Stryker #5, At the End of Eternity – Chapter 7

“One discovery that caught me by surprise was the excavation of an observatory. When the Wall was erected people stopped studying astronomy, since they could no longer see the stars. This observatory is changing all that. What amazes me is that the building we found does not use telescopes and lenses to magnify tiny points of light. Instead it somehow has the ability to reach across space and show you how the galaxy looks from any vantage point. You simply stand in a room and select a destination, and the entire room vanishes. It somehow uses holographic technology to make it look like you are really standing on a remote mountaintop or on some distant planet. I once spent an entire weekend there just flying through the galaxy. It is astonishing. It’s no wonder it has become one of the most popular places in the city.”
–Noel Lawson
June 19, 7243
 

Monroe Araiza was standing in one of the great stone towers of Adrasta. Through the crystal window in front of him he could see the mountains, and beyond them a wide grassy plain. He knew that on the far side of that plain was the spot where Evan Maldonado’s neutron bomb had vaporized a forest – and the tribe that used to dwell in it. The damage was invisible from the tower but he knew that it was there. It haunted him, even though he had worked so hard to stop it.

Monroe was standing in the private chambers of the Order of Scribes. The Founders had started the group long ago, in the earliest days of Adrasta. They realized that when the Empire collapsed much knowledge would be lost, unless a group of people was set aside and trained in the care and preservation of documents. Over the past five thousand years men like Monroe had faithfully executed their duties. In the Order’s archives they had preserved a vast collection of books, covering technology, history, art, and countless other subjects. The Order was the caretaker of that knowledge. If anyone in Adrasta wished to use that knowledge – as Evan did when he wanted to construct his bomb – they had to go through the Order of Scribes to do so.

Originally Monroe had thought that Evan had developed the neutron technology on his own. That was what Evan told the council, and since Monroe had not seen any information requests from him he assumed that was the truth. By pure accident he discovered that the technology had actually been given to him by a scribe in the Order. Monroe was enraged, and confronted the one who had done it.

“But why did you agree to help him?” Monroe demanded.

“Because he made a lawful and legitimate request,” Elwood Ortiz replied. “He asked for information regarding ancient technology and we provided it for him. That is, after all, our sacred purpose.”

“Do not hide behind requests and procedure!” Monroe said angrily. “You knew very well what Evan intended to do with that knowledge. The genocide he is attempting to carry out goes against every one of our founding principles. The whole reason our Order was established was to ensure that dangerous information was guarded and used wisely, in accordance with the Founders’ principles. They would be horrified at what you have done!”

“And what is it that I have done?” Elwood asked. “I merely copied some manuscripts and handed them to a well-dressed gentleman. There was no harm in that.”

“Do you take me for a fool? You were the one who gave Evan the knowledge he needed to wipe out that tribe! Thanks to you he now has the knowledge he needs to wipe out every last tribe on the entire planet. You are not an innocent bystander! Without your help he never could have carried out that bombing. You are every bit as responsible for their murders as he is.”

Elwood shrugged. “I fail to see what would have been gained by denying his request. If I had not make the copies for him he would simply have asked someone else to do it.”

“That’s just brilliant,” Monroe said bitingly. “By that same logic a murderer could say that since the innocent bystander was going to die someday anyway, there was no harm in going ahead and killing him. Have you lost your senses? Why did you not burn that book instead of handing it over? I would rather see our entire library destroyed than have its knowledge used to enable genocide!”

“Which is exactly why you no longer have any power. Oh, true, you may still be the head of our Order. But you can no longer get people to listen to you, can you? Your reverence for the Founders and their principles has blinded you to the realities of our times. Refusing the will of the council is not going to win you any friends, you know.”

“Friends? This isn’t about winning friends! The whole purpose of our Order – and of the city itself, for that matter – is to spread the light of the truth. We are to be witnesses and ambassadors for Jesus Christ. He was quite unpopular in His day, but He never sold out to win the approval of those who were in power. He stood for what was right and refused to yield.”

“And, as I might point out, he was killed for it,” Elwood replied.

“I would rather die than help Evan,” Monroe shouted. “It is far better to die a victim than be a part of the crime – especially when the crime is the wholesale slaughter of millions of human beings! What are you going to do when you stand before God and must give an account for your life? What will you do when He judges you for your role in the murder of ten million human beings?”

“I am not the least bit worried about that,” Elwood replied calmly. “You don’t make a compelling case, you know. It’s no wonder that you lost so badly at the debate hall last night. You are well past your prime. You should consider retiring, before the council forces you out.”

“You had better start worrying about it. Only a fool would laugh at the prospect of facing the full wrath of an angry God.”

“And that is the difference between us. It is why I am successful and why you are a failure. You’re worried about what your imaginary friend in the sky thinks. I’m worried about real things, like the opinion of the council. How you managed to become the head of our Order is something I will never understand.”

“Has it really come to that? Are you now so blind that you only care about winning friends, influencing people, and amassing power? Have you become so hardened that you no longer care that your actions are leading to the deaths of millions of people?” Monroe sighed. “Then perhaps the Rangers are right. Perhaps Adrasta does deserve to die. If that is who we are then perhaps we don’t deserve to be saved. Maybe our genetic problem is simply God’s way of ensuring that Evan’s terrible dream of galactic tyranny is never realized.”

“I see nothing particularly terrible about it,” Elwood replied. “After all, it’s only natural for the strong to crush the weak and take their place. That is the way of nature – the fittest survive. I think Adrasta has finally come to its senses. For thousands of years this city spent valuable resources trying to help those idiotic savages. We gave them food and shelter, we tried to treat their diseases, and we offered what protection we could. That was madness! Now, thankfully, wiser heads have prevailed and we have abandoned all that. We will take what is ours and we will ride to triumph and glory! It is time for the weak to give way to the strong.”

“If that is the case then we are doomed,” Monroe replied. “You think that we’re the strongest power in the galaxy, but you’re wrong. Have you no eyes? Do you not see what has been happening in the heavens? Some power far greater than us has put the stars back in the sky and terraformed Mars in a matter of months. What are you going to do when that civilization comes to Adrasta? Do you think that Evan’s neutron weapon can protect us against a race that can imprison entire star systems?”

Elwood laughed. “Peddling conspiracy theories is the last refuge of a moron. The stars reappeared three years ago, and the terraformation of Mars happened three years ago as well. Since that time we haven’t had any interstellar visitors. You are seeing things that are not there.”

“Is that so? Then tell me something. Did you not see the young girl with dark skin who sat in the opposition section last night?”

“Yes, I saw her. I assumed she was one of your lackeys. You have always surrounded yourself with weak minds. What of it?”

Monroe shook his head. “Are you blind? Did you not see her? She’s clearly not from Adrasta. Her skin color – the bones in her face – they prove beyond doubt that she is from an entirely different genetic background. No one else in the city looks anything like her. Didn’t you notice how much she stood out?”

“Come now! You cannot expect me to believe that she is from the stars. Do you seriously think that when the Rangers return they will do so in the form of a helpless little girl? That’s madness! Why would they do such a thing?”

“Perhaps they are testing us. Perhaps they went to Mars first and found it worthy of saving. Now their gaze has fallen upon Earth, and they have sent one of their own to learn about us and see who we are. This may be our time of judgment. If we do not change our ways, she may be the harbinger of our doom.”

“You are out of your mind,” Elwood said. “I have tired of this conversation. Leave me. If you have any more insanity to spout, go spout it somewhere else.”

Monroe shook his head. “I fear for you, my friend. I really do. I fear for us all.”

He sighed, gathered up his books, and left the room.