AmerIndian 2192
Page 34
CHAPTER 34
Construction of the Elder's Hall was completed in less than forty-eight hours. The Apache's most significant challenge had been laying the foundation. A dozen construction packs laid down purple granite (from Theltas II). Cut logs went up in a steady stream after that. The building, the first and largest permanent AC structure on Naanac, was impressive. Standing fifteen meters high and spanning forty meters from wall to wall; the Elder Hall had nine equal sides, each bearing the Totem of one tribe. One-meter wide windows of rose-colored glasteel ran from floor to ceiling. Apache artisans carved long, sweeping patterns into the glasteel. Naanac rain flowed down the patterns creating an enchanting vertical river. A large fire pit dominated the center of the hall. In the ceiling above the pit a ten-meter open area allowed light raindrops to fall like wet diamonds into the room. The fire crackled high and the warm smell of a hearth permeated the building.
Celetain entered the hall alone. Her eight remaining Acolytes were now searching Naanac on horseback for points of power, areas lending themselves to ritual magic. She accepted the greetings of the Apache construction foreman and lavished him with praise for his efficiency and the quality of his work.
Elder John walked in and laughed with joy when he saw Celetain. He accepted a light kiss on his cheek. “So good to see you! Stormseeker has been a raging bull while you were out.” John pulled Celetain in close, “I thought we lost you, precious one. I'm glad you are well.” His voice held the passion of his friendship. She touched his face, “Thank you, John. I am well and we achieved what our ancestors dreamed we could accomplish. We have obtained the Homeland. Now we must hold it.”
The Elders took their places on the floor with their backs to the fire. Each Elder had a section of colored granite designated for them. The nine chiefs sat in colored sections surrounding the elders, facing them. It was a tradition that Potlatch Weaver had instituted that chairs would not be used when the Elders and chiefs met. Instead they would sit on the ground where it was uncomfortable. This helped the chiefs and Elders remain alert and discouraged dallying over decisions. The chiefs were informed of the Humanitace situation reported by Alexa.
Wovoka walked into the Hall with Keokuk and stood on the outside of the chiefs and Elders’ circle. Elder John began the meeting by chanting a line from the Seven Eagles Dance. Everyone quieted. “Each of you has been told of the challenges and decisions we now face. We are in need of Nagaspheres to defend our newfound Homeland, communicate with sympathizers on the colonies and outposts and negotiate with the UDA. Humanitace, the preeminent militant clones rights group, is offering us one thousand Nagaspheres now, one thousand Nagaspheres a month and one hundred next-gen birth chambers with ten to follow every year here after. In exchange, Humanitace asks for twenty square kilometers of land anywhere we choose on Naanac. Humanitace claim they will use this land as an embassy on our Naanac. If we refuse Humanitace leader Octavias threatens that he will extend an alternate offer to UDA Grand Admiral Lige. The Elders have gathered the chiefs here for a collection of thoughts before the Elder Council chooses action. The Elder Council will hear each of you and we will decide our course before three suns set on our new home. Are there any questions before we begin?”
Apache Chief Coganthan began in a low voice, “What exactly is our current inventory of Nagaspheres? What resources do we have to buy Nagaspheres and what relationship’s do we have to current Nagasphere suppliers.”
Elder Kugan leaned forward. “The AmerIndian Confederacy currently has 3,700 Nagaspheres. We have 620 outrider ships and 1,400 captured prime ships that require Nagaspheres. One round trip for each of our ships will expend our inventory. We also need a minimum of seven hundred Nagaspheres to communicate with sympathizer groups on the UDA colonies and outposts for the next three months. The AmerIndian Confederacy currently has four billion liquid UDA credits, two billion in gold and seven billion in equipment. We are strong financially. We currently have two sources to buy Nagaspheres from, Grell and Hovinha (both major players in the Periphery black market). We have dealt successfully with them in the past. It is uncertain what inventory they now possess or if they can actually deliver in the near future due to the unstable business environment the Ghost Dance has created. We need 300 Nagaspheres a month to maintain the chunnel.”
