Origins (20 page)

Back in ancient
Egypt Hastelloy waited patiently for his turn in the evening food line with his three crewmen.  Tonwen made an astute observation.  “There sure are a lot of guards here tonight.  Usually it is just the servers and one or two others.   I fail to see the purpose of the extra protection.  Who is going to attack a man who sustains them and their family by distributing food?”

Hastelloy remained silent and looked around to make sure none of the guards paid any undo attention to him personally.  He opted to keep his actions from the previous night to himself.  To do otherwise would invite the rest of the crew to begin acting on rash impulses of their own.

“I heard one of the food servers was strangled to death last night,” Valnor commented.  “Poor bastard, he wasn’t doing any harm to anyone.  He was just doing his job by providing food  for the masses.”

“Maybe he was trying to provide for the wrong mass,” Hastelloy said under his breath.

“What was that, sir?”  Valnor enquired while turning back towards the captain.

Hastelloy gestured for the ensign to turn back around. “I said you’re up, or do you want to take a pass.”

The look on Valnor’s face showed he didn’t think those were the words Hastelloy said the first time, but it was close enough to raise doubt so he didn’t press the issue.  The helmsman simply turned around, had his bowl filled and headed back to the tent.  The rest of the crew soon followed and took their seats on the floor in the small tent.

Hastelloy devoured his portion even before he reached the tent.  He took a seat and tossed his empty bowl to the side and cleared his throat to make sure he had everyone’s attention. 

“I’ve been doing some thinking.  Tomal did us a favor by putting me on the ground for the last week with nothing to do but recover and think.”

“I’ll be sure to convey your gratitude between punches to his nose when I get my hands on him,” Gallono said talking with his mouth full of dinner.

“I’m serious.  His actions gave me the luxury of time to realize I’m going about defeating the Alpha the wrong way.”  Hastelloy paused to let his foreshadow of a change in plans settle in among his crew before continuing.  “Since this whole ordeal began, I’ve made snap decisions without much forethought: the fleet battle, the dual between our two ships in this system, the landing site selection, coming ashore, getting captured, and so on.  I’ve gotten lazy in the long term strategy portion of my command responsibilities, and that stops right here, right now.”

“I’m not sure I follow you, captain,” Valnor tried to reassure him.  “Changing the frequencies of the gravity coils so we can control them took a great deal of forethought and planning.  Plus, we haven’t seen anything to suggest the Alpha noticed the alterations.  To me it looks like we’ve finally seized the initiative.”

The captain smiled inwardly.  The young ensign had a lot to learn and class was now in session.   “While I was laid up last week, I couldn’t shake the feeling I needed to be doing something.  Then it dawned on me that there wasn’t a single thing I, or any of us, can do to further our current plan of attack.  All we can do is sit, wait for the Alpha to move their control equipment into the main chamber, and hope we can finish the frequency rewiring.” 

“So the question on your mind is what happens if plan A goes tits up at the last minute?”  Gallono asked with a twinkle coming to his eye.  “I’m sensing a plan B coming out of that beautiful mind of yours, and if you’ve spent all week hatching it then young Valnor here is about to witness something really special.”

“I’m well beyond plan B my friend,” Hastelloy began.  “The only thing keeping the Alpha in a strong position on this planet is their god status with this Sigma species.  We’re going to turn that strength into a weakness.”

Hastelloy reached into his bedroll and pulled out the navigation unit.  He tapped a few buttons and made a holographic map appear in the middle of the group.  The map was initially focused on the location of the work camp, but quickly widened to show a thousand miles in all directions.  Next a bright red triangle was set on top of an island roughly 700 miles to the northwest of their location.

“This is a volcano; a big one.  The basic geological surveying capabilities of this device detected a pending eruption that’ll occur mid day tomorrow.  All the readings point to the eruption being a particularly large and violent one.  So large in fact, that the fallout might easily be mistaken as the wrath of the gods by these primitives.”

