Trade Increasing, An Easy Trip…
Blackie and Julie had contracted with some of the families to take goods to Refugio. They had bolts of hemp cloth and baskets stuffed with straw to protect cups and other glass tableware. The glass master had been able to keep some of his better students as the families had rotated. As a result, there were drinking vessels and some flat pieces of window glass. The baskets were tightly packed into the forward hold to insure they arrived without breakage.
Don and Mona O’Cauley arrived with traveling baskets and a small wooden chest. “We know we’ll be there for at least a full year, so we brought a full season of clothing,” Mona said. “I have been told that much of the country is farther north than Utopia,” Julie showed them to the main cabin where she and Blackie usually stayed. Mona objected but Julie said their seniority earned it. She also explained that she wanted to stay close to Sarita since she was now obviously pregnant, and Julie could help with keeping her comfortable aboard the ship.
With the passengers aboard and all the freight loaded, the small sailing ship dropped its electric motor and backed away from the dock. Don and Mona surprised them by joining the crew when the sail was hoisted once they were out of the harbor. “We’ve helped with the coastal ships before,” Don said. “It is faster to travel this way now that so many new farms have been established along the coast.”
***
As was the custom, the small ship chose a sheltered cove for the night. The beach in the cove showed signs of previous shore visits and a basket of food was taken ashore for supper and a fire. One of the expected tasks was to replenish the firewood so several people went onto the surrounding beaches to gather driftwood. The fire circle was surrounded by crude benches made from large logs and rocks. Two marked paths showed the way to a spring for drinking water and in the opposite direction, a sanitary pit. Animal tracks in the sand reinforced a warning sign to not sleep on the island.
They built a fire and ate last meal in the warmth. Even though it was summer, the nights this far north were cool. The group relaxed and admired the sparkling sky as the planet turned. Sarita recounted the first name given to the planet by Captain Higgins and how it was changed following her death on the next planet the explorers found. The story was new to most of the people and explained why some people still referred to the planet as Sparkle. The firewood pile had been rebuilt but it was obvious the fire circle was used often.
“Is there that much trade that this spot gets used that often?” Mona asked.
“It’s not just the trade ships, Lady O’Cauley, the fishing boats from all three settlements stop at these islands.” Blackie said. Julie explained how there were large oily fish in the colder waters and that oil was important for lamps and curing leather.
“The amount of trade we have is not well known in Utopia,” Don said. “Not many of the people are aware of how much we don’t create and how badly we need it.”
“If you read Lord Kearney’s translation of the original book, you realize that the island in the book had extensive trade with its mainland,” Megal said. “We have many histories in the archive that tell of groups on Terra who tried to build a society based on More’s Utopia. There was never a successful, long lasting one, but people kept trying.”
“I doubt any of them had to deal with psy powers either,” Mona said.
“My mother said there had been some research done on what causes it at the healers training center. Have you heard anything about that?” Sarita said.
“They have been successful, but knowing what caused it really didn’t help,” Don said.
“As far as the healers can tell, it was an infection by a native virus,” Mona said. “They have examined those few people who never display any powers and the main difference was their resistance to virus infections. It seems to be genetic that their body fights off almost all viruses. The first settlers who became ill but survived the native virus are the ones whose children and grandchildren are the strong psy users. The virus changed the genetic makeup of their descendants’ brains.”
“So, we know how it happened, but would need more diagnostic equipment than we have on planet to understand what the virus has done,” Don said. “Preventing it would be like trying to prevent talents such as good coordination or music ability. It is part of your genetic make-up.”
“That explains what we call quiet brains in Port,” Julie said. “We have several families that never have any powers, but I have been told we didn’t have that bad a time when we first landed. It would be interesting to know how many of those quiet brain families have no interbreeding with settlers from the other communities.”
“That would be something to research, Julie,” Don said. “Do you mind if I suggest it to Lord Alda?” Julie agreed and said she would alert Port’s current doctor who tried to keep records of births.
***
The next day, Don and Megal found a spot on the deck out of the breeze. Don had asked Megal to explain what kind of training, if any, the males in Refugio got before their first sexual experience. Megal explained how they were warned to ignore night erections and how dangerous self-manipulation could be. He knew some of his friends ignored the warnings and had strange issues with their psy powers until they were married. Their problems were used as an example to the younger boys. Don admitted the problems were the same in Utopia, but it was rare that a boy manifested himself by masturbation.
“I think the way the instructors present it may be part of the problem in Refugio. It is presented as something mysterious and forbidden,” Megal said. “Talking about sexual matters is still uncommon. Sarita shocked me when she was so open about sex and reproduction.”
“The avoidance of nudity in Refugio and the separation of the sexes can make it more of a problem,” Don said. “That is something Mona and I will need to consider as we develop a program for First Night Guides. In Utopia, most couples are very aware of the physical act and what is expected from that part of the joining. We concentrate on the mental reaction and how to manifest without harm. We expected it would be difficult to transfer this practice, but we are willing to try.”
“My father’s ruling that eliminates forced marriages will help some,” Megal said. “If you know and care about the person you want to join with, it will be easier. I think most of the real problems are with the Council House arrangements. My brother is an example of that. His bride was just a year or two past her woman’s day and she was not what he wanted in a wife. She manifested as a strong fire worker and blew up the whole apartment.”
“And the official report said it was some servant who started the fire?”
