Chapter 5.
Once again Amon was speechless. Here before him sat one of his closest friends, someone he had shared his youth with. Someone who he trusted so much that he had entrusted the fate of his race to him.
But this wasn’t the same man he had left only days before. Here was a man whose hair was grey and thinning. Whose face was drawn and wrinkled, whose entire countenance was one of hard experience, of suffering and anguish. His hands were worn and rough, the knuckles scarred and distorted with age and abuse.
Here was a man who had lived a lifetime in a space of time which Amon thought of as only a few days.
He was humbled to realize that the few years of his meager life paled into insignificance compared to the decades experienced by this man.
Amon no longer needed an explanation from his friend. He knew now why Broc had elected to leave his people. He could see in his brother’s eyes a life-time spent coping with hardship, with joy and love, with pain and loss.
Who am I, he thought. Who am I, to think that my pain is so profound, so overwhelming, that I must abandon the ones I love, to seek solace in the stars? Here before me is a man more deserving of respite than I can ever hope to deserve.
“Broc, my brother, I know. . . .” Amon began, but Broc cut him off with a gentle wave of his hand.
“Yes. I understand what you feel, more so now than on that day when you left, so long ago. It is not so important what we experience, or even when or how long it takes. What IS important is what we learn, how we apply what we’ve learned, who we become.
“When you told us of your plan to leave, I was filled with doubt. Not doubt in you, my brother. But rather doubt in myself. I was unsure that I could lead our people in the right direction. Not so much where we would go, but what we would learn, who we would become along the way.
“What I discovered over those many years was that you, my dear brother, were wise beyond your years. It was your insight, your confidence, which helped us to make a clean break with our origins, to leave behind the experiences of the past.
“Not to forget them, but to use the knowledge we acquired from our parents to help propel us into a new world, one where they could not go, but where we could thrive.”
Amon was in awe of his brother’s insight. He had always had confidence in him, but until this moment he had never really appreciated how truly perceptive he had become. He was now convinced that those years, those decades, had molded Broc into a man of knowledge, a man of wisdom.
“Our combined clans eventually moved away from that place. We travelled south, moving farther inland as we went.
“Eff remained without a mate, choosing instead to focus on the well-being of the growing clan. The people grew to love him because of his dedication to them.
“From time to time we had confrontations with the Tal. Their numbers had not grown much, so it was not difficult to hold them at bay, trapped between us and the sea. Eventually they gave up their assaults. The last we saw of them they were moving southward along the coast. What ever became of them I do not know, nor do I care.”
All the time Broc was telling his story, Amon was drawn closer to him, feeling his pain, understanding just what he had gone through. Their experiences were so similar. They had each felt the exhilaration associated with exploration of new lands, of seeing their families grow. They had each experienced loss of those closest to them.
It was now time to tell him what had happened to cause the death of their brother Sef.
“My brother, now it is time to tell Sef’s story. You spoke of the necessity for us to make a clean break from our parents and their way of life. What happened to Sef and his father is a perfect example of why that break was necessary.
“Sef and his father rejoined their old family. His father became their leader. It was his actions, his weakness which lead to their deaths.
“Remember how we were warned never to mate with the old ones? Sef’s father forgot or ignored that warning. The fruit of his union became an abomination. His offspring were not human, nor were they simian. They were beasts in the semblance of men. They would not coexist with their parents. They would not tolerate Sef’s presence.”
“They became the TAL.”
Broc nodded knowingly.
“What you described is exactly how the Tal acted. They cared nothing for those they enslaved. They cared only for themselves.”
At this point Evander chose to intervene. The two brothers turned to watch his entrance.
“Please excuse my interruption, my friends. I know this is a difficult time for you. But it is important that you understand what I’m about to tell you.”
Evander found a chair at the edge of the room and dragged it to the center where the two men sat. Slowly he sat down, making deliberate eye contact with each of them.
“Your world is new. As yet there is but one race of humans there. But as time continues, that will change.”
The two men had looks of confusion on their faces. Evander tried to explain as simply as possible.
“You remember the lands of your birth.” The two men nodded.
“Those lands were hot almost all the time. There was also much rain and almost never any cold weather. Some of your people chose to remain in the homeland. Some moved south where they began to populate other areas. You and your clans chose to leave, going northward.
“As you moved out of your homelands, you experienced changes in the weather. Later, more of your people left you and moved westward, where little rain fell and forests gave way to endless sands, where the daytime sun beat down on them continuously.
“Nahm and his people moved to the east, where they also experienced different weather.
“We refer to the weather in different places as ‘climate.’ There are many things which affect climate, but for now this explanation is sufficient.
“As time goes on your people will completely populate your world. And when that happens, most will choose to remain where they are, to stop their wandering.
“Over time their bodies will adapt to these changes in climate. Sometimes their skins will get darker. Sometimes others’ skins will get lighter. Some people will even become different in height, or in facial characteristics.
“All these changes are normal, natural. People will come to look different and act differently, depending on where they live. But they will all still be people. They will all be human, because they will have mated with others of their kind.
“The Tal are different. They are not natural. Sef’s father looked like his kind, but he was not. Inside his body and the body of his first mate, changes had been made which ensured that their offspring, their ‘seed’ would be human. It was the same for all the parents of the first generation of humans.
