Jal and Sage Elvan followed Lu Kan down a path to a tall single-storied building in Direga, Haybuti. He pushed the door open and called out, “Talim!” There was no response. “Talim!” Lu Kan went from room to room searching for the occupant of the house. He disappeared down a hall and returned with an elderly Stafriez.
“Talim, this is Jal Jomari."
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jal said to it. “This is my friend, Sage Jan Elvan.”
“You look like Giel,” was the first thing Talim said. “Giel did not tell me that it had a child.”
“He had a child and didn’t tell anyone,” Lu Kan said. “During the census, we were asked to provide DNA for the Stafriez registry. This child and Giel were a match.”
“How old are you child?”
“Six.”
“Giel has signed papers stating that he doesn’t want to be my parent,” Jal responded. “I had hoped that you would share information with me, despite Giel’s response to me.”
“Tell me where you grew up. Who raised you?” Jal answered Talim’s questions as briefly as possible. “You realize that you are my great-grandchild?”
“I had no idea. Lu Kan only said that you might talk with me about an artifact that he had in his possession.”
“Why is it that you’ve come now?”
Jal added. “The Stafriez on the other side of the continent of Shifos say that we need to open a pathway between the two sides of the continent.”
“You hear them when you meditate. You are the one they are speaking to. Now I understand. I hear the voices, too, Jal. There are stories that are told by the descendants of three Stafriez that were able to cross the continent. I heard them from my father, who heard them from his father, and so on. One of our male ancestors told of his experiences. A female ancestor many generations back wrote them down.”
“I would like to hear the stories, if you will tell them.”
“I will tell you the first story today. Then we will talk briefly about the others.” Lu Kan went off to make some tea and Talim invited Jal and Sage Elvan to be seated in a wide, well-lit room. Healthy, vibrant plants stood everywhere, and Jal was amazed by the wide variety.
Talim began, “The Stafriez race originated in the Shenra cluster on the planet known as Termia. They were known there as the Amochs. They have been on Zuphreon for about 600 years, about ten generations. Our ancestors came to this planet during a time of war. They fought against other Amochs who believed we should unite with the countries of that world into a single global entity. Those who stayed behind wanted to limit the number of children being born to our race. They fought to segregate those who refused sterilization so that no more could be conceived. By the time it came to a planet-wide vote by our representatives, plans were well underway to leave the planet. Those who were leaving were determined that each couple who joined had the right to make a decision regarding whether they wanted to have children or not. This group was called the ‘Stay Frees.’ Over time, the two words have become merged into one, “Stafriez.”
“When the scout ship and lead ship arrived at this planet, Zuphreon, their instruments indicated it was populated mostly in the southern hemisphere, so leaders agreed they would try to settle in the middle sections of the biggest continents. The first scout ship was sent out, with the goal of determining the best place for a central settlement. It landed near the equator on Trazene. The new residents from two spaceships unloaded supplies and went in different directions.”
“The second scout ship was sent down to determine if it were possible to establish cities on the second largest continent. In the process, a small scout ship was lost due to turbulent winds in the upper atmosphere. They believed they had found a place to land before the accident occurred. Two more very large ships of Stafriez landed. One landed at the southern tip of Shifos, the second descended on this eastern edge of Shifos. The fifth ship had set its trajectory to land a few miles further north. Due to miscalculations, the ship overshot the target. It nearly destroyed itself in the landing attempt but managed to get over the mountains. It landed on the western edge of Shifos, completely isolated from the rest of the Stafriez. The space travelers were not interested in the hot, humid conditions where they landed. Instead, they took the resources from their ship and journeyed north and east. Villages sprang up along the coast and for about one hundred kilometers into the middle of the continent.”
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“This is where the Stafriez leadership could not agree. Should they try to cross the jungle to get to the Megace Mountains? The area was unmapped. Some travelers tried to leave the outer edge of the continent, but found it thickly populated by creatures that were too big and fast for them to outrun and outgun. Many died during their efforts to cross the jungle.”
