Shroud of Doom

by William Manchee

  Chapter 6

  General Assembly

   

  The next day Rammel Garciah got up early and took his jet copter to Rizi. Since he’d arrived well in advance of the time set for the General Assembly to convene, he had arranged to have breakfast with the Governor to discuss last minute strategy. The Governor brought along Assemblyman Tobick Doban who would be presenting the case for those who believed the Rhutz should be afforded legal protections under the Supreme Mandate. They met in front of an Allso restaurant called Café Maramoor. Allso was a small country at the very tip of Lemaine Shane that was known for its fine cuisine and beautiful women which was attributed to the tropical climate and laid-back lifestyle of the inhabitants. They shook hands, went inside and were seated immediately. A waiter came over and took their orders.

  “My staff has been polling the delegates,” Doban advised, “and the sentiment is strongly against the Rhutz. Chairman Bruda has called in a lot of favors to insure the Assembly takes strong action against them.”

  “That is not surprising since his son was one of their victims,” the Governor noted.

  “Yes, but if he cared at all for justice he’d recuse himself. There is no way he can be impartial.”

  “It was suggested to him,” Doban said, “but he ignored the suggestion.”

  “So, how are you going to play it?” Rammel asked.

  “We’ve ordered the public enforcers to bring in both witnesses, Rupra Bruda and Romas Lantra.”

  “What?” Rammel said. “I promised Romas he’d be left out of it.”

  “You had no authority to do that?” Doban replied. “Besides, it would look like Romas had struck a deal if he wasn’t brought in to testify. If we put both of them under the truth serum it will be assumed both refused to talk.”

  Rammel sighed. “I just pray you are right.”

  Doban’s wrist array vibrated. He looked at it and pushed a button to allow the incoming call to come in. His face turned grim. “Oh, God and Sandee help us,” Doban exclaimed.

  “What happened?” the Governor asked.

  Doban swallowed hard. “That was the PE’s office. When they went to pick up Romas in Ce Lat to bring him to Rizi they found him dead.”

  Rammel shook his head in despair. “This was all my fault. I should have left Romas alone.”

  “Nonsense,” Doban replied. “You weren’t the one who crushed his lungs.”

  “Crushed his lungs?” the Governor repeated. “He was killed by telekinesis?”

  “Yes, a very clever way to kill someone. There’s never any evidence left behind.”

  “Rupra Bruda has strong telepathic abilities, I’m told. I wonder if he also has the gift of telekinesis,” Rammel said.

  “I don’t know, but even if someone witnessed his death and testified that Rupra was there at his side, you still couldn’t prove he was responsible.”

  “Nevertheless, it does give us more reason to put Master Bruda under the truth serum.”

  Doban sighed. “I guess that’s all we can do. The chairman will be angry, but hopefully the members will see the necessity of what we seek.”

  “Hopefully,” the Governor said and stood up. “We must leave if we are to get to the Capitol Building on time. Rammel and Doban got up, went outside and got in a Grinden PTV waiting for them.

   

   

  Shadow was glad to get off the jet copter. Although the ride had been uneventful, it was unnerving to look down and see a bed of clouds beneath him. Not that it wasn’t a wondrous and beautiful sight, but he preferred to have his paws on mother Tarizon. Starlight, however, seemed quite at ease in the copter and ran from portal to portal so she wouldn’t miss any of the sights. Councilor Sandista sat thoughtfully as he pondered how to present the two rhutz to the General Assembly. Finally, he called a friend in Rizi and asked him who was spearheading the opposition to Chairman’s Bruda’s bill to have the two packs of rhutz killed. His friend told him the only opposition he’d heard about was from Assemblyman Doban who had requested time to speak against the bill. Sandista gave him a call.

  “You have what?” Doban exclaimed.

  “I have two rhutz with me. One of them wants to testify as a witness to the Flat Meadow Massacre.”

  “And you can communicate with them?”

  “Of course. We talk telepathically and we can share memories.”

  “Holy Sandee! That’s amazing. I’d heard it was possible, but you’re the first person I’ve known who has actually talked to a rhutz.”