John waited for additional questions. None came. It was evident the chiefs had found the answers to most of their questions before they sat at the circle and came ready to express their views. Zuni Chief Koqua spoke first. Her pleasant, full voice carried well in the Elder Hall. “I have discussed this with the greatest thinkers of my tribe and they believe the advantages Humanitace offers would make the risk worth accepting. The Crow, our own clone tribe, could influence them. Humanitace has an intelligence network that could double our own resources overnight. The Crow could produce four hundred premium clones per year, who may all become valued tribals. I believe not accepting this offer would be an affront to the clone tribe. We need the Nagaspheres now more than ever. For a scrap of land smaller than any one tribal can request right now it would be foolish to turn away Humanitace. If we do not deal with them, there is no question Lige will.”
Kichai Chief River Bull and Tsimshian Chief Shakespeare echoed their agreement with Koqua.
Crow Chief Vegas stood before he spoke. The chiefs and Elders sat forward, eager to hear the first official words of the new clone chief. “The Crow agree with Chief Koqua that the advantages are clear. We believe a wise decision will have the AmerIndian Confederacy deal carefully with Humanitace. Our concern, however, is the offer and the price. Once we grant even a small portion of land to Humanitace our own intelligence resources will have to be used to monitor their activities. In addition none of us know why the Humanitace want this land. What are their goals? We are creating a vulnerability, one I believe we can manage with caution, but a vulnerability nonetheless. I propose the AmerIndian Confederacy extend an alternative offer to Humanitace. Ten square kilometers on Naanac in return for eight hundred clone births and two thousand Nagaspheres per month.”
River Bull, Shakespeare and Koqua all nodded in agreement. Elder John graciously thanked Chief Vegas for his word, encouraging him in his first political expression. Brule Chief Satyr rose before Elder John had finished speaking. It was evident he was suppressing the rage that helped him control the deadliest of the AmerIndian Confederacy's tribes. “The Brule have studied the paths of our fathers. The Brule have learned from their mistakes. The Brule have refused to mock the wisdom of our fathers with the action these tribes suggest. The fathers traded land for resources, beads, liquor, food and blankets. They paid for that foolishness with their lives and with the lives of generations to follow. No one will get so much as one square centimeter of our land for any price if the tribals will simply remember the past.” Brule chief Satyr accepted the quiet nods of support from Apache Chief Coganthan, Nez Perce Chief Rail and Diegueño Chief Sequoya.
Elder John rose and circled behind the chiefs. “I believe the words spoken here today are the product of careful thought. Divergent views, yet all of us wish the best for the tribes.”
Haida Chief Auspice was the last to speak and she stood as Elder John motioned for her to do so. “As with any offer, there are options. The Haida are not averse to dealing with Humanitace. They are extremists who have used violence to promote their beliefs. Claim what you will, the AmerIndian Confederacy is no different. What must be recognized, however, is that they are dangerous to the extreme, just as we are. The Haida agree that the clone births and the Nagaspheres are needed but land is too high a price to pay. We took this planet with the powers of Cybershamanism and 620 outrider ships. Now we have fourteen hundred prime ships gained through the Ghost Dance. There are three planetoids within fifty billion kilometers of this planet. The Haida propose the AmerIndian Confederacy claim all fifty billion kilometers surrounding Naanac and offer the Humanitace an outpost on one of the outer planets as well as a thousand captured prime ships. The Haida als
o echo the Brule sentiment that not ‘so much as one square centimeter of our land’ can be traded.”
All of the chiefs, including Brule chief Satyr, laughed as Auspice duplicated the tone and sound of Satyr’s voice.
Elder John continued to circle behind the chiefs. “Thank you all for your input. Some innovative solutions have been proposed. The Elders have listened with our minds and hearts. Please excuse the Elders for a moment and we will announce our decision within the hour.”
The chiefs waited outside the Elder Hall talking, receiving and sending messengers away at a dizzying pace. There was much to discuss concerning transfers of supplies from one tribe to another. Distribution of many resources had been uneven due to what could and could not be stored on the outrider ships and shuttles small enough to come through the chunnel. Several of the tribes carried cargo in lodge ships for other tribes. Within the hour, Elder John called the chiefs back in.
