When I woke I was no longer in that room but in another, a small homelyroom where I was laid on a bed, the room being located, as I found outlater, not too far from the Hall of Meeting. Though the depth of thefortress prevented me from knowing the time, it felt to be earlyafternoon by that strange internal clock that so seldom errs. It wascorrect, as usual. There was a quaint fireplace on the far wall of theroom with a small, unadorned and unpretentious mantle, decorated likethe rest of the fortress in a practical and experienced way, findingjust the right flavor between the ornate, the practical, and the quaint,and avoiding all the while the clutter brought by superfluous materialpossessions. A table in the center of the room was furnished with asteaming meal, beside which sat my new friend Bernibus, smiling on mewith a benevolent and almost paternal affection.
"Good morning, Jehu," he said, "Or should I say afternoon, for themorning has quite passed by already."
"Yes, and it has left in me a great appetite, my good man."
"As is shown clearly in your eyes," he jested, "Come and eat."
Needing no further urging, I leapt from my bed, sat down across from himat the table, and began partaking greedily of the hearty breakfast ofhash browns and pancakes, which were pleasing to my mouth and stomach,for the tastes in food are controlled more by the condition of the bodythan by the time of day. When I had satisfied my needs, we reclined inour chairs and began conversing:
"Tell me," I said, "Did my untimely slumber yester eve cause anyirritated prides?"
"Quite to the contrary, the council was well humored and followed yourlead to their bed chambers."
"I am relieved to hear it, for I was anxious of appearing lax in ardoror animation."
"Not so, my friend, you are quite exonerated from doubtful thoughts.There is a session planned for this evening though, so may yet feelyourself put on trial."
"Unfortunate," said I, "But surely they can mean no harm, am I not thekinsman redeemer, after all?"
"Yes, you are," Bernibus said with a look of subdued apprehension, "Wehave an end in view, though the means are as yet not wholly decided. Itis a complicated situation."
I smiled softly, "So is always the case."
"In truth it is: time reveals all things yet do all things reveal time?"
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"Our situation is complicated by differing views of time, and I waswondering aloud if history and the present reality disclose the truthabout time in the same way that time reveals the truth of the present.If our way were more illuminated, the journey would be easier."
"Perhaps that is why men look to the well lit paths of history, or tothe dim conjectures of the future rather than the dark, yet detailedways of present."
"Perhaps," he said, "But the present is so fleeting that it holds littleintrigue."
"Even so, it is the stage, not still waiting behind the curtain, noralready performed."
"Yet the past controls by influences and prejudices, justified or not,and it will doubtless be the view of the council that the past must beredone, that the problems be addressed at the source," Bernibus replied.
"I am still in the dark about all your inferences," I said.
"My apologies, I forget myself. But let us not dwell on subjects whichmay become quite exhausted in the near future, for better or worse," hetold me.
"Fair enough," I returned, acceding to the subject change, and jumpingon the opportunity to steer it in a different direction, "I know littleof you, Bernibus, so tell me all."
"There isn't much to tell," he coyly responded.
"Nonsense, Bernibus, tell me or I shall get very angry," I jested,imitating some mythological god's wrath.
He smiled discreetly and yielded to my request, "Very well, I will tellyou. I was born in the year 490 D.V. (that is, Durante Vita), to a poorcouple from the northernmost pier of Daem, the Gog."
"Wait a moment, Bernibus," I interrupted, "I didn't mean in thatfashion, for when I say I know little of you, it is because I literallyknow little of 'you', not the circumstances that make up your past. Iguess it goes back to the interpretation of the past and its powers, andsince we can't seem to escape discussing it, lets embrace it willingly.You seem to believe that the events of your life have shaped you in sucha profound way that their mere description is sufficient to explain yourpersonality; I will grant that their influence has effected you subtly,but history is not the scapegoat of the present. The circumstances domore to define the character of an individual than to shape it, for evensiblings with the exact same experiences can be greatly different inpersonality and achievements. But what I mean is this: your past hasinfluenced your present, yet it is gone and your present remains, showme Bernibus, not his previous forms."
