“We better take you back to your ship.” Joannas says turning to you. “Can you ride?”
You shake your head. “I’ve never had to.”
She looks to Deliliah, “I need you to monitor the Comms center, and on your way up, if you see Susanna or Maria, have them come down to the corral. We’ll saddle up the cevaloj.”
Shaded by a group of trees is a large wooden shed. Inside are racks of saddles, halters, and ropes. Joannas has you take a saddle, a halter, and something called a ‘lead rope’. Then she leads you to an area under a rock overhang next to the slow-moving river, where you see a number of cevaloj walking, eating herbo, and drinking.
“Stay here. Hand me your halter.” She says as she sets down two saddles and ropes.
You give it to her, then set your saddle down. She slowly walks to the small herd. You watch as she softly speaks to the animals, placing a halter over the head of one, then another, and a third. Grabbing the halters of each, she gets them walking towards you.
She shows you how to saddle one and then connects the lead. Susanna arrives with a saddlebag over her shoulder. Joannas explains that the three of you need to ride to Ciono.
The ladies help you on the saddle and make sure you are balanced. “Hold onto the reins, but don’t pull them unless we tell you to.” Susanna ties the end of the lead rope on her saddle horn. “Helm, I’ll lead. You just keep balanced and relax. We won’t go too fast.”
Joannas stops at her place, and grabs a minividi. “Najran Communication Center, I’m bringing my minividi to keep in contact. If you lose the link, be ready to send others to retrieve us.”
You look at Susanna, “Do you really expect trouble?”
She pats the saddlebags. “We have protection if we need.”
You slowly shake your head. You are trained to use weapons, but on the Libereco, you hadn’t needed to use them. Skipper picks good clients and isn’t afraid to call in Maristos if we need. You haven’t really fired a projectile thrower or a firearm in jaros.
The three of you leave the shade of the mountain and trees. You see rolling herboj-covered hills. The land is dotted with wooly safoj. Looking carefully you see a person here and there, minding them. From atmos, it would just look like a random gathering of animals. No real roads or fences, just hills and herbo.
“I see the safoj, but where are the bovinoj?” You ask.
Without turning her head, Joannas answers, “We rotate which animals go where. The bovinoj are on the other side of the colony. If we keep them too bunched up, then they tear up the land and eat everything down to the root.”
Your only experience with livestock is what you have transported, and then only in pens, so you don’t really see them moving around. You nod at her explanation.
You continue looking at the landscape. There are a few landmarks; outcroppings of rocks, trees on hills, the edge of the river dipping where you enter it. You try to make a mental map of it. The only thing you remember from the wagon ride is moving down a road, along the river, then onto hard ground. The cevaloj walk calmly as if this is routine for them. Soon, you leave the river and get on a dirt road. There are visible cart tracks and hoof prints. Joannas takes her minividi, “Najran Communication Center, we have left the river and entered Ciono territory.”
You hear the response, “Loud and clear. Link if there’s trouble.”
But before Joannas can respond, the minividi goes dead. “What in the Creator’s name is going on?” she says, the first time you have heard her using a frustrated and angry tone.
“I wasn’t sure back at Najran, but I suspect that Ciono has an EMP generator or a power siphon.” You comment.
Both ladies look at you, confused. You take a few minutes explaining in general how an electromagnetic pulse generator will block all Tech from working by sending repeated bursts that prevent electronic devices from working, including everything on the Libereco. Or they could be using some sort of power dampener, either way, it’s a guess on your part, but it would explain why they couldn’t link to anything in Ciono.
Susanna gives an exasperated sound. “And of course those following Patro’s teachings don’t be using Tech because ‘they weren’t made by the Creator’.” She pulls the pistol from her saddlebag. “Will this be affected?”
You glance at it. It’s an old-style firearm using chemical propellant. You shake your head, “It’ll work just fine. If you had a projectile thrower, it might have zapped the circuits, but firearms are immune to EMP or power siphons.”
Joannas puts the minividi in her pocket and continues down the road. Susanna puts her pistol back, and follows, pulling you along.
