The winter began with a sudden snowstorm. Jal was depressed when it realized it had missed opportunities to go camping and hiking. But it knew it was making steady gains in moving toward the goals of finishing school and going to Shifos.
Jal spent more time with Dr. Gyasi, studying the information that the satellite feeds were collecting, selecting pictures to be used in its report. The cameras had been adjusted each time a scan was done, and now the wildlife at the upper elevations could be seen and identified.
The two were watching one day as an unusual object came across a screen. “What is that?” Jal asked.
Dr. Gyasi adjusted the angle of the camera. “It appears to be a light source.”
“A light source? In the middle of a forested area? Is it a fire?”
“If it were, there would be a haze from the smoke.” He adjusted the camera. The screen went white. “I wonder if there’s a malfunction in the satellite.” He ran a short diagnostic on the machine. “No malfunction.” The satellite moved and the screen showed the forest. “I think we need to examine this more closely. I am adjusting the satellite and making another pass over that area.” Again, the screen went white.
“Could it be a power source of some type?” Jal wondered.
“A power source would need to be built. We haven’t seen any indication of human activity in the area. I’m changing the angle of the satellite camera.” The two watched as white slowly filled the screen. “Running a spectral analysis on the light.” A few moments later, he said, “It appears to match the spectrum of the sun.”
“The sun? Is it a reflection?”
“That seems to be a valid supposition. I’m releasing a probe from the satellite.” It took some time before pictures filled another screen. Nearly an hour later, the reflections decreased and the pictures showed blurred images. “The lenses of the camera must be dirty,” Jal sighed. “That’s too bad.”
“The lenses of the probe are not dirty.” Dr. Gyasi declared. “Those are reflections.”
“Reflections bounce off something. What could it be? The only thing that’s at this height is…” Jal had to think for a minute. “A Protector’s Enclave. Is that possible? Is it possible there’s an enclave in this location? Can we look at a world map of where the enclaves are located?” Dr. Gyasi told Jal where the computer file was.
Jal studied the locations of the Enclaves sprinkled around the world. “I see a pattern.”
Dr. Gyasi leaned over. “Show me the pattern you see.”
“It’s diagonal.” Jal pointed. “Based on that hypothesis, there should be an enclave in this area.”
“Which is where we are looking,” the doctor completed Jal’s sentence.
“There should be one down here in the southern hemisphere, too,” Jal guessed. “If this is right, will we search for another one?”
“Let’s see how this goes.”
Using the probe and the satellite, the two set out to gather evidence that would prove or disprove the theory. As the probe went lower, the reflections changed color, and Dr. Gyasi changed the angle of the lenses. The two looked at one another as clear images of a building similar to the one they were in appeared.
“I didn’t know that another Enclave existed,” the doctor said. “I’ll have to do a deep dig into the archives to find out more about it.”
“Why aren’t there people in it?”
“That is the central question.”
“Right.” Jal nodded. It glanced at its timepiece. “I should go soon. But I don’t want to. This is so interesting. Are you going to keep working on this?”
“I have other responsibilities that I should take care of.” Dr. Gyasi looked at Jal and considered the situation. He hesitated.
“What is it?”
“If we tell someone about our discovery without enough proof, I could be accused of falsifying information.”
“That would damage your reputation, wouldn’t it?
“I’m afraid so.”
“Will anyone else look at the data we’ve collected? Have they looked at it previously?”
“No. No one seems to care.”
“Well, I do! Let’s keep this information to ourselves until we have enough evidence to prove conclusively that this is an enclave. If there is, I would love to go over there to check it out!”
The following week Jal limped into the science lab for another session with Dr. Gyasi.
“What happened, Jal? Did you fall off the rope again?”
“No. My classmates and I are now fighting with real weapons during our practice times. Puta slashed my leg open. It took nineteen stitches to close it.”
“It sounds painful. It will heal quickly?”
“I hope so. I wish I could make it heal faster.” Jal suddenly realized that it could make it heal faster. “I wonder how effective a healing potion would be? I might just try one,” it thought.