  “Well, I’m just a translator. They sought me out to help them get on the agenda for the special session.”

  Doban laughed. “Oh, the Chairman is going to be livid. I can’t wait to see his face.”

  “Good. So, where should we go?”

  “I’ll send a Grinden to pick you and your friends up. I think it would be best to keep them out of sight until it’s time for them to testify.”

  “You’re probably right, but how can we do that.”

  “They can wait in my office. I’ll put them on the agenda. What are their names.”

  “Shadow and Starlight.”

  “Hmm,” Doban groaned. “That won’t do. I’ll put your name down instead and you can defer to Shadow when they call you.”

  “That will be fine.”

  “Now you were saying he wants to testify about the Flat Meadow Massacre?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Was he there?” Doban asked.

  “Yes, it was his mate who was shot by Master Bruda.”

  “Well, that’s good news. Our other witness appears to have been murdered to shut him up.”

  “Oh, my God. Who would do that?”

  “I think you can probably guess.”

  “Oh, of course. Master Bruda.”

  “Unfortunately, we’ll never be able to prove it. It was a telekinetic kill—severe lung trauma with no apparent source.”

  “Really. I didn’t realize Master Bruda had that gift.”

  “Yes. He and his grandfather are formidable adversaries. We’ll have to be very careful.”

  “Indeed. Can you requisition some security from the PE’s office?”

  “No. We can’t risk anyone knowing about your witnesses. I don’t think they will be in danger as long no one knows about them in advance.”

  “Alright then. I’ll see you at your office.”

  Sandista told Doban where they would be landing and he got the suite number for Doban’s office in the Capitol Building. The news about a witness already being killed upset him. He wished he’d thought of picking up some security before he took off from Urunes, but it was too late now.

  Shadow felt his distress. “Don’t worry about us,” Shadow thought. “We can take care of ourselves. We too have the gift of telekinesis. No one will be able to hurt us in that manner.”

  “Yes, but we know a bullet can kill you. I’m more worried about that,” Sandista replied.

  “As long as we know of the danger we will be alert and it will be difficult for anyone to hurt us.”

  Sandista smiled and noticed they were approaching Rizi. When they arrived at the heliport the Grinden was waiting for them. Shadow and Starlight had never ridden in a PTV so they were a little hesitant to get in what appeared to be a cave on wheels. But the councilor assured them it would be safe, so they jumped aboard and soon were darting through Rizi at an alarming speed. As they approached the capitol the Councilor had them lay low in their seats so nobody would see them. When they got to the office building, one of Doban’s aides came out and brought them into the building through the freight elevator to be sure they made it to his suite without being spotted.

   

   

  The Assembly Hall occupied the south side of the Capitol Building with the governor and council of interpreters sharing the north side. It was a magnificent structure built just after unification some twenty cycles earlier. The gallery was filling up quickly and most of the members of
the General Assembly were already in their seats waiting for what would, no doubt, be an historic session. Although the issue of the legal standing of the rhutz had been the subject of much debate, it had never been finally determined by any legislature or judicial authority on Tarizon. Due to the worldwide outrage over the Flat Meadow Massacre that issue would now have to be addressed.

  Chairman Bruda went up to the podium and looked out over the crowd. He was an imposing figure standing over six feet tall with a grim face and dark brown, penetrating eyes. The bailiff stood up and three chimes announced the session was about to begin. The great assembly hall became quiet. Bruda, dressed in the Chairman’s lavender robe, cleared his throat.

  “Governor, fellow assemblymen, and citizens of Tributon, I commence this 23rd session of the General Assembly with a heavy heart. As you know 41 of our brothers and sisters, including my own son, were recently killed by two packs of rhutz at a place called Flat Meadow. The purpose of this session is to finally deal with the long standing issue as to whether or not the Rhutz is an “animal” and thus subject to the Animal Control Act of 12 AU or a sentient “life-form” and thereby protected by the civil rights provisions of the Supreme Mandate. The importance of this determination is obvious. If the Rhutz are animals the public enforcer can deal with the two packs of rhutz as he deems prudent. If the Rhutz is a sentient life-form then the matter of the Flat Meadow Massacre would have to be turned over to the Public Prosecutor and each rhutz found to be responsible for any of the forty-one human deaths would be assigned advocates and tried in the public courts.