You, who are now reading this, may think this statement of mine toBernibus to be hypocritical, in light of the very purpose and intent ofthese memoirs. You may be thinking that I am relating this wholehappening in order to justify my actions and decisions. But that is notthe case, for I understand that you have no power over me, I have longbeen dead in your present and your sentiments mean naught to me. Infact, I wish to tell of the circumstances I found myself in as much asof myself, so that you may have a retrospective clarity in visions ofthe future. You will understand that statement later on, but for now letme say that I wished to know the essence, the person, the consciousnessof Bernibus, whereas I wish to impart to you my story, though ere itsend you may come also to know me. I have no ambitions of materialimmortality.
Bernibus understood my meaning, and though he disagreed with itstheoretical imputations, he humored me and did as I suggested. He pulledback his brow in a reflective demeanor, brought his eyes to mine andbegan:
"You desire me to tell you about myself without literally telling you ofmyself. I suppose you mean that we discourse on some variety ofsubjects, so that you can see who I am discreetly," he said.
"Exactly," I replied, "You say it better than I."
"Perhaps it is for the best, as you will draw your own conclusionsrather than be given mine, and instead of my telling you what I wouldlike to think I am, you would see what I am in truth. Strange, isn't it,that though we think we know ourselves, we very much do not, and it isonly the unbiased observer who sees us as we are. You know, I was oncethinking of writing my memoirs, and I would have, except that I wasafraid that if I read them afterward I would be forced to see myself asI am and be horrified at the truth."
"Damn the truth," I said.
"You're starting to sound like a philosopher," he laughed.
"And you a psychologist," I rejoined.
"And where would that place us on the scale of artificial intelligence,"Bernibus jested.
"Following the footsteps of Jeroboam," I returned.
"Hmm?
"Oh, nothing. Tell me," I asked more solemnly, "What position doesWagner hold among the Canitaurs?"
"He is the Khedive Kibitzer, our ruler in that he leads the council."
"And you?"
"I am his brother-in-law, a relationship that our culture places greatimportance on, especially as he has no blood brothers. I become, ineffect, his partner, though he doesn't accept me emotionally as one,only in etiquette."
"Why is that?" I inquired.
"Because, I am of weak heritage. His sister loved me, and I her, but tohim there is no such thing as love, only business, the destruction ofthe Zards at any cost. No price is too high," he told me with almost avengeful scowl on his usually pleasant features, it soon passed, though,and left no trace when it had.
"You sound bitter, Bernibus."
"My feelings betray me, yet I am not bitter, only disillusioned."
"You sympathize with the Zards, then?"
"Not at all, I do sympathize, however, with peaceful solutions," hesaid.
"Which is why Wagner disapproves of you, no doubt."
"Yes, mainly, but don't misunderstand me. I am not a closet Futurist,nor am I a strict pacifist, I just can't help feeling that there isanother way. But
I understand the selection of ideologies, how thestronger breaks the weaker to submission, and while one flourishes, theother diminishes, and I understand focus points, but I cannot justifytheir marriage."
"What you mean by focus points?" I asked.
"They are the culmination of conflict, where two sides meet and thebattle takes place, not meaning necessarily an important or strategicmilitary, civil, or commercial place, but one on which the fightingoccurs, the result ending in the defeat or victory of the wholecampaign. The focus point of the Zards and the Canitaurs exists both onthe philosophical and martial levels. On the philosophical level, it isthe question as to what is the proper solution for remedying our currentcatastrophic situation. On one side the Pastites wish to correct theroot of the problem by stopping its realization in the past, theFuturists, however, would venture into the future and brings itsstabilization and completion back. On the military level, our forcescollide in the forests around Lake Umquam Renatusum, the northernmountains belonging to us and the southern plains to them. The lakeitself is of little importance, yet whoever conquers it will conquerall."