The scientist moved the satellite and the probe to their last recorded location. He and Jal began the process of measuring the dimensions of the structure. That afternoon, when the two had finished, there was no doubt in either of their minds that it was in fact, a Protectors’ Enclave. In the process, they discovered a hole at the base of the dome. It appeared to be about twenty meters tall and about as wide.
“What should we do with this information?” Jal asked Dr. Gyasi.
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“I’m not sure. At this point, I believe that the protectorate officials won’t really care. We’ve functioned for a long time without this post being operational. They may not see a need to repair and use it.”
“If there were humans on the northern part of the continent, would they?”
“There are no humans there, Jal.”
“I believe there are. Until the evidence proves conclusively that there are no Stafriez communities, I will believe that there are. They speak to me during my times of meditation.”
“No one else has ever reported this phenomenon.”
“I would guess that no one wants to say anything because of the fear of being accused of having a mental illness.”
“Fear?”
“Some of the treatments seem very cruel. Cutting holes in people’s heads and taking blood from the body in an attempt to cure something in the brain doesn’t make sense to me. Locking people up so they aren’t part of society seems ridiculous, unless they are endangering themselves and others.”
“How do you know about mental illness?”
“We’ve studied it in psychology class. The technological advances in medicine seem remarkable for our planet, but the study of the brain?” Jal shook its head. “Minimal, at best.”
“Wait! What’s that?” Jal pointed to the screen that showed images from the probe.
“It appears to be a hominid. Bipedal. Arms are longer than an average human. I can’t tell if that’s fuzz or hair.”
Jal was doing the measurements. “Four meters tall. Approximately one-hundred-eighty kilos.”
“It appears to be wearing something over its chest that’s reflective.”
“Moving in a northwesterly direction.” Jal looked at Dr. Gyasi. “Should we see where it goes?”
“I’m adjusting the probe to follow it.”
They watched closely as the individual moved back and forth through the wooded area. After some time, it retraced its path. They watched as it stood still for a minute. A minute later, it was joined by four others. The group members came together, then dispersed in various directions.
“This is exciting! Have you seen these hominids previously, Doctor?”
“No. If you don’t mind, Jal, I’ll track more of their activities at this location while you’re not here. Let’s continue with the scans.”
Jal’s files of information grew greatly over the next few months as the satellites moved slowly across the continent. Jal began to write the portion of its paper on a forest biome and included many of the pictures that he and Dr. Gyasi had captured with the probes.
The scans at the lower altitude of the north section of the continent showed a variety of hoofed animals with and without antlers, bears, rabbits, and many small mammals. Dr. Gyasi took the time to show Jal how it collected soil samples and leaves from trees and bushes using a different type of probe and transporting the material to his laboratory. He demonstrated how to analyze and catalog each item.
Eventually, the satellites reached the center of the northern part of the continent. Jal spent every chance it could in Dr. Gyasi’s lab, documenting as much as it could. Jal’s shout brought the scientist from across the room one day. “Proof! There’s the proof!”
“What did you find?”
“Buildings! Look, there’s a group of buildings! I was right! It’s a small village.”
Dr. Gyasi was shocked into silence. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t seen the buildings before. They were, he admitted to Jal, “hidden by trees. Apparently I didn’t pay close enough attention.”
As the satellites moved slowly west, the villages were bigger. Towns stood at junctures of streams and rivers. By the time the upper fourth of the continent was scanned a third time, they had lost count of the villages and towns. Several large cities were located in inlets and along harbors along the west coast.
Jan sensed a great change in Jal and wondered what was happening. Jal poured its excitement into its crafts and studies. Finally, Jan addressed its concerns one evening. “Jal, you’ve been so intense about your studies and your crafting, what is going on with you? You come to the dinner table with your eyes gleaming, but you don’t say much. Tell me, why are you so enthusiastic? Something’s going on. Is it the work with Dr. Gyasi on your project?”
