Family News, Revelations…
Marta was concerned when the harem steward brought her the regular morning reports. The report from the night watch was longer than usual and filled with break-ins. Two storage buildings have been entered and precious bags of bread meal removed. It was a warning that all should conserve their precious meal. It was rotation year in Utopia. She carried the messages to her husband.
“Fran, the thefts are odd. They only take bread meal and nothing else. The wine and cloth stored in one last night were not touched.”
“Serept pointed that out last month and I asked him to start a list,” Francos said. “It shows how much has disappeared over the last month, and it is adding up fast.” His assistant Serept entered the patio with bringing a poorly dressed man.
“Ser, I think this man may have information about the break-ins.” The man accompanying him bowed and then dropped to his knees. Serept urged him to get up. Francos was always annoyed by people offering him homage like that.
“Ser Morales, I saw them take the bags out of the storehouse. They were some of the people who live in the woods by the park. I followed them to see if they had anything to eat but they loaded it on a raft and poled off up towards the hot springs.”
“Why were you looking for food?” Marta was shocked. “Have you not gone to the church plaza when food is distributed?” The man stared at her then cried out, “It is true, the high house women are not hurt. Why are our women hurt and not protected like you, Sera? Why?”
“Most of your women are not hurt just like we of the hidalgo families are not. It is a lie that must be stopped. Serept, please ask the kitchen to send up some food for this man, light food because he has not eaten recently,” Marta said. “Now, why have you avoided the food hand out in the plaza?”
“I do not want to go back to the hacienda and the priests ask for your name and tell your family where you are.”
“Why did you leave?” Francos wanted to know why so many people were coming to Ciudad Centro. He had first begun counting at the funeral for the previous head of the church and Serept had his staff watching. The numbers were growing. This was not good because the work done on the haciendas was essential if they were going to survive.
“Ser Morales, I would not obey the order of my director, so I was to be whipped but I ran away instead.”
“What kind of order would cause you to be whipped?” Marta said.
“Sera, my psy power is to cause something to die, and he wanted me to kill the wild ones that chase our animals. I can’t do it. It hurts too much.” Just recalling the killing caused the man to weep.
“It must be like the compulsives who feel what the person they are forcing feels,” Marta said to Francos. She had called for a wash basin and cloths, took the wet cloth, and wiped the weeping man’s face and offered him the basin for his hands. “That was wrong to ask that of you. Come sit here. Serept comes with some food.” She settled the man at a small table with a bowl of swamp root and some soft cheese spread on bread. “Eat slowly or it will come right back up.”
“What is your name, mi amigo?” Francos said softly.
“I am Antonio Malfe, Ser, but they call me Nio.” When he was finished, Marta arranged for the man to be housed in the men’s area so he could clean up, get new clothing, and rest. This was what should be provided by family. She assured him he would not be sent back.
Francos directed Serept to send some watchers to find out what was going on near the hot springs and swampy area. It sounded as if there was a camp there. The main source of drinking water for the city was a spring near that swamp and this might pollute it.
***
Serept’s scouting brought back alarming news. “Ser Francos, there is a camp of more than a hundred people out past the swamp. They have constructed shelters, and someone is in charge.”
“What makes you think someone is controlling it, Serept?”
“It is well organized. They have sanitary facilities set up as well as healers and what looks like a small patch of swamp root. My observer saw them holding a meeting where they were shaming someone for not cleaning up their personal area. The group seemed to accept the person leading the meeting.”
“Serept, see if Nio might be interested in joining the camp so we can understand what is happening,” Francos was intrigued. “That much initiative should not be overlooked. I want to know who is leading this. I need that kind of behavior.”
“Nio has been helping some of the staff by exterminating those bugs that get into the food storage. He says they don’t have much of a brain, so it is not painful to make them stop. Sera Marta may not want him to leave,” Serept grinned at Francos.
“Well, that is helpful, but I have a more important job for him,” Francos laughed.
***
Francos sighed as Serept added two more messages to the pile on his desk. “Any word on the settlement out by the pools?” He was concerned because his family had worked hard to protect area of hot springs and small geysers. He loved the park even though the smell of the sulfur heavy water was often strong enough to drive a visitor out.
“Top thing on the pile, Ser Francos,” Serept smiled. “Nio was correct. There is a large camp there and it is being organized. They are being careful of the waste, but it will begin to pollute the drinking water and the protected pools if we don’t do something soon.”
“Any idea who the leader is?”
“Nio was not certain, but we think it is woman. The strong psy readers are probing in hopes of finding a name. As for getting them moved, where would we find room?”
“Marta suggested we ask them to move to the air car hanger where the women gathered, but I am not sure how to get it done.”
“Perhaps, announcing a free barbacoa meal might get some of them to come. They have bread and swamp root, but no meat,” Marta said. “We could start a rumor that no one is going to be send home unless they want to be.”
