Notes from An Alien (14 page)

~~~

The Independents had, within the next decade, attained a majority of seats on more than half  the Territorial Councils. The actions of their troops of Dissatisfieds were bringing a sense of impending war with the Worlds' Protective Force. All that kept it from happening was the desire of the Independents to keep their flow of increasing wealth from evaporating. Many groups of Dissatisfieds found themselves suddenly deprived of funds. There was a new agenda brewing and it was calculated to appease the Worlds' Council while it strengthened the power of the Independents. It involved plans to mine the outer belts of planetoids—a huge number of small bodies that orbited well beyond the realm of the three inhabited Worlds—mine them for the resources needed to create new Worlds, artificial habitations.

    The plan was to let the Worlds' Council oversee the mining and construction but assure themselves that each new World would become independent from the Worlds' Council's control, primarily through complicated legal agreements that gave independent consortiums of companies the right to claim ownership of not just the operations needed to construct them but, ultimately, total control of the Worlds themselves.

    Delva had attempted mediation efforts with these new corporate entities but was unable to convince the Territorial Councils of the dangers inherent in the contracts they were approving.

    Delva had also tasked Morna to institute a search for Mura. Delva was not informed by Anglana that the location of Mura was known but she had told Delva of Mura's vast potential for aiding the Worlds' abiding peace if she could be convinced to submit to incorporation.

~~~

Mura sat with Haalii in their mountain hideaway. Mura had been becoming more restive and Haalii knew that the crowning action of her many-years effort could now be implemented.

    "Mura, we've discovered that your mother is searching for you."

    "To what end?"

    "We don't know."

    "Let her search. It can be another of her fruitless endeavors."

    "You know of the Worlds' Council's approval of the construction of three Created Worlds."

    "Yes."

    "You know of the plans of the Independent Movement for complete control over those Worlds."

    "Yes. Your point?"

    "I feel that you should reappear in the Worlds' affairs as the newly acclaimed leader of the Independents."

    "What?!"

    "Yes, Mura, the leader of the Independents. Not a leader who oversees and stimulates plans but a leader who infuses people with inspiration and the will to fight."

    "Fight..."

    "Yes, dear, we have the biggest fight of our lives approaching. You don't have to concern yourself with the details. You just have to use your influence to empower the mass of citizens to back the Movement."

    "A Cheerleader."

    "Yes."

~~~

Mura began her role of leader of the Independents by appearing before the Worlds' Council at a special hearing preceding the announcement of the beginning of the Created Worlds Project. She had not attended with the title of Leader of the Independents but her appearance had assured her that she could, within a short time, take on the title. What the people who had placed her in this situation didn't realize was that the sometimes recalcitrant but always, ultimately, pliable nature of Mura was radically changing, becoming a willing chalice for the potent liquor of power.

    As the unimaginably vast operations of the Created Worlds Project began to build three new planets in orbits between Angla-Palli and Beli-Pallos, Mura began to find a new calling in life—leading people where she thought they should go.

    The sudden death of Haalii while en route to a meeting with Mura was never attributed to Mura's own planning.

    Mura decided it was almost time to confront her mother.

~~~

The occasion for the first application of the power of the Worlds' Protective Force was initiated by an action taken by the Territorial Council of Beselima—an area always dedicated to agricultural production. The Council had unilaterally invoked a tax on all goods shipped from the Territory. Appeals from the Worlds' Council went unheeded for months while troops of Dissatisfieds carried out the Independents' order for the detention of other Territorial Council members as hostages to the payment of the tax.

    As the situation became more strained, the Independents decided to order the Dissatisfieds' troops to begin the capture of Worlds' Council mediators. When Delva was detained the Worlds' Council first sent a special team of Protective Force troops to free her then unleashed the full power of the Worlds' Protective Force against the troops of Dissatisfieds.

    The war lasted three months and saw the deaths of 120,000 people.

    The Worlds' Council had done their legal duty. The Independents had gained a valuable public relations victory.

11 ~ Will

Delva was up to her neck in the water. Anglana was communicating with her.

    "Never fear. He will arrive."

    "I can see his face in my mind but I don't feel his presence."

    "Look into his eyes."

    Delva fell into Verluin's eyes in her mind and immediately felt him close. Felt him touch her on the head. Felt his lips on hers.

    "It feels so real!"

    "It is real, Delva."

    "Real in my mind which is making my body respond."

    The presence of Verluin vanished. His face remained in Delva's mind and smiled the way she knew meant he was momentarily sad but hopeful.

    "He has left you for now."

    "You claim it wasn't just my mind affecting my body..."

    "You are a woman of strong mind. Would that your heart could take on that strength."

    Delva felt tears flowing down her cheeks. She withdrew from the water and sat on the shore, wondering.

    "Delva, you must repeat this many times to come to certitude of its reality."

    "I don't want to convince myself that my wishes are reality when they're not."

    "Strong mind..."

