Palm Springs Eternal -- Part Two

Rie led the party back to the compound's central plaza. They entered one of the elevators and rode it up to the very top floor of Key, where Rie said rooms had been prepared for them. Dahl remarked upon how quickly things seemed to happen on New Palm. Rie laughed and agreed, adding that Dahl would get used to it soon enough.

Each member of Demi's party was given their own room, a welcome change from the cramped quarters aboard Alis. Each of the rooms was simply but elegantly furnished, and had large picture windows that overlooked the city of Leneopolis.

Rie returned a few hours later, saying that dinner was about to be served. Everyone followed Rie back down to the lowest level, where everyone, aside from the androids, partook of excellent New Palman cuisine. Mium noticed how similar the food was to what had been common on Palm before the Collapse came.

After dinner the party met briefly with the other members of New Palm's leadership council. Demi's crew introduced themselves and explained -- though not in great detail -- the reason they had come to New Palm. The council members in turn spoke a little bit of their planet's culture. They talked about their devotion to Alis Landale, and how they idolized her for freeing Algo from the Mother Brain-like tyranny of her own time. They talked about their state religion, a take-off on the ancient Palman faith. They talked about their mistrust of the Landians, and their disdain for how the Landians had broken the ancient taboos. They were more tight-lipped about the workings of their government, however. Demi made a mental note of that.

Before long the council members retired for the evening to their apartments above. At that time Rie told the group that a landrover had already been readied for their travels, furnished with everything they would need to make their journey westward. It even included a handbook on the known customs and superstitions of the Landians. When he had told them all of this, Rie asked if there was anything else that the group needed.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Rie," Demi said. "I was hoping I could also meet with one of your historians. The story of how your people came to this planet is a fascinating one, and I would like to get as accurate an account of it as I could. I know that Algoian scholars are going to be very interested in studying this information."

"Very well," Rie said. "I know just the man you should speak to. He is the state's Master Historian. Come; I'll take you to him."

"Is it necessary for all of us to go?" Elm asked. "I'm so tired."

"I suppose not," Demi said. "I can catch you all up on the basics once we've set out, tomorrow."

Elm nodded. "That's fine."

Erol nodded, too. "I think I'll join him."

"Me too," said Dahl. "I think we're all beat."

"I'll go with you, Demi," Azur said. "Actually, I can't wait to learn more about this planet's history. I don't think I could sleep a wink right now, I'm so excited!"

"I'll go, too," Mium said.

Rie smiled. "Okay then. Follow me."

Rie, Demi, Azur, and Mium made their way back over to the elevators in the plaza with the tall tree. This time, however, the elevator did not go up. Instead it sank down, deep under the ground into the bowels of the Key complex. When the elevator's shutter doors opened they found themselves in a catacomb of narrow tunnels that twisted and folded back upon each other. Rie led them through the maze to a library. It was very small, only about the size of the crew quarters aboard Alis. The walls were covered in shelves that were themselves filled with books. A square, wooden table was at the center of the room, and a man was at the table, reading. A single dim lamp hung from the ceiling over his head.

Rie knocked on the doorway. "Aermel," he said. "Our guests would like to see you."

Aermel turned around and looked at Demi. He was a small, frail-looking man only slightly taller than Demi. He was middle-aged and completely bald. Thin glasses with round lenses were perched on his elongated nose. He wore a uniform identical to Rie's except that it was red instead of blue. He was frowning.

Aermel set down the book he was reading and stood up. He shook Demi's hand and said, "Hello." He then shook the hands of Azur and Mium.

"Here we have Demi, Azura Mallos, and Mium, three of the crew members of the Algoian ship," Rie said. "They would like an account of the story of our origins to take back to Algo with them."

Aermel's face brightened. "Oh! Oh, yes, then I can help you! Please, all of you, sit down!"

There were four chairs around the square table. Aermel, Demi, Azur, and Mium each took one. Rie leaned up against the doorway and listened.