The dignified, careful man waited patiently for each chief to take their seat. Again John circled the chiefs on the outside. “The Elder Council has given due thought to each of the proffered views. I defer to Celetain to give our decision.” John helped Celetain to her feet.
Despite her weakness Celetain stood straight. Her beauty and presence were not diminished by her recent struggles. “The Brule were correct. We, and a thousand generations before us, have fought too hard and long to allow anyone but a member of the AmerIndian Confederacy to live in the Homeland with sovereignty. Our blood paid for it and our blood shall keep it. The Elder Council vows not make any arrangement with Humanitace that will grant them any land on Naanac. We will refuse their initial offer. The Council will, however, allow Humanitace to build an outpost at distance no closer than 40,000 kilometers from Naanac in exchange for 600 clone births and 2,000 Nagaspheres per month for five years. After five years the outpost will once again become property of the AmerIndian Confederacy and negotiations will be opened to extend Humanitace' right to stay on the outpost if they wish. If Humanitace does not accept this offer the council will name them as an ally of the AmerIndian Confederacy if they do not deal with Lige. If Humanitace chooses to deal with Lige we will name them as enemies of the AmerIndian Confederacy.
“Further, the Elders have decided that no AmerIndian Confederacy land will ever be sold, leased or traded. We wish to seal these decisions in a vote of unanimous brotherhood of all the tribes. Take it before your tribals. Consider it yourselves. We believe unity of the tribes is critical to our goal of successfully holding Naanac. Thank you for gathering. The Elders will remain at your disposal for questions and feedback.”
Celetain joined Stormseeker and John and listened to the concerns of the chiefs on the dozens of issues that were now becoming evident for the tribes on Naanac. Kugan and Morgan Weaver both disappeared shortly after the announcement of the decision. Late in the evening Celetain broke with the others and found Keokuk still in the Elder Hall.
Celetain approached Keokuk carefully because his comp set was opaque. She looked down at him, his back pressed against the hewn logs as information scrolled across his lenses. His fingers tapped at a speed achieved only by Tsimshian tech-jacks. Keokuk was working on the daunting task of creating new pack types to carry out the multitude of tasks settlement required. New judge, healer and agrarian pack types were needed. Elder John had given Keokuk the task because he had written the most of the programs the AmerIndian Confederacy used to track the specific skill sets of each tribal. Pack Alphas kept the skill list up to date. Keokuk's programs had been used for years to help AmerIndian Confederacy leaders put together packs to complete the tasks necessary for convoy, maintenance and mercenary work. New programs were needed quickly build new packs with the needed skill sets.
“Keokuk.” Calling Keokuk's name triggered his comp set lenses to go translucent. Keokuk finger tapped the program off.
“Celetain, how may I serve you?”
Celetain smiled. “Actually, I wanted to see if I could help you. How are you holding up in all this?”
“Honestly, it has been difficult. I am a tri-jack and I believe I have had as much responsibility as any chief over the last few days. I feel I am pulled away from my obligations to the Tsimshian tribe more everyday. I filled an important role for them.”
Celetain slumped down beside Keokuk placing her arms over her knees. She looked relaxed and casual and it struck Keokuk how much his life had changed that an Elder now came to him for conversation. “I wanted to talk to you about that. What do you think will come of you and your brother now?”
“I've thought a lot about that recently. Wovoka is the fulfillment of prophecy to all the tribes and I expect many tribals will look to him for leadership. Of course, my main concern is the prophecy that he will be banished. It obviously has not happened. Perhaps the prophecy will be played out in some unexpected way. Perhaps he will be banished from the AmerIndian Confederacy decades from now-”
A young Brule tribal burst into the Hall. “Ships in orbit. Lige is approaching Naanac!”
There was a brief moment of stillness in the hall before the room exploded into activity. Keokuk ran out of the Elder Hall. He saw at a distance Wovoka, shadowed by Cavaho, boarding a Striker five shuttle that was waiting to take the White Buffalo into orbit. Keokuk started down a muddy path toward the shuttle. He grimaced as the shuttle lifted off without him. Keokuk watched the shuttle blasting toward the gate near Morgan Weaver, who had also been left behind.