You ask Susanna, “Don’t the Sleepers in general have a prohibition against Tech?”
She shakes her head. “No, that’s just how some have tried to hold on to ‘traditional values’. There’s nothing in the Book against machines, or Tech. It’s all about how we treat each other, and sharing what we have with those who need.”
“Sort of like the vespermango the other evening. Everything was there for those who wanted. Take what you want, but leave enough for others?” You ask
She turns her head to you and smiles. “Yep, that’s the way of the Book, and we Sleepers do what we can to follow it. Are you different on the Libereco?”
You shake your head as you think about it. “No, we pretty much share things evenly. Skipper makes sure of that.”
“Sounds like you have a good understanding of Faith even if you don’t practice it.”
You want to respond, but she holds up her hand just like Joannas, and they stop. You pull on the reins too and stop.
A farmer comes walking up carrying only a walking stick. “Joannas, is that you?”
She nods, “Yes, Ishmael, it’s me. It’s been a couple Jaros since I last saw you.”
He grips his stick, thumps it against the ground, and leans on it. “You was cast out. You ain’t supposed to be livin’.”
“But I am, thanks be the Creator. Can we continue on to the Temple? I have a man from the Ship. I think they are looking for him.”
“They is.” He says “But the ‘Shunned’ ain’t allowed back.” He takes off his hat and scratches his thick hair.
“We aren’t coming back, we are simply escorting him back to his ship. You can escort us, to make sure we don’t do any harm, can’t you.” She says in a calm, almost relaxed tone.
He puts his hat back on, grabs his stick, and says “Get off your beasts an’ walk. I’ll lead ya.” He walks closer to her and says “I never could tell ya ‘No’.”
As you walk, you realize how sore your thighs are. Your muscles and crotch feel tender. Susanna tries not to laugh. “You’ll be okay. I forget that you hadn’t ridden before.”
You try to smile, “Nope, not like that. It sort of reminded me of how my wife rides me.”
Susanna chuckles, “Oh, she rides you ‘cowgirl’?”
“I hadn’t heard it called that. We call it ‘cycle style’ like when you’re straddling a land cycle.”
“Maybe she’d enjoy riding a cevalo.” She says with a wink.
The road continues past farms and ranchs. You see fences separating various plots. Some raise animals, and others grow crops, some do a little of both. It is all similar to many of the freeholder communities you’ve seen, only a lot less Tech.
Coming over a hill, you see the Temple and a series of buildings around it. The Libereco is still on the same landing field.
“Ishmael, who are these strangers?” someone calls out.
“I found the missing, and two o’ the Shunned. They was on my land.”
Groups of people come out of the buildings. “Where are you taking them?”
“We wish to see Patro Dionis.” Joannas says loudly. “We are going to the Temple.”
There is a gasp from the crowd as she starts boldly striding towards the Temple. You follow, along with the newly forming crowd.
As you get closer, the doors of the Temple open and out walks Patro Dionis, Kurgio and Cookie.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Patro asks in a booming voice.
“We are returning a lost safo.” Joannas answers loudly.
“How dare you, speak as such. You were cast out. You have no voice and no place here.”
You notice that the crowd is moving closer and there are harsh murmurs.
Stepping to the front, you loudly proclaim, “They have returned me as they said they would. I have been treated fairly and honestly, as it says in your Scriptures.”
“But you’re not of the Faith. You haven’t read the Book. You only know what these women tell you.” Patro says in response.
“What you say is true. But it is also true I haven’t been harmed, and I’ve been returned. Let them leave as they came.” You turn to Joannas and Susanna. “Thank you. I wish I could have helped more. Tell Dani, I hope she gets what she wants. Maybe someday her prayers will be answered.”
Joannas hugs you tightly, as does Susanna. “May the blessings of the Creator be with you Matthew.”
“Yes, Creator be with you Helm.”
The crowd starts to close in, but Patro Dionis yells, “Stop. The outsider is right. The Shunned didn’t come here for help or to cause trouble.” He then looks at them, “Take your cevaloj and be on your way. No one will speak or help you, nor will they hinder you. Creator be with you. Leave.”