“The Tal are hybrid. They are not the same as human. Because they are different, they cannot breed . . . they cannot ‘mate.’. . with humans or simians. Very seldom can they successfully breed among themselves.
“For this reason their numbers do not increase easily. It is unlikely they will be able to reproduce enough of themselves to last very long. Soon their race will die.
“Though I’m not certain of this, I believe that the Tal recognize this about themselves. They know that they are aberrations, that they don’t belong. They know not how to reconcile this, and so rebel, trying to escape their reality. Their anger, their frustration, their confusion are in constant conflict.
“Other worlds have had similar experiences; not necessarily as your world has with the Tal; but rather, there have been conflicts between various races of humans. They have fought over land, or food, but mostly they have fought over power, dominance.”
“Why would this happen, Evander?” asked Broc. “Don’t they understand that differences can be settled without resorting to violence?”
Broc described several occasions when he had found it necessary to intervene when disputes occurred between members of his clan. They had always managed to resolve their diffe
rences.
“Your world is at an advantage because it is so young,” Evander responded.
“Your population is still small. Your leadership is well qualified and conscientious. Your people see the need for cooperation because they are dependent on one another for survival. Will that necessarily change as your numbers increase?”
Amon understood where the conversation was headed.
“It all depends on the attitude of the people, does it not?”
“This is so, my brother.” said Broc. “I have spent my life contending with just such issues. I have done what was within my power to protect and serve my people. My son has also demonstrated his concern for the clan’s welfare.
“Now I am old and tired. My resolve is still strong, but my body is weak. It is best that I place this responsibility in younger hands.
“I recall long ago, Amon, when Evander described to you the things you could and could not do if you chose to join him here. The memory of that has never left me. Even at the time I heard those words, I wanted to go with you. But I also had other responsibilities, more important than my own selfish desires.
“Now, as the end of my days draws near, my conscience is clear. I have done all I can do. I can now leave those responsibilities in more capable hands. While I am still able, I wish to join you here, and share these new adventures.”
“My good friend Broc,” said Evander. I admire you for all you’ve done, for your family and for your people. There are few like you, on your own world as well as on others. For this reason I’m prepared to offer something to you.
“Here on the Brighid as well on many other worlds, we have the capability to prolong life.”
Both Amon and Broc were astonished by his statement. Evander saw this and hurried to clarify what he had said.
“Please don’t misunderstand. We cannot make you live forever, but we can sustain your life for a considerable amount of time beyond what would normally be expected on your world.
“You and all your people have lived very difficult lives. It hasn’t been easy, travelling, enduring extremes in weather, finding enough food. These factors contribute greatly to the wear and tear on your bodies.
“There are many naturally occurring plants as well as man-made substances which help to sustain the human body. In time your race will discover them and put them to good use.
“We of the Seeder races are forbidden from interfering with the lives of those who we watch over. Ethical, moral and spiritual values must evolve naturally if a race is to progress. But there ARE certain things we can do to help those who have demonstrated worthiness.
“Your son Eff is now in possession of your transceiver. Already he has demonstrated high moral character as a leader. We will therefore provide information for him regarding some of the things your people can use for their benefit. We’ll teach him, and he in turn will teach them.
“As for you, we cannot completely restore your youth; but we can do some things which will help you to live a much longer life. The pain you now feel because of past injuries can be eliminated. We can provide certain foods and substances which will stop, or in some cases reverse effects of injury or ageing. We can perform surgeries which will replace or repair damaged tissue or bone.”
Neither of the brothers had ever heard of such a thing. They were incredulous, if not completely disbelieving of what Evander had said. Amon expressed his concern.
“You speak of morality and ethics, yet you offer us things which interfere with our natural development. Is that not of itself unethical?”
“Your point is well taken, my friend. Let me explain a bit more in detail.
“Remember when Sef and his father chose to leave your clan? That was a difficult decision for Sef to make, and for you to accept. He knew the risks he was taking, but chose to support his father, rather than forbid him from leaving.
“You, in turn, warned them both of the risk they were taking. Yet you allowed them to choose for themselves. Had Sef prevented his father, or you prevented either of them from leaving, that would have been an infringement on their freedom, or AGENCY, as we call it in this context.
“We Seeders are bound by the same standards. We cannot impose our will on any person or group, nor can we prevent bad decisions from being made. All we can do is offer good advice, and then let events unfold as they will.
“In this case each of you has made decisions which demonstrate high moral and ethical character. These are traits which are not taught, but are learned through experience. You feel compassion one for another, not hate or envy.
“When we see such behavior, we too feel compassion. And we do what we can, within certain bounds, to offer encouragement and assistance.
“The Tal also had similar decisions to make. They knew they were different, that they didn’t fit in. They could have chosen to be compassionate to one another. They could have chosen to live in harmony with those around them. It would certainly have been difficult for them, even as it has sometimes been difficult for you and other members of your clan.
“Their simian parents were essentially peaceful. Certainly there were occasional disagreements. But all in all they lived peacefully together.
“The Tal, on the other hand, chose to become envious, to not appreciate all the good that was around them. They chose rebellion rather than cooperation. They chose hate rather than compassion.
“In so doing, they destroyed their relationships with their families, and will likely destroy themselves in the long run.
“We choose not to assist them because of the destructive decisions they have made.”