Sage Elvan led Jal through the halls to its office. “Wow!” Jal said as it stood in the middle of the room. A green, intricately embroidered tapestry hung from one wall. “This is incredible!” Jal knew the tapestry was made of millions of tiny stitches. It looked around. Two walls had shelves built in around large windows. The fourth was a floor to ceiling set of shelves. Some were filled with books, and others held small artifacts and trinkets from the various cultures the sage had worked with. A desk with several computer screens occupied one corner, and a table that seated six filled half of the room.
“You can work on schoolwork over here,” Sage Elvan led Jal to a small desk that was in one corner. “I have a few rules, simply for the sake of courtesy. Please do not talk to me when I’m with someone, unless you are addressed. If you are listening to lectures or music, please use a headphone. If you finish your work for the day, feel free to listen to our conversations and meetings. If I’m out of the office for a bit, and someone asks you a question that you can answer, such as where I am, whether I’m available, or when I might return a call, please do so. If someone asks a question that you cannot answer, such as a specific mediation that I’m involved in, suggest that the person speak to me and offer to write down a message.” The Sage showed Jal how to write down a message. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Here is the intercom system.” The sage showed Jal how it worked.
“This is technology,” Jal said.
“It is.”
“Haerm and Geldou Bron said that people don’t need technology. But you use it?”
“I do. All the time. I need it to do my job.”
“They said that people who use technology think they are better than other people.”
“That’s not true,” Sage Elvan said in a low voice.
“Why do only the school and community center in Pencadick Rill have this kind of technology, but families don’t?”
“Are you sure that families don’t? Have you been in other people’s homes?” Jal shook its head. “Maybe it's not true, but you were simply led to believe it?”
“I guess so.”
“You have your electronic pad. That's technology," it pointed out. "You work on schoolwork. I’ve got things to do here.” Jal turned on its tablet, plugged in an earphone and began to work through its lessons. After sitting for a few hours, Jal became restless. It was moving its legs back and forth and stretching repeatedly. “May I go outside?”
“Are both of your communicators turned on?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a small garden behind the building that you might enjoy.”
Jal’s eyes brightened. “I can work in it?”
“How about if you walk through it for today? We can talk with the Director later and find out who maintains it.”
Jal went out the door, down the elevator and outside. When it circled around to the back of the building, there didn’t seem to be a garden. The building was huge and had streets on all four of its sides. Disappointed, Jal walked back inside. “Maybe it’s a magic garden?” Jal wandered the hallways, looking for a door to the garden. Jal peered through the glass of various doors and shook its head. It was standing by one when someone came through it and nearly bopped Jal in the face with the door.
“Pardon me, I didn’t realize you were there.”
“Oh, that’s all right.”
“Are you looking for someone?”
“No, I just thought I might go out to the garden.”
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
“I believe that is two doors down on the right.”
“I didn’t realize the building was so large,” Jal confessed.
“It takes up nearly the entire block. It encircles the garden. I hope you enjoy it.” He hurried off.
Jal pushed the door that the passerby had pointed to. It opened into a large, plant-covered area. Jal stood outside the door, unsure of where to walk, then realized that many plants had spread over the edges of the flower beds onto the walks. It stepped carefully between the flowering plants and looked for tags that indicated what they were. After some searching, it began to see the worn metal signs that were close to the ground. Many were covered with dirt. Jal scratched it away in order to read them. In one place vines grew crazily in all directions and seemed to swallow the bushes whole.
Jal reluctantly returned to Sage Elvan’s office. The sage was in the middle of a conversation on the computer when it returned to its desk. After two hours, Jal got up again. “Are you finished for the day?” Sage Elvan leaned forward on its elbows.
“Yes. I want to do some research on other things, but I can do them later.”
“Tell me what things you’re talking about.”
“I want to know who the people are who work here.”
“Why?”
“Because you know them and talk to them every day.”
“What else do you want to know?”
“I want to know who Giel Moti is.”
“The lady at the restaurant said you looked like this person.”
“Yes. The question is why? Is there a directory I can search for it?”
“There is.”
“Would you send the link to my tablet?”
The sage asked for Jal’s electronic mail address, pressed some keys on its computer, and hit send. A moment later, it sent an electronic directory of the other employees at the World Peace Foundation. “Tell me, are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“I have one more thing to take care of here, then we’ll have a meal.”
Jal scrolled through the list of employees at the World Peace Foundation and found Sage Jan Elvan. It was the Protectorate Diplomatic Negotiator to Shifos. It scrolled further and clicked. “Victor Ben Nacri, Protectorate Diplomatic Negotiator to Zaletori and Nacturis.” Jal opened a new window, showing the various groups of humans on the planet. It searched through the pictures and illustrations. Surprised, it continued to widen the search to identify Nacri. “I see,” Jal said aloud, “You are a Termian Cyrian.”
“You’re right.” Victor stood behind Jal. “You shouldn’t let people sneak up behind you, Jal. Here, let’s move the desk, so you can see the door and your master.”
“My master?”
“You are an apprentice to Sage Elvan. It is a Master Negotiator.” Nacri turned the desk and set the chair behind it.
Jal wasn’t sure what to say. It guessed that if Nacri called Sage Elvan a master, that also made Victor a master. “Thank you. Is there something I can help you with, Master Nacri?”
“I came to see if Jan was ready for an evening meal.”
“It said it had one task to complete, then left.”
“We can talk while we wait. Tell me, why were you searching for my background?”
“To learn about you. What does a negotiator do?"
“We try to smooth things out between various peoples. Sometimes we teach ways to deal with conflicts.”
“Sometimes you let people work things out themselves?” Jal guessed.
“Once we are involved, many conflicts are past the point of being resolved without help.”
“You learned of this diplomatic craft as a child?”
“Yes.”
“Are most of the people who work here Stafriez?”
“You have the directory and have been looking at it.”
“I found a list and clicked on your name. I haven’t looked at anyone else’s.”
“People who work here are from everywhere. Many are from off-world. Are you interested in diplomacy?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you living with Sage Elvan?” Jal repeated what the sage had said at lunch. “Tell me more.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
“Tell me what school was like before you came here. Were you with other Stafriez children?”
“I don’t think there are any other Stafriez children on Iragos.”
“How did you get there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe your parent was from somewhere else and moved there?”
“I don’t think so,” Jal’s voice was filled with doubt. “I would like to hear how you came from Termia to Zuphreon.”
“Well-played, my young friend. Changing the subject is usually a good maneuver.”
"It is?” Jal looked at Nacri puzzled. “I didn’t do it intentionally. I’m certain that your background is much more interesting than mine!”
“You intrigue me,” Nacri said to Jal. “You don’t know who your biological parent is. You couldn’t have come from nowhere to here. Surely you know where you were conceived. You have the memories.” Jal shook its head. “You will wake them when you begin meditation with your master.”
Jal brightened at this. “I’ve never done meditation. What do you do?”
“How old are you?”
“Five.”
“You’re five and you’ve never seen anyone meditate? Meditation is a way to quiet the chatter in our minds. It increases our awareness and focuses our attention.”
“Quiet the chatter in our minds? I really need to learn this,” Jal told Victor. “My brain goes on and on. My mouth might be quiet, but my brain usually isn’t.”
Nacri laughed, “You and I and the rest of the world are the same way. Surely, the household you grew up in took time for meditation each morning.”
Jal emitted a low twitter of laughter. “You know how you turn a key in a hovercraft?” Nacri nodded. “That is what it was like. One person got up, then not long after that the second. It wasn’t long before everyone was running around at top speed getting ready for their day.”
“Everyone?”
“Yes.” Jal nodded emphatically.