“Finally several travelers made it through. Daadyn Moti and Etac Chube were two who had survived the trek. The group here rested for a year with the people of Diregate. After Daadyn and Etac were joined, the two traveled south to Zibran in Shifos. They sought out the leaders that the residents called “The Protectors.” In front of a Protectorate Council, the Stafriez shared the story of their journey and the demise of their ship. They requested assistance to rescue the remaining population that was left behind at the edge of the jungle.”
“The Shifos Council said that they had given approval for four ships and according to their records, four ships had landed. Council members were not willing to act upon the request that a search be made for the remaining survivors. They were certain that no one would survive even a few weeks on the west side of the continent.”
“According to the stories, the technology from the fifth ship is critical to the continuation of the Stafriez population. When the planet was initially identified as a projected home, it was noted that there is a steady leak of a gas into the atmosphere. This gas was identified as an impediment to healthy Stafriez reproduction. The leaders had seen this on other planets and had developed the technology to identify where the leaks were and filter the particles from the air. They placed documents to this machinery on the final ship to ensure that these filters would be built easily, before the Stafriez birthrate began to drop. The travelers carried a packet of papers in a waterproof packet. It was a copy of the instructions for the filters. There are supposedly others in electronic and hard copy files on the ship on Shifos. The Stafriez writing has changed over time. Like my ancestors, I was unable to decipher the document.”
“I grew up in here in Diregate. When I buried my parents, I had just turned six. When I was eight, I finished at the top of my class. I wanted to be a scientist. Each of my ancestors had gone to Zibran, to make the case to the Protectorate officials that an expedition be made to the west side of Shifos. So I went to Zibran. I told a guard at the Protectorate Enclave that I would like to have a conversation with someone regarding attendance at a university. I thought that perhaps if I could attain a university degree, I could go to the Protectorate, and they would take these accounts seriously. The official failed to meet me for the appointment. I returned three days in a row and this person refused to see me. I refused to leave and was put in a security alcove. I was treated badly. Eventually, a mediator stepped up and helped me resettle in Kop. I went to university there.”
Lu Kan spoke. “I heard my grandfather talk about the generations before who had landed on Shifos on the other side of the mountains. There is a wide savannah on the west side of the mountains. On the west side of a river, the terrain changes and turns into a jungle. We have heard stories of the animals and the route that was taken.”
““I wish I knew what to do to make the people of the Protectorate listen,” Talim said sadly. “Maybe someone else could convince them. My father tried, I tried, and Lu Kan has tried. What will you do differently that will get their attention?”
“Giel believed that Jal’s birth would get their attention. Jal’s birth mother didn’t do what Giel had expected she would do,” Lu Kan told Talim. “How do you think things will be different for you, Jal?”
“I don’t know,” Jal said slowly. “I wonder if the technology that has been developed could serve some purpose. We can put people into outer space, have communications worldwide, and transport between continents. I should think we could use technology to our advantage. I have a contact within the Protectorate that I can speak with. If we could translate that artifact, it would certainly help. I wish there were other documents that we could study. There must be a way to translate it.”
“Hm.” Talin looked at Lu Kan. “There are some other very old papers downstairs. Perhaps there is something in them that would help?”
“I thought that the one I had was the oldest,” Lu Kan responded.
“It is. But the remaining ones might show the development of the written language. You know the Stafriez language on Shifos is different from the Stafriez language used on Trazene.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” Lu Kan shook his head. “But I’m not interested in trying to figure out what that artifact says. I have enough to do, grading papers and lecturing. Giel’s not interested. That leaves the situation squarely on Jal’s shoulders.”
Several hours later, Jal and Sage Elvan left the Moti home. Jal was carrying a box of old papers and a journal. Lu Kan had agreed to search through the things he had in storage. Jal’s great-grandfather had set a date to meet again with Jal, to tell the stories that his father had told him.
“What do you think about all that, Jal?” Sage Elvan said as they went down the path away from the building, so they could transport.
“I think it’s possible that we might make some progress. I’ll look over these papers, and study them for a few weeks. If I don’t make any progress, I’ll talk to Lonc Vallino. He’s the anthropologist who first looked at that artifact. He told me a long time ago that some linguists had looked at it. Maybe they’ll try again.”
“Your great-grandfather is a very interesting person.”
“I agree. I’m looking forward to being with him again.”