A voice from the crowd yells, “Patro Dionis, Ishmael talked and walked with them. Did he do right?”
Low murmuring moves through the crowd. Kurgio and Cookie move next to you. They quietly whisper, “Are you okay?”
You nod as you watch Susanna and Joannas leaving, as Ishmael is pushed through the crowd to face Patro. “Ishmael, is what was said true? You spoke to the Shunned?”
You interrupt loudly, “He only asked who we were and where we were going. There was no discussion along the road, between him and the ladies.” You move closer to Patro, but still continue speaking loudly so the crowd hears. “He provided escort and watched so that we only did what we said, returning me to my ship. They said Temple was the center of Ciono and that’s where I needed to be returned.”
There is a lot of heads nodding and commenting, until Patro Dionis raises his hands. “I shall take Ishmael into the Temple for prayer and meditation. Return to your duties. The outsiders will now leave.”
You quickly ask, “Patro Dionis, You’ll turn off the dampener so our ship will have power, and we can leave?”
Kurgio and Cookie move in front of you. Kurgio interjects “Patro, my friend means, that you and the rest of the Pelj Aguloj will pray in the Temple and power will be restored, so we may be on our way. As we had agreed earlier.”
“Of course Doktoro. While we are in the Temple, you should take your young friend and examine him to ensure he is healthy. Creator be with you.” And with that, the group of elderly men in broad-brimmed hats move almost as one heading, to the Temple, bringing Ishmael with them.
Cookie whispers, “We’ll talk inside. Let’s go.” As she leads you to the ship.
Once inside, Cookie uses the manual hydraulic pump to raise the ramp, and close the doors. “That’s my workout for the day.” She says as she rubs her shoulder. The cargo hold is lit by lanterns.
“Hopefully, they turn that damn thing off. I have tried everything from backup generators to storage batteries, but soon as I connect ’em, they’re dead. We can’t get enough power to fire up the engines.” Meko says, as he closes a maintenance panel.
“Where’s Navs?” you ask.
Meko answers, “She is trying one of the escape pods to see if she can use the shielded emergency power to do something.”
But before you can go, Kurgio grabs your hand, holding a lantern in the other one, “Let’s go to Med Bay. I want to check your vitals.”
“Why. I wasn’t drugged. They kidnapped me at pistol-point, and after I helped out, they released me.”
“Tell me all about it, while Doc checks you out,” Skipper calls from the catwalk, heading towards Med Bay.
Kurgio uses the oldest medical equipment you have ever seen. A stethoscope, pneumatic blood-pressure cuff, and a glass thermometer. “Why do you have these?” you ask as you pull off your shirt and he checks you.
“It is all part of an emergency survival kit. Designed for use when there isn’t Tech available. I haven’t had to use it for jaros but I still remember how.”
As Kurgio checks you out, in the glow of the lantern, you explain to Skipper what happened. How they traded for Tech but needed someone with knowledge to help set it up. “They also wanted my ‘seed’.” You say with a cough.
Both Kurgio and Skipper ask “What?”
You explain that Dani wants a baby and she was to be the first you were to have sex with. You don’t know who the other two were supposed to be.
Kurgio finishes his exam. “Well, you’re healthy enough. You can give them what they want.”
He and Skipper grin at you. But you quickly explain that when they heard you were married, they changed their minds. “It’s a little weird. If I had been unmarried, they would have used me and sent me on my way, but because I was married, they honored that commitment.”
Skipper chews on her bottom lip for a moment, “So they didn’t want you to stay and be a member, but they wanted your genetics added to the colony?”
You nod as you pull your shirt back on.
There is a rumble through the ship, and the lights come on. Kurgio blows out the lamp.
“Go and make sure all the lamps are out and collected. Work with Cookie to pack them back in the emergency kits.” Skipper says, then she grabs you. “Let’s go to the Con. Show me where Najran is.”
(Come back tomorrow for the final part of “Helm Taken Prisoner”. I hope you are enjoying this story. If you are, Like and Leave a Comment. If you enjoy my writings, Follow and Subscribe. See you next time.)
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