"Interesting," I said, "But I do not understand how you seem to implythat I am your ancestor, while Onan seemed to mean the opposite, thatyou are my ancestors."
"It is strange and complex, and we understand very little of it,ourselves. The time for the council has come though, for our talk hasdwindled away the afternoon. Perhaps some of your questions will therebe answered. But come, let us go."
"Very well," I said, "Take me to your leaders."
From that room, the one I had awoken in, it wasn't very far to thecouncil room. Exiting it, we turned down a short, closed hallway thatopened into the concealed area behind the podium that I spoke ofearlier. On the sofa where I had fallen asleep was seated Wagner and ona circle of smaller chairs around the edges of the area were seatedabout ten stately looking Canitaurs, clean and well dressed, accordingto their customs. They greeted me amorously, with a mixture ofeagerness, excitement, and hope painted on their purloined countenances,taken from the sleepless spirits of several departed generations ofwar-hardened veterans.
Standing as we entered, they greeted me cordially, and, once the formalgreeting of a short bow and a blessing was finished, we all sat down,they in their previous seats, I next to Wagner, and Bernibus in a smallchair in the corner, away from the circle of the delegates. He, that is,Wagner, then opened our dialog:
"Welcome to the council, Jehu," he said.
"I was under the impression that the council was much larger," I repliedcandidly.
"It is, but this is the leadership; we felt that the clamors of a fulllegislature would be overwhelming to you at first. I know it stilloverwhelms me sometimes," he laughed, and the others with him. Thatexplanation sufficed at the time, but I later found that Wagner hadtaken control of the council himself, and that it had no real power: itnever met for more than ceremonial matters, the Khedive Kibitzer,Wagner, controlling the rest. But I get ahead of myself.
One of the others then interjected, "Our purpose now, Jehu, is not somuch to make decisions as to inform you of the decisions we have alreadymade, not that we mean to exclude you from our counsels, but we've beenpreparing for this moment, your arrival, for many years, since it wasforetold long ago."
"Decisions with what end?" I asked of them.
"The reestablishing of an efficient and healthy climate, both naturallyand philosophically, one in which tradition, history, and experiencereign supreme," Wagner said in such a way that I couldn't help but thinkthat it had served as an idiom of his for many years.
"A termination of the Zardovian conflict, then?"
"Essentially, but not wholly, as there are other, more complicated endsin view, less integrated with the format of a completely ideologicalconflict."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that we wish to return to our original forms," Wagner said.
"Those being, I assume, the same as my own."
"Yes, you see after the Great War, the atmosphere was so filled withradioactive materials that all life was destroyed, except for that onDaem, which was protected because of our distant and isolated location,and the presence of a group of insects that neutralize radiation. Theywere overwhelmed in the first few decades, for though they were able toreduce the amount to make it habitable, we degenerated into what we arenow, Zards and Canitaurs, based on our habitats, we being mountainous,forest dwelling folk, and they plains people. At first our ancestorsgrew to immense proportions, as did the vegetation on Daem, but weslowly returned to normal size as the radioactive material was consumed.I am surprised that Onan did not tell you about it all," he said,looking at me with a slight tinge of confusion creeping into his waywardeyes, formerly filled only with hope and excitement.
"I wish he would have," I responded, "But he said that it was againstthe rules."
"Ah, yes, I forgot about the rules there for a moment," he laughed, hiscountenance returning to its former gleeful appearance.
"A foolish law, no doubt, and from whom?" I said, availing of theapparent intra-personal deja vu, that is, the converging of the presentsof our two minds into one idea, between Wagner and myself to cultivate abit of sympathy in my difficult situation. But there would be noharvest, for Wagner checked his mirth and said:
"It was necessary, and the Council of the Gods did well to governthemselves more strictly."
"How so?"
