Chapter Intermission: The Beginning of the End Pt 2

Chapter Intermission: The Beginning of the End Pt 2

Caw and Karashel entered a fenced in open area where a small group of Aat were clustered around a large circular bare patch of ground with shallow pits dug in it.

In the circle were clusters of small spheres.

One of the Aats flicked its wrist sending another sphere rolling into the circle at high speed and into one of the clusters, scattering it, and sending several beautifully engraved spheres rolling into the holes. The sphere that he cast rolled out of the circle and he walked over and picked it up, remaining where it rolled.

The other Aats all made approving sounds, except for one standing on the other side of the circle.

It didn’t look happy.

“Clash of the titans!” Caw exclaimed happily. “We are in for a treat! Well, at least I am,” he said and rushed over to the circle.

Karashel, now quite used to being confused, followed.

“They are playing ‘Stones’,” Caw said quietly. “It’s a quite intriguing game, a combination of accuracy and strategy. Bujo”, he said nodding towards one of the players, “And Leeilee,” he said nodding towards the unhappy Aat now readying a sphere, “are masters of the game.”

Karashel watched as Leeilee sent her sphere skittering through the circle, clipping a sphere and sending both it and her sphere out of the circle. Leeilee then retrieved both. standing where her casting stone stopped.

Bujo readied his sphere and sent it into the circle where it struck a blue sphere that broke stopping his stone.

The crowd went wild as Bujo yelled in his native tongue. Karashel didn’t know what he yelled but it sounded profane.

“A snare!” Caw shouted. “They are carefully made to fail when struck, a very dirty trick!”

Leeilee chuckled and deftly struck Bujo’s stone, sending it into a pit as the spectators cheered.

She proudly walked into the circle, picked it up, and put it into a pouch along with all the spheres in the pits.

“You sneaky sneak!” Bujo shouted. “Beautiful trap! Me no see!”

Leeilee pulled out his throwing sphere, kissed it, and put it back in her pouch.

“Want play again?” she asked, “But what do you throw with?”

“Oh go away dirty cheat,” Bujo laughed, hugging her. “Filthy dirty cheat cheat. You bring stone back. I take all your stones but no use snare.”

“You no can make snare,” Leeilee laughed and then raised a bulging marble pouch. “Eats! Me pay!” she yelled as everyone cheered.

As the crowd followed her back inside she turned to Bujo.

“You come?”

“Me talk to friend then come!” he yelled back.

“Rotten luck,” Caw said as he shook Bujo’s hand.

“Bad luck makes good luck,” Bujo replied. “She buy more than she win,” he chuckled.

“She is going to pay with those spheres?” Karashel asked.

“Yes!” Bujo exclaimed happily. “Those money stones!”

“The Aat use a very complicated bartering system on their homeworld,” Caw explained, “with many standardized rates of exchange. You need a spreadsheet to keep track of it all. Those money stones are worth a good couple of credits each.”

“If you stupid stupid and trade them,” Bujo laughed. “Me sell them to stupid Xx who think they art.”

Despite being numbed by the day Karashel still gasped in shock. Hugging an Xx was one thing. Calling them stupid to their face was another!

“Who you call stupid, stupid?” Caw laughed. “Who stupider Xx not knowing art or Aat not knowing snare stone?”

“Stupider than Xx who think he can play stones?”

“Stupider than Aat who mix red and yellow bottle?”

“You want keep playing stupid game in front of Fed? You know what I say next.”

“You win,” Caw said with a screech. “I stupidest!”

With a laugh, Caw turned to Karashel.

“Bujo, this is Karashel. Karashel, this is Bujo, a very old and dear friend of mine.”

“Nice to meetcha, Karashel,” Bujo said extending his hand. Karashel clasped his hand like he saw Caw do.

“Likewise,” she replied.

“How you know big meany?” Bujo asked.

“We just met,” Caw said, “She decided to bother me with an honest question and I was so stunned that I am actually answering it.”

“Wow,” Bujo replied. “You do good, Karashel! Caw no like Fed. What you ask?”

“I asked why he hates us.”

Bujo started laughing.

“Dat question he love answer!” he squealed. “How long he talk?”

“It’s been over an hour now...”

“He just start then,” Bujo squealed and patted Karashel consolingly.