“If that’s the case, the display over the next few weeks will be impressive, but won't the Alpha hoard all the credit since they are already considered gods?” Valnor cautioned.

Hastelloy turned off the device, hid it again and continued describing his plan.  “Only if we let them.  On the other hand, if we manage to get out in front of this thing in the right way, it’ll be the work of a new god, a more powerful god - our god.”

“I like it!” Gallono beamed.

“Well I do not,” Tonwen immediately protested.  “You plan to set yourself up as a god to these people?  Are you out of your mind?  This plan violates every aspect of the noninterference directive you have so vehemently defended until now.”

“I’ll admit that was my first instinct,” Hastelloy confessed, “but as it turns out, adhering to the directive yields the ideal solution.  A god who is seen can never quite live up to the hype. Witness Mosa’s reaction at seeing the Alpha; she was less than impressed.  A god who is unseen carries far more fear and po
wer through mystery.  That said, an unseen god needs an emissary to carry his message to these people.  I . . .”

“Absolutely not,” Tonwen interrupted.  “Even you acting as this emissary is an intolerable act of interference.”

“Me? No, no, I carry way too much baggage with these people to deliver an effective message for the god.  In fact, none of us will be this prophet.  We need someone who is on our side, has notoriety with the leadership of these people, and has enough access to Pharaoh to deliver the first message at a specific time tomorrow afternoon.”

The glow on Gallono’s face vanished in a flash.  “No!  I hate this plan.  Tomal’s been absorbed into his own world of power and opulence.  He can’t be trusted to help our mission anymore.  How can you even think . . .?”

Gallono stopped talking when he noticed Mosa had entered the tent.  She surveyed the room slowly, and finally settled her gaze on Hastelloy.  Without mispronouncing a single syllable in Novan she said, “Is now a good time to discuss what I want from you?”

Hastelloy stared down his three crewmen in a manner that left no doubt the time for debating his plan was over.  It would proceed as he saw fit.  Hastelloy then rose to his feet and gestured for the three men to allow their guest some space.

“My dear, your timing couldn’t be better.  Please have a seat, we have much to discuss.”

Light as a feather, Mosa floated down to the ground and sat on her knees directly across from Hastelloy.

Hastelloy worried, based on his performance against Mosa a week earlier, if he was up to the task of manipulating Mosa to play her part in his plan.  He remembered all too well the formidable mind and verbal talents she displayed.  The captain knew what he needed to get from Mosa, but leading her there while making it appear as though he was doing her a favor was the real challenge.

Hastelloy decided to open the discussion on a light and unassuming note.  “I’d offer you something to eat, but I wouldn’t want to impose the tasteless mush they serve common slaves on you.”

“Thank you for that, it would not have been a pleasant experience” she said and then proceeded to silently evaluate her host.  She was obviously trying to read something from his poker face which was now as vague as a blank marble slate.  “I suppose that’s why someone killed a food server just around the corner last night.  It seems we have a food critic in our midst.”

“It looks like someone definitely objected to the man’s behavior,” Hastelloy said while fighting back the urge to crack a smile at Mosa taking the bait.  “I heard it happened in the shadows behind a tent.  One has to ask what a food server was doing back there.”

“Not if you’ve paid attention to those shadows for a while,” Mosa added.

There was no doubt she received his cryptic message; she knew Hastelloy committed the murder.  Now that she was confident he was on her side, it was time to yank away his allegiance to her cause and begin the spiral into a state of desperation.  Rather than offering his services, he needed her to ask, or better yet, beg for his further participation.

“There were a lot of extra guards there tonight for the dinner distribution,” Hastelloy continued.  “It looks like there are no more unwatched shadows to worry about.  Whatever the food server was doing back there will not happen again.”

Mosa allowed a few wrinkles of frustration to cross her forehead.  “One shadow was eradicated, but there are countless others.  Even that particular dark place will return given enough time.”

