaps knows the fate of Savaraj and was trying to warn me of the dangers we are to face. I wonder if there was not there a portent of vast schemes and plans to crush the will and hope of mere mortals beneath some behemoth thing born in the most intense of evils in the heart of the old universe, an evil bot
h too old and too huge to resist. I wondered if I was seeing the doom and end of all things! Was it a spirit thing or was it a dream? If it was but a dream then why was it shared with my lovely companion? Was it real? Was my interpretation correct or was it a mere fantasy? Was there a strange delirium cast upon me or was the coldest and hardest of realities staring into my eyes and into my spirit?

  "Why?

  "There are so many things in life of which knowledge we are denied."

  The police were held spellbound as Z presented the story with carefully dramatic gestures and modulated tones.

  "You are truly a master storyteller, Larj the Traveler!" one of them said. "The two you seek were misunderstood in their words and actions. They have the stubborn streak of the many sea people. Rather than profer a simple explanation they become insulted and refuse to offer ANY explanation.

  "I'll take you to them. Perhaps your testimony will gain their release. A simple saying that they had been away for years would have sufficed. Maybe you can impress them with the fact that a bit of cooperation gets more bread than hundreds of threats! It occurs to me they must have learned too many habits from those sea people, not all of them good.

  "Whoh! You are GOOD! I'm even TALKING like you! Whoh!"

  "They do have quick tempers and are fast to anger," Z said. "They are good people, all the same. One must bend with the flow or the water will break you and carry you away.

  "I remember one time, at Ponchatarnee Point, in Gastrokinland, when I was with Klee the Sensuo ... with a charming lady. It was one of those nights when the Firstmoon was at its fullest, brightest silver and Lastmoon was a burnished copper-gold. You know the nights, I'm sure. The moons and stars were like a fairy feast with gold and jeweled servings on a rich deep indigo tapestry, the Bow of Light shining a background, the air heavy with the sweet-tart fragrance of expectation.

  "I remember the night air was crisp, almost to the point of chill. It was dry of the air and things stood starkly against unseen backgrounds, their edges reflecting the light of the moons in a surreal scene that speaks softly and seductively into your ear, telling you and the lady that a closeness under the covers would perfectly take the chill to another place where it would be more welcome.

  "The lady misunderstood my motives, thinking I wanted nothing more than a short dalliance. Such things sometimes transpire when the words are not taken in the way they are spoken. Such is the lack in language, but we must each bear our personal burden.

  "Nothing could be more distanced from truth! I am a poet! I deeply respond to the things of the heart and would never cheapen a relationship with personal greed for PHYSICAL gratification! – but she was of too strong a mind when she decided a thing and could not be swayed with mere truth. Facts to her were as she saw them, not as they were. I still carry the scars of that rejection.

  "I'm afraid that Kemat, in particular, shares the bent of mind that makes him decide a thing is an insult when it is merely an asking of information."

  Larj the Traveler was a master storyteller and the fact the story had no content went unnoticed. The tone and inflection and the gestures filled the silly tale with import that it didn't contain.

  "I'll bet they seldom turn you down!" the officer said in awe. "I'm called Mujat. I wish I had half your talent for telling things the way they are! I'd never spend a night alone!

  "I mean, you were trying to seduce her, weren't you?"

  "Well yes, I DID seduce her!" Z protested in exasperation. "The POINT is her stubborn nature hid the simple fact from her that I'm a caring and affectionate person who honestly saw in her something special and fine. The hurt is that SHE took it so lightly! I was not physically refused, I was emotionally rejected. The pain from that is a thousand times the pain of a mere physical rejection. That is so very painful to a sensitive person!"

  "Whoh!" Mujat exclaimed. "You are GOOD! You could get a statue to take you to bed!"

  Z bowed slightly. He could almost hear what Thing would have to say to him when they were in a position to talk!

  They arrived at a large flat building with iron-barred doors and windows. Mujat led them inside and spoke with an officer, who called another, who came to them.

  "I'm Captain Seemum," he said. "Mujat says you know the two prisoners, Lape the Fisherman, and Kemat the Buyer?"

  "Very well, my good man," Z replied. "I have traveled with them for six days. I know much about a person very quickly. It is a talent."

  "And that's a ... Zoom? It's their pet?" he asked.

  "It's name is Zonn," Z corrected. "It comes from south of the Firecone. It's their companion and their friend. It's their ever-faithful supporter. It has talents that are very useful to a buyer. That's part of the reason Kemat is so successful."