Caw’s communicator started to ping. Grumbling he started to answer.

“What?” he asked disdainfully,”... Well, let’s put on our thinking pants and puzzle this one out. Can you do that?... Splendid... If my assistant says that I’m not in the building then am I in the building?... Wow! Aren’t you the clever one! You are doing great! Now here’s the next puzzle. If I’m not in the building then do I have any intention of meeting with you?... Well because something far more worthwhile popped up, that’s why... I’m meeting with someone actually worth my time if you must know... I assume that you stating the amount of time you waited for your appointment has some relevance?... Well?... I asked you a question. Does the amount of time you waited for your appointment or the amount of time you have been sitting like an obedient companion-animal has the slightest importance?... Well, does it?... Councilor, the Federation is a free society. We are all free to write our own destinies so I wouldn’t presume to tell you what to do next. If your desire is to speak with me privately then consult with my assistant... I have no idea. That’s why I have an assistant... A month?... The fact that you already knew that clearly indicates that you already knew the basics of this situation and decided to call me anyway simply to complain. I don’t appreciate my time being wasted, Councilor... The main difference between me wasting your time and you wasting mine is that when I block your number, refuse all future appointments, and cease efforts on certain trade agreement I won’t give a shit... Oh my dear councilor, I didn’t say ‘if’ I said ‘when’... Your number is now blocked, and... Oh? A month is fine? Splendid! I am ever so glad we could rectify the situation to our mutual satisfaction. The Federation is all about cooperation and compromise after all. Oh, and councilor, may I recommend a bit more tact in the future?... Apology accepted. Have a sunny day, Councilor.”

Caw pressed a few icons on his communicator, blocking the number, and then looked up at his companions.

“Sorry about that,” he said, “I swear, the nerve of that guy. Some people are so rude.”

A giggle leaked out of Karashel. Bujo rolled his eyes.

“As you deduced, I brought you here to meet my friend and the Aats,” Caw said. “I wanted to show you an example of what we admire.”

He paused as he looked at Karashel expectantly.

“I would have expected a reaction.”

“I admit that I am mystified,” Karashel replied. “Is it their reliance on their native technology?”

“In part,” Caw replied with an approving nod. “Forgive my surprise, but you aren’t a complete idiot after all.”

“Hey!” Bujo exclaimed, “Be nice. My place you be nice.”

“But she councilor.”

“Oh, this nice then.” Bujo laughed.

“Actually,” Karashel said to Bujo, “I’m a little flustered. It’s the nicest thing he has ever said to me!”

Bujo squealed with laughter.

“Anyway,” Caw chuckled, “yes, they still have kept their native tech, something that we do find admirable but in all truth it is, much like your (ahem) medicine, answer by default. I’m not sure if you know this but Aats have extreme difficulty reading and anything beyond simple arithmetic is quite simply impossible. They can’t just start copying. So, as much as we like that about them we can’t give them full points.”

“Me try learn math,” Bujo said as his fur fluffed up. “Letters bad but I do. Numbers bad but I do. Letters and numbers?” he asked as he shuddered.

“Yeah,” Caw said patting his friend’s shoulder. “That’s about as far as we got. To his credit it took months for him to admit defeat.”

“Me no quit. Big tree you keep chopping. You no quit.”

“Well put,” Caw said. “And that is one of the points I wish to illustrate. They don’t quit. They will doggedly keep at a problem hacking at it with stone and bronze until it yields. Full literacy takes years and countless Aats, knowing full well that they are hopelessly bad at at, plug away at it even if it takes years to be able to read a simple book... You do know what a book is, right?”

“Yes, Caw, I know what a fucking book is.”

“Thank the Progenitors!”

“It’s a collection of files and images collated into a single master document for ease of-”

Caw facepalmed.

“So close!” he cried out in agony. “If only you had stopped talking!”

“(sigh) I’ll look it up... Wait... You mean a sharr!”

“Sharr?”

“Look it up,” Karashel quipped.

With an amused flick of his crest Caw pulled out his tablet. He was starting to like the little slug.