"Well, during the Homeric period the gods really went at it, usinghumanity as players in their battles, like a game of chess, actually.Come to think of it, chess did originate in the realm of the gods afterthe laws. Things were quite a mess back then, though, with a whole hordeof demi-gods walking the earth, and it ended up snuffing out the firstflames of democracy and leaving monarchies for the longest time."
"Homer's stories were true, then?" I asked.
"Very much so, but after the laws of physical abstinence were adoptedthings mellowed out considerably, and men went back to theirself-obsession, their material minds weren't yet weaned from the physicalrealm."
"So the very men who claimed mental superiority because they were freefrom superstitions and divine disillusionment were themselves victims oftheir own sophism, and while they thought themselves crowned withenlightenment, it was naught but the Phrygian caps of their prejudicestoward the material state?" I asked, with more than the average dose ofirony and feeling, both for my subjects and myself.
"Exactly, upon disinterested examination one finds the theater of humanhistory to be one defined by a ludicrous melodramaticy, the soap operaof the gods," he answered. "But we digress far from our point, Jehu,which is a discussion concerning the implementation of our plans ofaction formed in preparation of our current situation."
"So I had surmised," I smiled at the reminder, "But tell me, what areyour plans, and what is the current situation?"
"This is a time of fulfillment, with the events of many of ourprophecies coming to pass. Now is a time of action and of hope. You, ourkinsman redeemer, have come, and the time is ripe for victory anddomination, ripe, in short, for a return to natural existence, harmonybetween forces interior and exterior. Our plan, my dear Jehu, is toattack the Zards swiftly and fiercely and break their strongholds likethe walls of Jericho, literally."
"It sounds daring, certainly," I said, "But is it not overly so? I wasunder the impression that the Zards were much superior in force than theCanitaurs."
"In the southern regions, where you landed, yes, they are, but we rulethe northern sphere of action. Our forces actually form a softequilibrium that keeps fate's pendulum from straying from its neutralposition, so that a military action previously would not have beenpredictable, with either side being capable of winning. Under suchconditions war is avoided, but now you have arrived. The Zards, as wellas ourselves, have been expecting a kinsman redeemer, you see, and ourwar has been kept from raging by the belief of each side that their godwould propel them to victory with certainty by the sending of one suchas yourself. Your a
rrival changes things, it marks the beginning of ourdominance," he told me vaingloriously.
"The muted felicity I have witnessed about my arrival is explained,then," I ventured, "Excitement that the end is near and victory close athand, yet that feeling subdued by the realization that a period ofdeeper darkness must first be gone through."
"Your words are true," Wagner replied, "And yet I have a greatconfidence in our plans, which have been matured through many years ofcareful deliberation. As the time will never be more ready than at thepresent, in the present we must act."
"What is your plan, then?" I asked.
"It is calculated to end in the conquering of the Zards, and as such,only an unexpected and unrelenting attack at the very heart of theirstrength will succeed. Anything less will only bring them to a fullalert, and then any battle will have to be drawn out with excessivecasualties on both sides. Therefore, we have decided upon an attack onNunami, their capital city and main strength, being the center andmajority of both their population and economy. Yet an outright siege ofthe city is impossible for those very reasons, it being soself-contained that it can resist bitterly, and its military is soclustered that it can be brought into action almost instantly.
"Considering those problems, it was deemed necessary to draw the Zardsaway from the city and destroy it in their absence, so that they areleft destitute of the means of war and sustenance, and rendered weak. Todo this, we have spent the last several years stockpiling hugequantities of liquid fervidus flamma, an extremely combustiblesubstance. It is stored in an underground reservoir in the foothills ofthe mountains, connected via aqueduct to Lake Umquam Renatusum. When thetime is ripe, we will empty it into the lake and set it aflame, and ourcalculations show the flames reaching a height of five miles for alength of six hours, which should be enough to gain the Zard'spreponderance," Wagner explained.
"But wouldn't it catch the forest on fire and burn down your wholeempire in the process?" I asked, alarmed at his apparent lack ofvigilance.