  A yellow light began blinking on a transparent display above the Chairman’s head. The Chairman glanced at it and said, “The chair recognizes Assemblyman Rendh Sealey who will introduce the resolution.

  Assemblyman Sealey stood up and took the podium. He was thin with long grey hair and walked with a limp. “Governor, Chairman Bruda, fellow assemblymen. You have each been provided a revised version of the Animal Control Act of 12 A.U. The changes in the text of the law have been highlighted. The main change in the law is to specifically include the Rhutz by name as a common animal and thereby subject them to the provisions of the act. The practical effect of this amendment will be to bring clarity to the law such that the recent events at Flat Meadow can be dealt with by the Public Enforcer in a swift and expeditious matter.

  “Now I know that a few scientist have written articles claiming the Rhutz are an intelligent life-form. They claim that they can communicate with each other and have gifts such as telepathy and telekinesis. Well, for every scientist who believes that, there are ten who scoff at such nonsense. In your packet of materials are several articles by renowned zoologist who have studied the Rhutz for many cycles. While they do show a greater intelligence than other animals they are still just animals. They hunt, eat, sleep, mate, and that’s about it. They don’t do anything more than what is necessary for survival. They do build fairly intricate dens and caves in which to live, but everything for them is about survival. There is no evidence that they love, create, invent, or are capable of any of the advanced functions of a sentient life-form. So, I urge you to vote for the changes to the Animal Control Act so that each rhutz responsible for this atrocity can be put down before they kill more innocent citizens.”

  Assemblyman Sealey limped off the podium and sat down. Another yellow light began blinking.

  “The chair recognizes Assemblyman Doban.”

  The robust assemblyman stood up and slowly walked to the podium. After carefully laying out his notes he began. “Governor, Chairman Bruda, and Citizens of Tributon. Amending the Animal Control Act is no way to deal with the tragic events at Flat Meadow. In fact it’s an outrage to even suggest it. Not only did forty-one humans lose their lives but twenty-four rhutz also died at Flat Meadow. What we should be worrying about right now is what caused this terrible tragedy and not rush to judgment. In our history there have been very few instances of a rhutz attacking a human. It’s so rare I had trouble finding any cases of it in the history books. So, what we need to be focusing on is what happened at Flat Meadow and what can we do to prevent it from happening again. Unfortunately, there were only three witnesses to the original encounter—Callas Tripolis, Romas Lantra, and Rupra Bruda. I’m sure you know Callus was killed by one of the rhutz, but I doubt you know Romas Lantra is also dead–having recently been found with his lungs crushed without any apparent cause.”

  There were gasps of shock. Doban wanted to say that Romas Lantra was obviously murdered to keep him quiet, but everyone would know he was accusing Rupra Bruda or the Chairman of murder. Without rock-solid proof he could not even suggest such a thing.

  “So, this leaves us with one witness, Rupra Bruda. We’ve all read the PE’s report of his interrogation of Master Bruda. He claims the rhutz attacked him without provocation yet that is contrary to the historical nature of the rhutz. The fact that two of the three witnesses are dead further makes his account of the events suspect. And since this amendment will fundamentally diminish the rights of the Rhutz life-form, I think it is imperative that Master Bruda be administered a dose of truth serum and interrogated before this body.”

  Chairman Bruda gasped and stood up angrily. “This is an outrage!” There were many other screams of outrage from members of the Assembly as well, but also many who came to their feet in support of the demand. Yellow lights began to flash on the screen above the Chairman’s head indicated assemblymen who wanted to be heard. The Chairman was so shaken by the demand he seemed paralyzed. Finally he said, “There’s been a demand that Master Bruda be compelled to take the truth serum. Is there a second?”

  Several members stood up and gave their second to the motion. “Very well, at the conclusion of the debate, I’ll put the matter to a vote, if the demand has not been retracted.”