“Yes, a sharr,” Caw said after a few moments. “You still used scrolls? Huh... You do you I guess... (scroll scroll) No that would work!... Nice! (scroll!)... Wait!... With the development of printing you skipped right over plates and jumped straight to rollers! (scroll!!)... That means that you had to have already had bearings and precision machining back then? (scroll!)... What did you use to... Wait... How did you do multiple pages at once? (scroll scroll scroll)... Progenitor piss! How could you leave that out?!?... You had better have preserved one of those original presses or I swear...”

Caw brought his tablet closer to his face, staring intently at it, and scrolling like mad.

“Oh no, you show him something new,” Bujo said. “It gonna be while. I get drink. Alcohol safe?”

“No, poison.” Karashel replied.

“Pity. What about sre-water?”

“What sre-water?” Karashel asked. Their way of speaking was crude but damned if it wasn’t efficient.

“Boil sre grain and make water cold. Nice nice.”

“We love simple carbohydrates. I have scanner! I look!” Karashel replied.

By any means necessary... she quivered at the thought. That was a much better way of saying it... and those words were powerful. They made her feel funny.

A distant alarm rang out, its piercing wail punctuating a rather grim car ride. Karashel found herself wondering if it was villainy or simple desperation that set it off.

“Um... I appreciate you mentioning your ‘sharrs’,” Caw said trying to change the subject. “It’s amazing how that influenced the development of...”

Karashel “smiled” politely and tried to pay attention but her heart really wasn’t in it. The last thing she wanted to hear was how interesting her race once was. Apparently they were very interesting indeed before they shut down and became bland little "homework copiers.”

“... and that directly influenced the development of thorium as opposed to uranium for your fission technology! Quite fascinating! I am definitely going to find out if any of those ancient printing presses have been preserved! If so I will go to your homeworld to look at them myself!”

“Be sure to bring some spare change for the beggars,” Karashel replied.

“Progenitors!” Caw snapped in exasperation. “Quit beating yourself! That’s my job! You are taking the fun out of it!”

Karashel chuckled.

“Sorry, it’s just a lot to process, you know. I’ll be fine.”

“Look, if you are really, truly serious about creating change,” Caw said, “I’ll help. The archives have detailed accounts of many, many social transitions both for good and for ill. History is a powerful tool for those who wish to influence policy, Kara. I can point you in the right direction, maybe answer a legitimate request for knowledge from time to time.”

“You would do that, for one of ‘us’?”

“No, not for one of you, for you,” Caw replied. “I hate wasting my time and more importantly our history has more than one example of us trying to help only for it to go horribly wrong. That being said, I think you just might not be a complete waste of my efforts. If you are serious, really serious, about helping your people then yes, I would be willing to advise provided you keep it to yourself!” Caw said firmly. “Word gets out and I get mobbed by assholes. That happens and the deal is off.”

“I... I really appreciate that, Caw.”

“Think nothing of it,” he replied. “I will look into a reading list for you but your first assignment is to take a long hard look at twentieth-century Earth as a cautionary tale. We need to nip that whole ‘by any means necessary’ nonsense in the bud right now. It is impossible to overstate how fucking dangerous that concept is. Before I do anything to help, you will understand that hazard.”

“I’ll start tonight!” she said with real cheer in her voice.

Caw smiled. He probably just signed up for far more effort than this was going to be worth but what the hell.

What’s the worst that could happen?

***

Karashel undulated into her apartment and just slumped, her muscles letting go. What a day! She set her lunchbox, still untouched, on the counter and went out to her balcony to tend to her beloved plants.

As she did she looked out over the city, the shiny spotless, shining capital, the capital that they wanted you to see.

It was breathtaking. Too bad it was a lie, just like the rest of the Federation.

Tear it all down...

She shook her head trying to clear that annoying thought from her mind. It was a silly idea. Caw would yell, or even worse laugh, at her for having it. He was right. It isn’t that simple. There are some very real realities that thwart even the elder races. It required a lot of-

Tear it all down!

She winced. Creators! She was as silly as Caw thought she was. Tear it all down? It was just an offhand comment, an expression of frustration. She didn’t know what a quark was but even she knew that it wasn’t a real suggestion.

Maybe some tea would clear her head. She undulated over to her kitchen and pulled out her trusty tea maker, popped in a pod of grelelle tea, and pressed the touchpad...

And nothing happened.