“For a long time, I have wondered,” Serept said, “how did we build that building if most of our equipment was destroyed in the transport wreck?”
“My grandfather said that the GC had set it up over in Utopia to shelter folks during the offload. Some of the family heads insisted it be moved because they did not want it. When my grandfather accepted this land, and before the fuel ran out for some of the flying machines, it was taken down, flown here, and reconstructed. There was a huge fight among the main Utopian families over having anything mechanical,” Francos said. “From what Tony has told me, there are still factions who want to stop using electricity and do everything by hand.”
“Even as erratic as our power system often is, I can’t imagine not having it,” Serept said. “I think Sera Marta’s idea is a good one. Shall I contact the main kitchen to get it set up?” Francos agreed but Serept continued. “The rumors will be easy to start as soon as there is any kind of work being done there. Once we have them gathered, what do you have in mind? They have left their family haciendas, and most don’t want to return. Also, what about the ones that are just hiding in the city?”
“We need to do something about all these people. See if Ser Barra can visit with me today. I think there may be many of these people who might be useful among the merchants of the city. It will take a couple of days to get this set up, and you are right. They need something to do.”
Serept left to get the air car hanger event started and Francos began sorting through the daily stack of messages. He laughed to himself. Knowing how lazy Emiliano Pesch always was in school, he would never have succeeded as the Overlord.
***
Serept reported to Francos and Marta that the rumor of a feast of meat was drawing people to the air ship hanger. Most would ask a few questions and when told it would be ready in a few days, promise to come back. When sanitary facilities were opened up, and areas to set up tents were provided, many of the runaways who relied on the handouts at the cathedral began sleeping there. The onset of the summer rains helped since the air car hanger’s side walls kept the rain off the center of the building. There had also been progress on finding the name of the woman who organized the first camp. It seemed there was more than one and Serept’s prober kept getting confused.
Pedro Barra agreed to ask among the merchants for any who needed help. He had heard that many were having problems keeping up with the new amount of trade and not having enough people. He stopped by the Residency to coordinate with Serept on what would be done the day of the feast and bring a list of those who needed help.
“Ser Morales, I was very surprised when I began asking the other merchants if they needed more workers. The need is great,” Barra said. “Many of them also realized that if we gave these people work, some of the pilfering and stealing might stop.”
“I like to think that all of the Humanos Verdaderos are honest and would not steal, but these people are hungry, and some have children with them. I agree. We lower the need to take food if we are giving them a way to gain it.” Francos suggested that those who were most in need of workers come the day of the feast and begin recruiting what they needed. “The one thing we must ensure is no one is forced to return to a family business unless they go willingly. I am going to have a few of the truth tellers there to help with that. Also, I have asked for some security. We still have those who are not happy with the changes.”
“That is wise, Ser Morales,” Barra said. “The return to Terran customs has made a major difference for many of us. I must admit, it has been welcome but unsettling.” Barra left to organize what could only be called a hiring fair like in the history books. Francos wished his grandfather could have lived to see it. It was one of his favorite stories from the old books and one he often wished he could hold. “Family can only provide so much,” he would say. “We need some trading of workers, like a hiring fair from Spanish history.”
***
Francos reviewed the standards used by the Poh’s office voting rights at the Conclave. To be included in the voting, the family needed a minimum size and a successful hacienda or a business in town. Serept was instructed to use it when he sent notices for the general meeting.
“Marta, do you think the women would object to having this meeting at the air car shelter?”
“It’s a familiar place for us.”
“I think I am going to combine what they need said with what I want to say about these runaways. This must be a standard for all the families,” Francos called to his wife across the patio.
“It is needed, Fran,” she said. “You can write laws about it but changing the way people think takes time. The problems with the runaways and punishment will be harder than changing the role of the women. I think you need to talk with Ser Path about holding people accountable for the death of a retainer. As I have read from Terra, it should be treated just as if it was a stranger.”
“I’ve read that too, and perhaps my uncles can explain how this practice came to be acceptable. No matter how, it must end,” Francos said. “If we are to survive here, we need all the people even if we don’t agree on all things.”
***
Serept brought Francos a partial list of family names from the runaways. The stories his investigators had heard from the runaways was disturbing. The level of mistreatment was alarming. Some had reported deaths from punishment. Serept believed as the Overlord did, they had few enough humans on the planet as it was. They could not afford to lose them.
“Ser Francos, I hesitate to bring this list,” Serept knew how hard Francos had worked to control his temper. He was afraid this would not end well.
“There are some of my people on the list.” Francos said softly.
“Yes, a few, mostly men with strong psy powers.”
“From Tio Sebastian?”
“I do not have proof of that, but knowing what your great uncle is like, that is likely.”
“I have heard from other family member how he feels about the psy powers,” Francos said. He sat quietly taking deep breaths before he spoke again. Serept nodded and left. The work over the last year was paying off. Francos controlled his anger.
Should you want to read the whole story…
Book One
Book Two
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