  Seemum called in a scribe to take a statement, then asked about Zonn's talent. Z remembered how useful the empathy was in Kappor so he decided to demonstrate it here. Anything that would distract them could prove valuable.

  "I remember like it was yesterday when I heard of and saw the talent demonstrated," Z said in his storytelling voice. "It was actually four days ago when we were at a place called Flarkis or Kappor or something such. Three very different islands there. The people have rather differing social customs for places that are so close in distance.

  "That isn't important."

  Thing squeezed with a tentacle very slightly to indicate it knew what he was doing.

  "Kemat was dickering with a fellow about some Krish oil. The fellow was a master at deception. I could see such was the truth with my own talent, but I am limited to knowing THAT a person will tend to lie. My ability doesn't always extend to knowing WHEN a person is lying.

  "Zonn would, at times, make certain motions at this seller of oils, which I didn't understand. Lape whispered to me that it was telling Kemat when the Krish oil salesman was lying. Zonn is never mistaken about that. It is a talent that one sees in some domestic pets to a minor extent, but which is strong in Zonn.

  "The man was telling about how his mate was ill and under a physician's care and how his two children had no food or clothes to keep them from the cold. I was ready to offer what poor possessions I hold to those unfortunate tykes, particularly the little girl whose fingers were frostbitten.

  "Zonn was not fooled. It stood on the ends of its ... those things ... and made sounds and actually spat at him. Kemat declared the fellow a liar and a particularly bad one, though I thought he was VERY good and we turned to leave. The fellow stopped us to argue and Kemat was able to get a much better price than the market would seem to allow.

  "You can easily test it. Make a little lie or false boast as we are talking and watch Zonn. Make a big one – or I will. It can't understand words though it understands much more than mere conversation can convey. You'll see!"

  "We are here to see about getting your friends out," Mujat said, cutting his eyes to look sideways at Thing. "I have to get home. I haven't had my breakfast yet."

  Thing shook a tentacle at him. Seemum looked cagey and said, "Yes. We'll get them out for you if you will take responsibility for them.

  "I don't like this warm weather, do you?"

  Thing shook a tentacle at him so the scribe said, "I don't have any paper!" and got a tentacle shaken at himself, which seemed to tickle him. He was about to say something else when Z winked at Seemum and said, "Lape is my little brother, you know."

  Thing started banging him over the head with a tentacle, which got everyone to laughing. Z made a statement that Lape and Kemat were really from the city, but only from years ago and that, so far as he had heard, it had been years since they had been home. They both tended to have short tempers in some ways and were easy to insult or to imagine they were insulted. They would become very stubborn in those situations.

  Thing's floater in the cart was sending the statement directly to them, as it had been doing since they arrived, so they would know how to act.

  Seemum had them brought in and the first thing Kit said was, "And who
is watching my boat!?"

  Thing sprung to climb all over Tab, then Kit, then Tab again.

  "You said you would return in a certain time and you did not," Z said calmly. "I came looking for you. The boat is quite safe."

  "Yes, well thank you, Larj," Tab said. "These people seem to assume people are liars if they don't say exactly the words they want to hear!"

  "They're simply doing their job," Z replied, unperturbed. "If you simply told them the truth they wouldn't bother you."

  "We did tell them the truth!" Kit cried. "They said we were lying! They claimed we had to be lying because we didn't really know anything about Royal City and we said we were born here! This isn't anything like the place we knew more than ten or twelve years ago! There was nothing here then but a farming town !"

  "Well, it was more than sixteen years ago, but that is truth!" Tab said. "Let me tell you of an experiment with little Zonn, here. It isn't possible for us or for anyone else to lie around it. If you lie, it...."

  "I showed them, Kemat," Z interrupted. "You aren't remembering the way it actually happened. They asked you where you were from AS A RESIDENT, not where you were born. You should be more careful about such things. You often take offense where none was intended."

  "Take offense?" he cried. "What are you talking about? Since when are there people who can hold you against your will because of something so silly? What's going on in this place? Just who are these people in the stupid clothes? Where is it written they can molest citizens?"

  "Royal City has grown," Z chided, unruffled. "You have been to small town, village and city. Where is the place you find crime? In which village can you be robbed of your savings in broad daylight?

  "No. That is a problem of the larger cities. I long prophesied some king would find himself in a position where he would have to form an independent guard corps. The soldiers are too often corrupt. It must be removed from them. This is something the nature of the Saj makes inevitable."