“No...” she grumbled poking the touchpad again... Still nothing... “You Baleel piece of shit!” she grumbled giving the tea maker a shake. Of all the days for this to happen. She needed that tea!

Wait! The Aat simply boiled those grains to make that tasty beverage! Isn’t that what they used to do before we used tea makers? We just used hot water, right?

She got her smallest pot, filled it with about a tea mug full of water, and with a little effort tore into one of the tea pods, promptly spilling the contents all across her counter. Scooping it up she swept it into the pot and put it on the cooktop.

The water started to steam and quickly came to a boil.

You can tell the cooktop isn’t Baleelan, she smirked to herself.

She looked at the boiling water. It was starting to look like tea! She wasn’t sure how long she should boil it so she let it go for a minute or two and then poured it into her cup.

“See, we aren’t so helpless after all!” she said proudly and took a sip...

Of the foulest most bitter tea she had ever consumed.

“Gah!” she snorted trying to spit out small fragments of tea leaves.

“Great,” she muttered, “We’ve lost the ability to make our signature drink. Lovely...”

Tear it all-

“Oh be quiet,” she grumbled, “I can’t even make tea. I’m not tearing down anything.”

The thought evaporated.

As she was washing out her mouth she looked over at her data terminal.

I bet I can find out how to make tea! she thought, or at least order a new tea maker.

She undulated over to the terminal. As she powered it up she decided that she should ‘do her homework first’.

“Let’s see, twentieth century Sol...” she mused as she started to expertly navigate through the archives.

A lot of the titles were in Terran. She officially could speak it but she wasn’t that great.

Time to cheat!

She reached into her desk drawer, pulled out a small device and connected it to her terminal. It powered up and automatically synced with a neural implant she had connected directly into her sensory structures.

Automatic translation function active... appeared in glowing letters across her vision.

She selected a text that claimed to be an overview of the century and started plugging away. The translator was working perfectly! She activated the glossary function and auxiliary image associators that helpfully started pulling up associated information and additional documents.

Even with all of the technology it was still pretty inaccessible and slow going.

She needed a break.

She smiled. She loved music and what better way to get a feel for a culture than through their music?

This was a great idea!

She started to disconnect the neural interface but stopped. It was already connected and the translation and image associators would come in handy. Besides, the “sound” was way better than her speakers and she could listen as “loud” as she wanted without bothering the neighbors!

She pulled up “Twentieth-Century Music: Sol System: Adapted to Terran”.

A list filled her mind.

One of the titles was “Rage Against the Machine”. She was quite vexed with her tea maker. She wondered if the ancient humans had similar woes.

She selected the folder and clicked play...

Her eyes dilated as the contents queued and started to be delivered... straight down her neural interface and directly into her brain...

***

At lunch the following day Caw saw Karashel at her lunch table and sauntered up.

“Kara!” he called out happily.

Karashel twitched oddly.

“Hey, Caw,” she said looking up and him blearily.

“You ok?”

“Yeah... Yeah, I’m fine,” she said in an odd voice. “I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Oh?” Caw asked “Hitting the books?”

“Yeah, all night,” Karashel said looking at him with just one eye. “Terran history... pretty crazy stuff, right?”

“Yes, quite the ride,” Caw replied, “And the next century is even wilder! Definitely worth a read! So, did your studies start to put things in proper context?”

“Oh yeah...” Karashel replied, “Context... so much fucking context... context...”

“And what do you think about ‘by any means necessary’ now?”

“...dangerous...”

“So, any questions?”

“Maybe later,” Karashel said. “Kinda tired right now.”

“Yeah, you look beat,” Caw replied. “The quest for knowledge is addictive but be sure to at least sleep. A lot of Xx forget that part when they get their first taste. So... did you?” Caw asked excitedly, “Did you get your first taste?”

“Oh fuck yeah,” Karashel replied lighting up.

“And how does it feel?”

“I can’t... I don’t know how to say it...”

“Ah, I know exactly what you are feeling,” Caw said happily.

I bet you a trillion credits you don’t...

“I remember the first time I...” Caw started cheerfully sharing the first time something really engaged his mind.

As she listened she looked out over the gardens and at all the fat complacent little councilors, engorged with the life blood of their victims, wallowing about like worms and smiled.

Tear it down... Tear it all down... by any means necessary!