  Everyone knew that was a thinly veiled threat. The chairman wanted those who had questioned the integrity of a member of the Bruda family to reassess their position and see if they really wanted to be his enemy. Assemblyman Doban, however, already knew the gamble he was taking, particularly since Romas Lantra had already been killed to prevent the truth from being revealed. But he also knew that if the Supreme Mandate meant anything the people had the right to know the truth, and he as an assemblyman had an obligation to provide it to them.

  The assembly debated the issue for another kyloon and then the Chairman asked Vida Kulchz, the Chief Public Enforcer, to explain to the members how he would proceed should they pass the amendment to the Animal Control Act.

  “Chairman Bruda. Although under the Animal Control Act it would be my responsibility to track down the two packs responsible for the Flat Meadow Massacre, I have arranged with Lt. Diviil, commander of the Regional TGA Command to provide a highly trained platoon to accompany my men when they commence this mission. As we know the rhutz are extremely dangerous beasts and we have to be sure there is no repeat of Flat Meadow.”

  “Have you considered the possibility that other packs will show up to defend the two packs you’ve targeted.”

  “Yes, of course. Lt. Diviil has agreed to provide air reconnaissance of the area to detect any other threat to our extermination team.”

  There were boos and angry protests from the gallery at the use of the term extermination. The Governor, who was watching from the floor of the hall, shook his head in disgust. Chairman Bruda smiled briefly then typed some commands into his wrist array. Finally, the Chief Enforcer answered one last question and sat down. The chairman looked up at a name blinking on the tally board over his head.

  “Alright. It’s getting late and we need to vote, but apparently we have one more person who would like to be heard. I’m not sure what relevant testimony Councilor Sandista from Urunes will have, but since he has traveled so far, I suppose we should let him speak.”

  Councilor Sandista came in from a side entrance, took the podium and looked out over the huge hall. “Governor, Chairman Bruda, citizens of Tributon. I’m am not here to
testify myself but to act as an interpreter. Today you will witness an historic event for this General Assembly, for the State of Tributon and for Tarizon.”

  The chairman frowned and looked around nervously. The audience became deadly quiet curious as to what the councilor was talking about.

  “I know it is generally believed that there were only three witnesses to the Flat Meadow Massacre, but I am here to tell you there was one other and he is here today to testify.”

  Conversation broke out in the gallery, the chairman paled, and Assemblyman Babor’s face lit up in anticipation of a surprise witness. The Governor said something to Councilman Garciah, but he just shrugged.

  “Shadow, please come forward.”

  Shadow came bounding in and jumped up on a chair next to Sandista at the podium. There were gasps and screams from the gallery. Many assemblymen backed away from Shadow.

  “Don’t be alarmed. Shadow is here to testify, not maul anyone.”

  There were several tentative laughs from the crowd.

  “As you may know the rhutz communicate telepathically between themselves. This is why I will be able to communicate with him. He has learned Tari from another rhutz who learned it from a boy that he befriended cycles ago. I have also linked with Shadow’s memories and have seen what actually happened at Flat Meadow. After Shadow testifies I will invite a few of you with telepathic abilities to link with Shadow so you can verify the veracity of his testimony. Now, I present Shadow.”

  Shadow nodded and looked at the councilor. Sandista closed his eyes and began speaking. “Governor, Chairman Bruda, and citizens of Tributon. I am honored to be here today and to be able to talk to the human race at last. Since the beginning of time the Rhutz have lived at peace with humans. Although the Rhutz and Humans have had little or no communication, they have respected each other’s territory and tried not to interfere with each other’s lives. This is why I was so shocked when a human shot and killed my mate, Shimmer, as we were enjoying a beautiful summer day in Flat Meadow just a few days ago. It was so unexpected and so unnecessary that I was beside myself.