    "Weak heart..."

~~~

The Aklans had been in the village for a few days, getting to know the people and helping them implement some simple technology that could give them more control over their efforts to raise crops. The area they were in was mostly rocky with large swaths of sand. There was only a small stream coming from the large hill that dominated the landscape. Within that hill was a supply of water that wept its way out and down, often drying before it reached the huts.

    The Aklans didn't even think of suggesting the group of fifty adults and children move elsewhere. They were led by a very old woman who had known the priests of the Lord's Army and tried her best to instill what wisdom she had to her group. The Lord's Army and Faith of Eternity had few followers now, though the Disciples of Faith still flourished. This group had kept the spirit of the Lord's Army alive for eighty years.  They were all related but perilous times had confused the exact genetic lines. Still, these folk were, in all ways, an extended family.

    The Aklans were doing what Aklans did—meeting people right where they were and offering, without judgement, whatever help they could.

    The old woman said: "God willing, we can use this device to induce the hill to give us its Gift more abundantly."

    The oldest of the five Aklans responded: "Be sure to only use it when the stream is dry. If you keep it on all the time the hill could completely dry up."

    The Aklans had also given the group a bag of seed—a strain of edible grass that was extremely wholesome and grew with little attention.

    "Plant the seeds in the pattern we showed you and only snip half the buds that appear so the plants can feed you for a full season."

    "Yes. We have my son's talent in making clay urns to store the buds for times of scarcity. We will dig a cave in the hill for the storage."

    "God willing, you can set yourselves free of the harsh labor of the city and live here in peace."

    "You must return some day and tell me more of Akla."

    "We will and—"

    A small transport was heard from beyond the hill. It swerved into view and came to a stop. Plasma, the killing kind, swept through the air and wiped out the Aklans. The transport swiftly departed, leaving the villagers in stunned stupefaction.

    The old woman fell to her knees and began a chant:

    "O God of Mercy.

    “O God of Light.

    “O God of Death.

    “O God of Life.

    “Forgive us.

    “Protect us.

    “Give us strength.

    “Keep us firm."

    She rose and added: "And, help those poor souls in their flight towards Thee..."

~~~

Attacks on isolated Aklans were increasing. The Worlds' Council was attempting to guide the Regional Councils in their search for the perpetrators but, no matter what information or equipment was given to the Councils, no captures were reported.

    After four months of attacks, with 900 Aklans killed and no one in custody, an official inquiry was launched. The members were chosen by the appropriate Territorial Councils.

    After three more months of attacks, with 1,440 more Aklans killed, the Worlds' Council set up its own inquiry, secretly, with elite members of the Worlds' Protective Force guiding the operation.

    People knew, in general, who to blame but, corruption of the Regional and Territorial Councils was also common knowledge.

    Surprisingly to most, the Aklan Community was making it known that they would intercede to mitigate any punishment of the perpetrators.

    Delva had yet to report the end of her period of mourning but word was still dispatched for her assistance, though not through the usual direct channel, apparently out of respect for Delva's privacy. It was sent to a company that often worked with the Council on matters of diplomatic import. A special directive accompanied the message instructing the recipient to hold it until Delva returned from her retreat but, then, to have it instantly given to her. These plans had been put in motion while the full membership of the Council was unavailable. Three members had made their own decision. Those three members were mildly chastised for their independent action at the next full meeting of the Council.

    The reception of the message was greeted with glee by Anni Suria, a secret sympathizer of the Independents. She relayed the message to Mura.

~~~

Mura had become the unofficial leader of the Independents on Angla-Palli. She had grown quite adept at bringing people into the fold and keeping them working on various plans. She wasn't clear on some of the Independents' dogma but she had a firm belief in one particular tenet: We are individuals and have the right to make our own decisions.

    Some of the Independents' decisions were distasteful to Mura but so had been most of the men she'd slept with. Still, each man had helped her in some way to arrive at her present position of power so she found it easy to sweep distasteful things from her mind.

    She received the message from the Worlds' Council members to Delva and, if she had believed in God, would have said He was blessing her. She called together a group of seven Independents she knew had extreme experience in political affairs and discussed her visit to Delva.

~~~

The construction of the three Created Worlds had reached a critical juncture—materials were arriving in orbit on a regular schedule and actual construction was to begin.

    There would be a World built for only agriculture, one for only applied technology, and one for general exploration of learning potential—a farm, a factory, and a school.

    It had been decided the Worlds would be similar in size to the three inhabited Worlds but people would not live and work on the surface. The internal construction would yield much more usable space and would also protect the inhabitants from the Mother planet's plasma sheath.

    Beli-Pallos' glowing sheath, visible from the inhabited Worlds, didn't extend to Angla-Palli's orbit, yet the Created Worlds would be constructed in orbits within the sheath. The plasma that the outer surface of the new Worlds would shield from the inhabitants could be used to power the operations within the Worlds.

    It was estimated that the three Worlds would be ready for habitation within five years. In spite of the Worlds' War and the devastation it wrought, the political peace had greatly increased the growth of industry and commerce. There was enough wealth to invest in these Worlds and there was more than enough talent and technology to make them safe.

    In spite of the Angi system's problems, Worlds' government had made some things easy of accomplishment.

    Anglana had communicated through Delva that she would not interfere with the construction of the new Worlds. She had also said that any illegal activities associated with them would be met with her swift action.

    The Worlds' Council may have become corrupted but the economic advantages of the new Worlds helped them decide to accede to Anglana's ultimatum. Besides, not obeying her wishes would mean the risk of war with an entity that had shown her ability to control two planets—the gas giant, Beli-Pallos, and her own Angla-Palli.

~~~

Everyone knew where Delva was.

    No one could approach her without Anglana's permission.

    Delva was resting on the shore, awake, when Anglana addressed her.

    "Delva, your daughter approaches. Shall I permit her to reach your presence?"

    Delva was silent for a split second, then said: "Absolutely!"