“The way I see it, two things will prevent that from happening,” Hastelloy instructed.  “First, the guards know what can happen to them now.  Second, the slaves feel empowered to defend themselves.  Problem solved; you’re welcome.”

Hastelloy glanced over to his crewmen just in time to see Gallono bring his right hand to his chin to stroke his long dark beard, realizing his captain was responsible for killing the guard the prior evening.  No doubt he was busy searching his mind for the reason Hastelloy did it; trying to find the strategic angle.  Hastelloy’s attention snapped back to Mosa as she spoke with a forceful tone.

“Let’s assume the back alley rapes have stopped.  They will start up again and this time they’ll be carried out in the wide open with protective guards looking on.  Mark my words; it will be worse than ever unless a permanent solution is enacted.”

Mosa paused to get her emotions under control again, “As long as one person has absolute power over another, the problem will never be solved.  This slavery must end; I demand you help me do it.” 

Hastelloy sat staring at Mosa for a few seconds.  He was trying to decide if the timing was right to bring down the hammer.  No, not yet, he concluded.  She needed to be completely broken first.  To accomplish this, he enlisted some assistance from Gallono. 

Hastelloy knew Gallono’s sarcastic nature would not let him down.  With a quick look and a nod, Gallono got the message and piped up.  “Well, why didn’t you say so, your majesty?  Give me a few minutes while I walk down and have a private heart to heart with Pharaoh.  We’re old friends, after all,
so I’ll be escorted right in.  After a few words I’m sure he’ll see things my way and let everyone go, no questions asked.”

Mosa’s cool composure suddenly developed multiple cracks.  “I need you to help me do this so I can bring honor to my sister’s memory.”

“What does your sister have to do with anything?” Gallono challenged.

“She has everything to do with it,” Mosa shouted.  “Last week two guards cornered her outside the palace grounds.  They mistook her for a common slave and assaulted her.  She was too proud to submit to such a violation.   She fought back.” 

“So they hit her,” Mosa sobbed.  “They hit her and they hit her, and they kept on hitting her until nothing but an unrecognizable carcass remained.”

The glue holding Mosa together clearly came apart, “I found the body and didn’t even recognize her face.  It was the tattoo on her shoulder that let me know my sister was dead.  She was raped and beaten in a dark alley by thugs who thought it was their right.”

Mosa’s shoulders heaved up and down, and tears were dripping from the tip of her nose as she continued.  “Pharaoh promised action, but nothing has changed.  He is dead to me now.”

“I will cause the change,” Mosa screamed through her tears and anger even though she had no idea how to achieve the freedom she so desperately desired.  The sudden realization of her hopeless situation crushed her spirit to dust.

Mosa momentarily recovered from her breakdown to look up.  “This slavery must end, that is the only adequate resolution for me.  I demand you help me make it happen or I’ll reveal your betrayal to Pharaoh.”

Hastelloy looked into her eyes and saw nothing but a broken spirit.  The message her eyes conveyed was clear.  Resorting to such a threat was her final play. It was a very weak and toothless threat and they both knew it.  With that realization, Mosa buried her chin in her chest and continued crying softly. 

“Gallono raises a valid issue.  Pharaoh won’t easily let go of his slaves,” Hastelloy said with a compassionate tone.  “Forcing his hand will require great hardship to be inflicted on your people.  If I agree to help you down this path, will you have the strength and conviction to see it through to the end, no matter the cost?”

Hastelloy could visibly see the hope return to Mosa’s body as the convulsions stopped and her posture straightened to bring her, once again, to a dignified stature.  She wiped away the tears on her cheek as she replied, “You have my word of honor that I will do whatever is asked of me on the quest to free everyone in this camp from their bondage.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Hastelloy admonished.  Following an affirmative nod from Mosa, he continued.  “Meet us in this tent tomorrow during the midday break.  At that time you and Tonwen will follow Gallono’s suggestion and seek an audience with Pharaoh.  You’ll demand freedom for the slaves or his kingdom will face the wrath of your god, who is far greater and wiser than his.”