Stryker #5, At the End of Eternity – Chapter 13

“One of the biggest changes I’ve seen since moving to Tikal – aside from the huge difference it makes to live on a planet’s surface instead of under it – is the matter of diet. I have gained at least thirty pounds in the past three years and show no signs of stopping. In the old days one ate protein paste, and that was all. The food dispensers in Tikal, however, offer a variety of amazing delights – chicken, bacon, donuts, lobster, pies, bread, juices, and more. I now understand why Amy so detested our cafeteria food. If this is the sort of fare she was accustomed to then I don’t blame her at all! I would find it extremely difficult to go back to living on the unappetizing glop we used to eat.”
–Noel Lawson
July 8, 7243
 

Monroe Araiza had returned to the balcony that was outside his office in the chambers of his Order. This morning Elwood was nowhere to be seen. His friend Doyle was with him, however. As the sun rose over the horizon the men looked down over the newly-built road.

“General Maldonado made short work of it,” Doyle commented. “I’m amazed he was able to clear all that rubble away so quickly! It must have taken a serious effort.”

Monroe shrugged. “I think it was to be expected. He told the council that he would complete the road by the 8th, and he did so. Given his intense desire to complete the neutron bomb project I can’t say I’m too surprised. You also have to keep in mind that he commands a significant portion of the city’s resources. The council has invested heavily in him. What disturbs me is that he did not obey the council. He flagrantly disregarded their very specific instructions.”

“What do you mean? The road has been rebuilt – I can see it from here. What did he do?”

“Yes, the road is fine. He did obey that part. But remember, the council ordered him to stop working on the bomb project until he finished the road. He did not obey that part. I found out today that the first shipment of lithium arrived last night, and the rest of the shipment is expected to arrive this afternoon.”

“But how is that possible? I thought he tapped out the mine he was using earlier! It would have taken him weeks to establish a new mine, obtain the lithium, and truck it here. He would have had to start the replacement process on the same day that the accident happened – perhaps even before he gave the report to the council!”

“Exactly! He did not stop his efforts at all; in fact, he must have redoubled them. When I heard what had happened I immediately went to speak with Forbes, but he dismissed me. Since the road was rebuilt on time and Adrasta can now replenish its oil supply he doesn’t really care. The general’s disobedience is not important to him.”

“You already talked to him?” Doyle asked, surprised. “But the sun rose while we were standing here! Did you get him out of bed?”

“I didn’t have to. When I heard about the shipment arriving I went to see it for myself. I just couldn’t believe that the news was true, but I was wrong. Down in the truck depot I saw the three lithium tankers myself, with my own eyes. General Maldonado was also there, talking with Forbes. I don’t know if they had risen exceptionally early or if they had been up the entire night. But both of them were there.”

“So he had the blessing of the council, then,” Doyle said. “They must have known what he was doing.”

“I don’t know. It’s possible that Forbes had no idea that the tankers were coming until after they arrived. He might have hurried to the depot as soon as he found out. I don’t know what was said, but the general must have gave him an answer that satisfied him because the councilman was not willing to censure Maldonado. Forbes told me that the general had repaired the road, as instructed, and he was satisfied with that. The neutron bomb project still had the blessing of the council and was going to continue as planned.”

Doyle glanced down at the road. Now that the sun had risen he could see it better. The road was wider than it had been before and all of the debris was gone. He had to give the general credit – he had done a good job rebuilding it. He knew how to do quality work and how to get large projects completed in a short amount of time.

“Wait a minute,” Doyle said. “Did you say that the lithium had already arrived?”

“Yes, I did. What about it?”

“Well, what about the Rangers? I thought they were trying to stop the project! Yet the road looks intact, and you tell me that three replacement shipments have already arrived safely. Doesn’t that concern you?”

“Not particularly. After all, if the cliff had collapsed a second time I’m sure even the council would be thinking it was sabotage. A thing like that can only be done once without making it plain that it was not an accident. I suspect that the next problem the general will have will be just as decisive but will come from a different source.”

“Are you sure about that?” Doyle asked. “Have you seen Amy recently?”

“No, I haven’t. The last time I saw her was when the cliff collapsed.”

“Then how do you know they’re still interested in us? Perhaps they’ve been distracted by other concerns. It’s hard to believe that a civilization that spans the galaxy – as the Rangers must by now – can possibly be that concerned about a single city on a single planet. They must have many other, more pressing matters.”

“Perhaps,” Monroe said. “But I think it’s premature to assume that they have abandoned us to our fate. Give them time. Let’s see what the rest of the day brings.”

Doyle nodded. “Don’t get me wrong – I think there is still hope. There are many things that could still happen that might stop the general. I just do not have as much faith in the Rangers as you do. At any rate, I hate to leave you but I’m afraid I have work to do. My students will be upset with me if I’m late to class.”

Monroe smiled. “I’m sure you are right. You know, I’m surprised that you haven’t retired yet – you’ve been teaching for more than twenty years now. Don’t you find it difficult to continue to teach at the University when you face such constant opposition? Our views are hardly popular.”

“Our views haven’t been popular since the days of the Founders. I suspect that they were not even popular them, or else the Emperor would not have attacked the Rangers. Teaching is a difficult job, but someone has to tell those young minds the truth. They think that they know everything but the reality is that a lot of what they were taught before they came to the University was nothing but lies. Their heads are full of misconceptions, half-truths, and pure falsehoods. If I don’t set them straight then who will? If those who know better abandon the fight because it’s hard then Adrasta really is doomed. We must wage this battle, and we must continue to wage it as long as we are able. I assure you that if we abandon it no one will take our place.”