Jal put its tablet down. “You’re right, Jan. It is the project. It’s so exciting that I don’t know how to put it into words!”
“Try.” Slowly Jal explained what the scans of Shifos were showing. It talked about the animals, trees, and even the plants of the northern area. Jal didn’t tell Jan about the people they had seen or about the enclave. It would wait until it had enough evidence to make a case to go to Shifos.
“Have you started writing your paper, Jal?”
“I have! I have a large chunk of it done. I want to do the other part on the forest that’s nearest the equator.”
“Zarlesh Barloch tells me that you’ve become more enthusiastic about your combat training,” Jan observed. “It seems you've had a fair number of injuries that you haven’t mentioned.”
“Only a few,” Jal responded. “Nothing that a minor healing charm won’t heal.”
“I see,” Jan said dryly. “When were you going to tell me about the huge gash on your leg?”
Jal tried not to laugh. “Never.”
“Who stitched you up? Eiske?”
“Yes.”
“I wonder if you’re talking to him more than me.” Jan’s voice was strained.
Jal saw the wounded look on Jan’s face. “I’ve not been talking with Eiske. I’ve... I’m just trying to keep up with everything. What can I do to make this right?”
“Stop skipping meals.” Jal blinked in surprise. “Jal, sometimes you’re so wrapped up in your studies that you don’t come when Niki tells us that food is ready. I’m tired of eating alone.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that. I’ll do better.”
Jal studied the list on its tablet. “Would you help me with a couple things?”
“I can try.”
“You have all these books. Are there pictures of the Protectors in any of them?”
Jan sat with its chin in its hand. “I think so. Let me think for a bit about where they might be. What else can I help you with?”
“Could you please explain to me what’s happening in the contested territory on Shifos? I see the news reports, but only parts of them. Are there really terrorists there now? And what happened with the Badem family?”
“First of all, there are not terrorists. That’s just what the news reporters are calling them. There’s a faction that is continuing to hijack shipments of hercil that are headed to Patiru. Several hijackers have been caught and placed in lock-up and are awaiting trials. Others have evaded capture. Secondly, the Haybuti recently had elections. There are new leaders in place. These new people are talking about the responsibilities of being a sovereign state and how they need to take care of their population. They are considering creating a road system that links up with Zibran’s and levying taxes to pay for the roads and a policing force. Haybuti officials have requested a new round of peace talks.”
Jal leaned back in its chair, surprised at this turn of events. “Does that mean they’re all going to get along?”
“Probably not for a while. But the level of tension has decreased. Presently they’re working together to identify the ringleaders of the hijackings.” Jan inhaled. “As for the Badems.” It stopped. “Milen and Kaden Badem and their wives and children were using false identities. They were living in a part of Shifos that’s not affiliated with Haybuti or Zibran. I had the lab tests run on the samples you gave me. They were shipping hercil, as they said. They also were extracting taenrine, umbrine, and …” Sage Elvan tried to think. “I can’t think of the name of it. It’s a sedimentary rock that creates massive outbursts of energy with the capability of disturbing tectonic plates.”
“Susgar?”
“Yes, that’s it. The family refused to stop their mining processes. They were marked as people who are a danger to the planet and have been sent to Dimar, which is in the Zathanian system. The mine was closed and sealed after the equipment was removed and destroyed.”
“Marked?”
“They were given irreversible tattoos on their foreheads that indicate they are persons who are not welcome here.”
“What about the hairs we found, and the headless monsters?”
“They’re still there, as far as I know. Scientists are studying their DNA, searching for connections to other hominids on the planet.”
“And the statues? Were they moved?”
“The statues and the map in the backpack are on display in the library in Pejaru.”
“I took photos of the map. I’ll double-check their details on the detail map we’re creating of the continent when we get that far.”
“I think you’re going to be a scientist someday, Jal.”
“First I want to be an explorer.”
“Where will you go?”
“Wherever my feet take me.” Jal paused. “And then back here. Home.”