  “After the first shot there was another, so the pack did what our instincts demanded and what, I am sure humans would also do under the same circumstances. They acted to defend themselves from further attacks. When the murderers had been driven away and my mate had been sent back to God, I yearned to find out why these humans had attacked us for no reason. So, I traveled to Urunes to find a man I had heard had a good and just heart, Councilor Sandista. It was my hope I could communicate with him and find out why these humans had so brutally attacked my pack.

  “When I got to Urunes I met Starlight, and she told me about the Massacre at Flat Meadow. I was stunned and saddened by this escalation of hostilities for no apparent reason. I knew that if the human attacks continued there would soon be all out war between man and the rhutz, for an attack on one rhutz is an attack on all of us. I knew then my quest had now become even more important.

  Starlight told me about their pack’s Old One who had been friends with a human and learned Tari from him. Gladdened to hear this, I went to the old one and learned enough Tari to talk to Councilor Sandista. So, I am here today to ask you, why my mate was killed and why does this General Assembly want to kill more rhutz?”

  There was a stir in the gallery. Someone yelled. “This is a fraud! How do we know it’s the rhutz talking? You could be making this up.”

  Councilor Sandista stiffened. “Perhaps it is time for two or three of you with telepathic abilities to come forward and talk to Shadow yourselves. Perhaps you will be able to convince the others that today we really are communicating with a sentient life-form. Do I have any volunteers?”

  A man stood up and raised his hand. “Come forward, please.”

  Another assemblyman stood up and came up to the podium. Shadow looked in the first man’s eyes. He gasped. “It is true. The rhutz speaks!”

  The other man stepped in front of Shadow and peered into his eyes. “Oh, God and Sandee. I have seen Rupra Bruda murder the rhutz, Shimmer.”

  The Chairman stood up and banged his gavel. “That’s enough. Alright, Councilor Sandista. Your time is up. Let’s move on.”

  “Chairman Bruda,” Assemblyman Doban said. “In light of Shadow’s testimony, it’s time to vote on whether to compel Rupra Bruda to take the truth serum.”

  “No, there’s no time for that,” the Chairman spat. It’s time to vote on the matter at hand, the Amendment to the Animal Control Act is on the floor. Please cast your vote. You’ll have two loons.”

  The big screen lit up as two columns appeared to record the voting. Green blocks were affirmative and red negative. Everyone stared at the screen as the votes started coming in. Almost immediately a large number of green votes popped up. The Governor frowned. Then a red block appeared, another and then several more. Soon the board looked fairly even with about two-thirds having voted.

  “One loon left to cast your ballots,” the Chairman warned.

  Suddenly, the tide turned as red block after red block popped up. A bell rang when the final vote had been taken. The final tally read: 121 green, 179 red.”

  The chairman looked at the big screen and grimaced. “The reds have it, the Amendment is defeated.”

  There was applause and cheers of triumph from the gallery. The Governor stood up and shook Rammel’s hand. The Chairman quickly disappeared. Shadow and Starlight came back out to the podium and many assemblymen crowded around to see them and welcome them to Rizi. It was an historic day and a new beginning for the relationship between man and rhutz. Although Shadow still grieved the loss of his mate, he felt a little better now knowing she hadn’t died in vain.

  That night the governor invited Shadow and Starlight to dine at the Governor’s Palace along with Councilor Sandista, Rammel Garciah and Tobick Doban. The Governor was interested in learning more about the Rhutz and establishing some kind of reliable communication link between them and the Tributon government. After they talked long into the night the Governor offered them a room to sleep in but they declined, choosing to sleep outside in the garden instead. After the two rhutz were gone they talked about Chairman Bruda and Rupra.

  “The Chairman was humiliated today. He’s going to be very angry and someone will pay dearly on account of it,” Rammel said.

  The Governor nodded. “I wouldn’t want to be in Rupra’s shoes tonight.”

  “He’s lucky his grandfather protected him and didn’t allow a vote on the demand for him to take the truth serum. Had he taken it and his lies uncovered in that manner the public enforcers would have had no choice but to arrest him.”

  “So, what do you think the Chairman will do to quench his anger?” Doban asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Rammel admitted. “But I’d suggest we all double our security. I’m sure we are all on the list of persons he’d like to see dead.”