Monroe sighed. “Then what are we going to do in the future? My life is coming to its end, and one day yours will as well. You and I will not always be here and new people have not arisen to take our place. The future is looking bleak, friend. If we have a future at all.”

“Oh, I think it’s a little early to be that depressed. I have some students who might make fine leaders once they become a bit more mature. There is always hope. If there was truly no hope then the Lord would have ended our race ages ago and we wouldn’t even be here. After all, all of the other cities have been abandoned, one by one, and yet ours is still standing. The day may come when the Lord decides that He has had enough and destroys this place. But that day has not come yet.”

Monroe nodded. “Perhaps. I suppose I’d better be going as well. I need to go talk to the general.”

“Why? Doyle asked. “Has he asked to speak with you?”

Monroe shook his head. “Oh no! Definitely not. I’m quite sure that he does not want to see me. But he must be made to see reason. General Maldonado is the driving force behind this entire project. If I can persuade him to drop it then a great many lives would be saved.”

“Do you honestly think that he will listen to you?”

Monroe shook his head. “No, I don’t. But I have to try. I’ve opposed him in public meetings and I have argued against him in front of the council, but I have never talked to him in person, one-on-one. It may be a waste of time, but it is the only option open to me right now.”

“Very well. I hope you succeed, my friend. Let me know how it goes.”

“I will. And good luck teaching – may your students actually listen to what you have to tell them.”

The two men shook hands and then went their separate ways.

* * * * *

Monroe left the chambers of the Order of Scribes and made his way to the industrial section of Adrasta. Once there he walked down a series of narrow passages until he reached the truck depot. The lithium tankers were still there, although they had been unloaded hours earlier. The general, however, was not present. Monroe asked around and discovered that he had left earlier that morning and gone to the city’s airfield.

The scribe left the depot and climbed up long flights of stairs until he reached the surface. Most of Adrasta was located underground, but at the highest point of the stone fortress was a door that led to the peak of the mountain. There, at the summit, was an ancient runway. The Founders had created it thousands of years ago when the city was first established, and it had been maintained ever since. Large hangars were carved into the side of the mountain and held the city’s last remaining planes. At one time the hangers had housed more than a hundred aircraft, but today there were only a dozen left. Centuries ago airplanes had been used to visit other colonies, but as they collapsed and went dark there had been less of a need for air transportation. Now robotic trucks were used to reach the remote, automated mines that Adrasta depended upon for supplies. These days it was a rare thing for an aircraft to take to the skies. There was simply no need.

That was why Monroe was so surprised when he arrived at the airport and saw that it was bustling with activity. There were only three planes left in the hangar and they were being warmed up for flights. Three more planes were lined up on the runway, preparing for departure. The city’s other six planes were nowhere to be seen.

“Excuse me,” Monroe called out to a mechanic who was lounging against a wall. “What’s going on here?”

“Oh, the general is all upset,” he replied. “He’s just fit to be tied! The aerial surveys that his men have been doing are all messed up, and now he’s having to do them again. He is not a happy man.”

“Aerial surveys?” Monroe asked. “What surveys?”

“Oh, you know, of the tribes. The newest map that the Order had of the tribe locations was a hundred years old. The tribes move around quite a bit, so he needed to get a new worldwide survey done to see where they all were. His men have spent weeks doing high-altitude surveys and using fancy cameras to pinpoint the tribes. Only today he looked at the data and saw that it was all garbage. Something went wrong with the recorders, or something. Whatever it was he’s awfully mad about it.”

“I don’t understand,” Monroe said. “The council didn’t approve this use of aircraft! Why, the fuel costs alone must be staggering. Gasoline is quite hard to come by and the city doesn’t stock very much of it. In fact, since the road collapsed we haven’t been able to get any new shipments in.”

“Oh, I know. That’s why he’s in such a tizzy! He used up most of Adrasta’s supply earlier, and now that he has to do it all over again he’s in trouble because there isn’t enough left. He’s got men working around the clock to obtain more, but of course that’s going to take time.”

Behind him an angry voice called out. “There you are! You’re behind this, aren’t you? This is all your fault!”

Monroe turned around and saw Evan Maldonado hurrying toward him. The general was quite angry and was shouting at the scribe in rage. “You deliberately destroyed my mapping data, didn’t you? How dare you interfere here!”

“How could I have possibly destroyed your recordings? I didn’t even know that you were doing aerial surveys until this morning – and I suspect the council doesn’t know either. What are you going to do when they find out that you stole the city’s oil supply and wasted it?”

“That was your fault!” Evan screamed. “It would have been fine if you hadn’t sabotaged me. This is all your doing!”

“And just how did I do that?” Monroe asked. “Did I somehow magically alter data recorders that I didn’t even know existed, while your planes were illegally flying out there in the sky? That’s a preposterous accusation. You know that I don’t have the ability or opportunity to alter your data, and you know that I certainly couldn’t have altered them while your planes were in flight. If the data was already bad when the planes landed then there must be a problem with either the recorders or the cameras, which reflects on your men, not on me. But if I were you I’d start worrying about what will happen when the council hears about what you’ve done. I’m quite sure you weren’t authorized to be doing any of this.”

“This is your fault!” Evan screamed. “Somebody did something to those cameras while the planes were in flight. It had to be you – it had to be! Don’t give me any of your nonsense. You can hide behind the council all you like, but they won’t always be there to protect you, you hear? One day you’re going to cross the line and they won’t be able to save you. Just mark my words!”

Evan stormed off, angry. Monroe shrugged, thanked the mechanic, and walked off.

As he was walking off the airfield he saw something out of the corner of his eye. In the back of the hangar, sitting on top of a stack of wooden crates, was a young girl with dark skin and long black hair. She looked at Miles, smiled, and then vanished.