“Yes, that was the official report, but my uncle had a senior fire worker examine the site and he said the girl manifested and caused the fire. She was from a family who produced many fire workers. My father was skeptical because Ser Smoot had spent time in Utopia so was biased. When he walked into the harem unexpectedly and found my stepmother reading to the women spinning, he was shocked.”
“I can imagine,” Don laughed. “It has been a major disruption of your society has it not?”
“Well, the truth is, most men were aware that the damage from manifestation was not that bad. The change has been hardest on the older men who had accepted it as factual. It took the news that the killing of newborns was not because of genetic abnormalities to completely overthrow the system of harems.”
“The story of the revolt of the women reached Utopia and was celebrated gleefully by our female citizens,” Don said. “What group will fight the system we use the hardest, or rather who would be our most valuable supporter?”
“For supporters, the head of the church and his wife, but especially the wife,” Megal said. “She set up a refuge for the women whose family heads refused to admit they were competent. As the weeks have gone by, some have been able to return to their homes but not all. She and her husband, Poh Juan Garza, are respected and listened to by the majority of the people. I will arrange an introduction for you.”
“Unsettled times need good friends,” Don said as they rose to help furl the sails for stopping again for the night.
***
The trip from Utopia was a pleasant sail. The winds had been steady and each of the islands where they stopped for the night had water for their barrels. Don and Megal had spent several days discussing the way that men handled manifestations in Refugio. Don realized that getting the men to change was going to the be most difficult part of their task. The women were aware of the trance and used it. While Megal’s experience was tragic, he had been raised to understand manifestation as the Refugio males practiced it.
“Don, just before we left, I had a conversation with some of the young Rangers,” Megal said. “One young man mentioned that he and his wife knew they were anamcara before they manifested. He also said you told them it was not that unusual.”
“Ah, I bet that was Grace and Ed,” Don chucked. “Her father had talked with a friend of his for years about Grace marrying his oldest son. However, she was more interested in a young man from a different family she had met at a sporting contest. They both love designing and making long bows. I have seldom coached a pair as closely matched as Gracie and Ed.”
“So, it is not that uncommon?”
“The longer we are on this planet, the more change we see among our young. Higgins is changing us, Megal. We are not the people who landed here.”
“Back to our main subject, you have talked about Refugio, and I know about Utopia, but what do they do in Port?” Mona said.
“My wife’s experience is not a good example,” Megal said. “I haven’t ever discussed it with Blackie or Julie, and we should.” He called Sarita to see if Julie was free. She often took control of the tiller. She enjoyed the feel of the water against the large paddle and had missed that when they sailed the new ship. Master O’Malley had finally been able to create a traditional ship’s steering wheel system. She surrendered the tiller to one of the crew and joined them in the shade on the deck. She called to Blackie to join them.
“The current is strong among these islands, so I’ll gladly turn the tiller over to the helmsman,” Julie said as she settled on one of the cushions. “I know you are talking about helping Refugio, I am willing to help but not sure I can.”
“We know how dual manifestations are handled or mishandled in the other settlements, but I don’t know what is done in Port,” Don said.
“Well, that’s a short tale to be honest, we worked it out after we realized what was going on. We have many families that have never developed any powers. It has only been an issue once we got more settlers from the other communities,” Julie said. “Our talk earlier about the viruses may have explained some of that. Since the psy powers came to Port with the outsiders, they had some experience and were able to teach us. The Refugio women were the most helpful, so we all know the trance, but the relaxed, compatible practice from Utopia is most common. Our couples meet and choose their own partners.”
“I heard Elder Garza tell someone exactly that,” Blackie said. “The psy powers were not common until they started getting settlers from the other two groups. He suspected that it had something to do with the kind of people that made up the ship’s crew. Few of them were like my family, dirt grubbers.”
“Blackie, that is a very insulting term even if that is what all of us are now,” Julie said. Don shook his head and smiled.
“I suspect that the vaccination programs the space travelers get has made much of the difference,” Don said. “The GC must have a way of protecting its people and the places they go from random viruses. Those would have resisted the virus or survived a light infection. They survived the first infection, and the virus modified their brains to develop the powers. As I said before, there is no way to get rid of it and I suspect Terran researchers would have a field day studying the viruses on this planet.”
“From some of the histories we have in the archive we learned that on Terra psychic power was considered impossible and anyone who claimed they could do it was labeled a charlatan,” Megal said.
“True,” Don said. “However, now that we have encountered other sentient beings in the universe, we know that it has developed among some species.”
“And some of those are very adept at using it,” Mona said. “Humbled some of the Terrans to know that humans were not the most important species in the Galaxy.”
“Were you at the Assembly when my foster father announced we are a restricted planet?” Sarita said.
“We were and knowing what we do about the founding families, we were not surprised. Our families were not members of the NeoUtopian Society. They came because they wanted to live closer to the land and be farmers,” Mona said. “My grandfather knew we were restricted but also that it was not common knowledge. There was never much discussion of contact with the GC. Everyone was just too busy trying to survive. He loved living on Higgins.”
“From the reaction at the Assembly meeting, many of the younger people were not aware of the restriction,” Megal said.
“It is something that is just not talked about because it was and is controversial,” Don said. A call came from the watch. The last island before Refugio was in sight, so the group went to get ready for the nightly anchorage. Tomorrow, they would dock in Ciudad Centro.
| ← Chapter 32 | Chapter 34 → |
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Book Two
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