"We have been treating the trees on a ten mile radius with ananti-flammatory solution for several years as well, and it is quiteimpossible to set them on fire."
"Which explains why you dared to have a fire pit in the trunk of a treeoutpost."
"Yes," he laughed, "We aren't so foolhardy as we may seem. Appearancescan be deceiving."
"The exodus of the Zards from Nunami is almost guaranteed by themortal's natural curiosity and delight in the calamities of others," Isaid, "But how do you plan on leveling the town before the remnant raisethe alarm and the mass of the people return?"
"Atomic anionizers," he returned.
"Which are what? They sound like they are beyond my level ofunderstanding."
"Not at all," Wagner told me, "Do not be fooled by the technicallycomplex sounding name. An atom is the smallest form into which mattercan be broken down into while still retaining its identity, and an anionis a positively charged ion, or in other words, an instance of an atomin which there are more electrons than protons, resulting in a charge ofnegative electricity. An atomic anionizer is just what its name wouldimply: a device that morphs normal atoms into atoms with an extremenegative charge by emitting massive amounts, to the tune of manymillions of moles, of solitary electrons into the air through a bombingdevice."
He went on, explaining the consequences of the weapon, "An atom, andtherefore all matter, which is made up of atoms, is engaged in aconstant revolution around the nucleus, in the same way in which oursolar system revolves around our sun, and our sun around the black holein the center of the galaxy. This revolving motion is the basis for theformation of all matter that we know of, both in its smallest form, likethe atom, or its larger forms, like the galaxy. The electrons emittedfrom the atomic anionizer are drawn into an orbit around the nuclei ofthe atoms of all the matter near which they are detonated, much like theway planets catch satellites and space debris into revolving ringsaround them. This addition of electrons gives the atoms such a powerfulnegative charge that the poles of the atom, which regulate its rotationsin much the same way that the earth's axis, or poles, regulate itsrotations, are thrown from their natural equilibrium, causing the polesto reverse. This, in turn, changes the direction in which the atomsrotate, and in the brief instant in which the force of the revolvingmovement, or gravity, is not strong enough to retain the atom's shape,it lapses, bringing the materials they make up crashing down indisarray.
"We will plant some of these 'atomic bombs' inside the city of Nunami,and when they go off, the buildings themselves will implode and tumbleto the ground. One hand-sized capsule can easily level almost ten squaremiles, and we have enough of them to bring the Zards to their knees,with plenty to spare for any circumstance."
"Wouldn't the bombs kill those who set them off, though?" I asked himanxiously.
"We have electron deflecting suits that negate the effects of theanionizers."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"And well you should be," he grinned, which, as out of place as it wouldseem, looked completely natural on his countenance, "For you and I shallbe among the bombers. Our meeting must end here, though, my dear Jehu,for we each have things to attend to in preparation for the attack onNunami. I will see you soon, until then, farewell."
"Farewell, Wagner," I replied, and we each stood and bowed as weprepared to depart, each to our own occupations.
With that our council ended, and, in the company of Bernibus, I was sentto another area of the fortress to be measured for an anti-electronsuit, in order to protect me from the effects of reverse revolution. Wedidn't converse in the beginning of our walk, for my mind was too busysubconsciously thinking over what Wagner had said to have any consciousmeditations.
We walked through the fortress towards the northern section, which heldthe technological rooms, so as to get an anti-electron suit in themaking for myself. Realizing that the fortress has been littledescribed, I will do so now. It was broken into six differentsub-divisions, each branching from the only entrance, which was in thecenter of them all, the different divisions connecting to it throughlong, narrow defiles, or gorges, like the one at the entrance. This wasfor security, each area being independently contained within the whole.The six areas, or departments, as they were called, were as follows: theNorthern was the technological and industrial research and productionfacilities; the Eastern was the residential department, containing alsothe civil services, such as medical care and distribution centers; theSouthern was the agricultural and other food production areas, thoughthere was little besides agricultural, for the Canitaurs were strictvegetarians; the Western was for mining minerals and other raw materialsto be used by the other departments. The other two departments werebelow the others, being differentiated between by the names Left andRight, the Left being the governmental offices, and the Right themilitary headquarters, providing protections both civil and foreign(this was, incidentally, the beginning of the expression of the termsLeft and Right to denote ideological preferences, but I digress).Uniform in all the fortress was the architecture, it being a strange mixbetween elegant and gentle arches and curves and brute practicality, forwhile the ceilings were high and open, and the walls wide, they wererendered homely by their plain surfaces and the absence of smalltriflings, conditions that were necessitated because of its identity: animpregnable fortress containing a highly organized and self-sufficientgovernmental society, each citizen having a particular duty for thecommon good, and each kept from an unfarcical personal identity by themeans of a statist society.
From the lower, governmental offices we went up a flight of stairs thatwrapped round and round a tower-like tunnel, and soon reached thedepartmental portal. Once there, we took the northern tunnel, whichopened into a large hall that stretched on almost endlessly, with hordesof tunnels branching off to the various agencies. There were a greatmany Canitaurs working busily, preparing for the attack on Nunami andits possible results, which, though long prepared for, had a few lastmoment components to be finished. Walking down
the central through way,we went to the far end of the hall, which, as it was a walk of at leasttwo miles, afforded plenty of time for observation and reflecting, twothings that I am naturally given to. Accordingly, I turned to mycompanion, Bernibus, and offered in an almost philosophical way:
"Your society seems to be flourishing, though I am not surprised, as youall seem vigorously industrious. I am amazed, however, that no oneshirks from their job, no matter how menial or trifling."
"We all have our assigned jobs, and all know that one slovenly job maycost us dearly," he said.
"I suppose I am prejudiced by my conceptions of personal liberty, but itis contrary to my conscience that the state should have more duty thanto enforce the individual liberties by common force."
"But we are at war, and we must do as we do, or be trampled underfoot."
"If all states went no further than justice permits, namely theprotection by common force the rights of individuality, liberty, andproperty, than there would be no room for conflict between states, andhence, no war."
"Yet it is our ideologies that bring war, besides, do not the endsjustify the means?" he asked.
"Your ideologies may cause conflict, yet it seems that your behemothstates facilitate it into war. About the ends and the means, I don'tknow: I am no philosopher," I answered.
I sighed and was silent for a moment as we walked along, then, after amoment or so, I said quietly to myself, "I'm not much of a kinsmanredeemer, either."
We continued on through the hall without further conversation, and Ipaid little attention to my surroundings, so that while my eyes saw andmy mind displayed, my subconscious was not present in the effort, andthereby no memory was retained. This may seem to be the plot of anunimaginative writer to escape the use of that faculty, but as these arenothing but my written memories, and I make no claims of producing goodfiction, I will leave that hall primarily to the minds of the reader.
Soon after, we arrived at our destination, which was very nearly at theend of the hall, and entered to find that we were expected and a spaceopen for my fitting, which was soon accomplished, and my suit promisedto be at my quarters the next morning. That would be just in time forthe departure of the raiding party, which was set to cut out and embarkfor Nunami a little after that, in order to be in place in the hiddentreetop posts surrounding the city before nighttime, as the operationwas to begin at midnight. At first I thought that the attack was pushedforward in haste, but as I came to realize that my coming had beenprophesied and a great amount of time had been spent preparing for thisday, it seemed only natural that they should want to bring thehostilities to a close after such a long time. There were otherconsiderations as well. The weather, for one, had to be dry and not atall windy for the fire to be safely attempted, and also the possibilityof the Zards making the first offensive could not be ignored, for theyhad knowledge of my arrival and may have felt forced to act to preventthe very type of thing that we were about to attempt.
Chapter 7: Down to Nunami