Aermel nodded to a pile of leather-bound books resting on the corner of the table. Each was a different color; on top was a golden book, then crimson, then blue, then green, and then violet. There were more books lying in a heap on the floor.

"It just so happens that I have been reviewing our most ancient historical records, for a paper I am about to write," he said. "Are you all historians?"

"I am," Azur said. "These other two are just historical relics."

"Ha ha," Demi said, chuckling.

Glancing at the pile of books on the floor, Azur smiled and said, "I sympathize."

Aermel laughed. "It would be tedious work, were it not for the fact that I love my field so much. So, you wish to know more about how my people came to this planet..."

"That is correct," Demi said.

Aermel reached down and picked up a book with a deep orange, almost brown cover. He began to flip through it. "All right," he said. "It is easily told."

Azur and Mium scooted in closer.

"The people aboard our ship, the Neo Palm," Aermel said, "came from the area surrounding Camineet, Palm's capital and largest city. The people were politicians, mostly, and their families. Almost all were wealthy, and well-known. The fleet of four hundred which escaped from Palm did not have a flag ship, per se, but had it had one, Neo Palm would have been it."

He cleared his throat. "The ships barely got away from Palm in time. Only minutes separated the launch and the explosion. Shortly after take-off, dozens of ships reported catastrophic failures with various systems. Contact with most of the ships was lost within hours. It was eventually revealed to us by a handful of Mieu-type androids that the Mieu-types themselves had been responsible for the destruction of most of the ships." Aermel looked at Mium, clearly uncomfortable. He licked his lips and shifted in his chair.

"It's all right, Aermel," Mium said. "You don't need to fear offending me. My friends know all about my origins, and the intended purpose of my kind."

Aermel smiled, still uncomfortable, and said, "Thank you. I was afraid there may be something I should not say..."

Mium shook her head. "Please, continue."

He nodded. "The plan of those aboard Neo Palm was to head for a planet that Palm-based astronomers had been studying for some time. From what they could see, the planet appeared to be covered with oceans, and supporting life. You must understand, they were very desperate to escape from Mother Brain. They thought the distant planet was their best hope for freedom. And so, it was toward that planet that Neo Palm and the other surviving ships were headed." Aermel looked to Mium again. "Were you aboard one of the ships? It has been believed that all of the Mieu-types were centered on Palm, and those on this planet were the only ones left. But I thought perhaps you were a newer model."

"I am a very old Mieu," Mium said. "No new lines were produced after Palm's destruction. Anyway, I was aboard a ship called Palman Sunrise. It was one of the first ships to fail. It became trapped in orbit around Mota, where it remained for one thousand years, until it fell. I was discovered in the wreckage many years later."

"I see," Aermel said. "Most interesting... Would you allow me to interview you more extensively, once all of these pressing matters are taken care of?"

"Certainly."

Aermel smiled. "Excellent. But as I was saying: over the weeks following the escape, contact was lost with all of the remaining ships except for one other -- Alisa III. It had launched from Abion, the largest city of Palm's rustic northwestern province. Communication between Neo Palm and Alisa III became more and more sporadic as weeks passed. We know that the last transmission we received from Alisa III was from a woman who called herself Laya. However, history has not recorded what it was that she said."

"Was communication between the ships ever reestablished?" Azur asked.

"No. We have no idea what became of Alisa III. It is believed that, of the ships that left Algo, Neo Palm is the only one that survived."

"How long did it take Neo Palm to reach this planet?" asked Demi.

Aermel tipped his head back and chuckled. He took off his glasses and wiped them with his sleeve. "This is where things get a little confusing," he said. "It should only have taken a few months for Neo Palm to reach this planet. However, records show that it took a little over one thousand years."

"What?" Demi said. "Why did it take so long?"

"We don't know," Aermel said. "There was a theory that was popular about fifty years ago... It suggested that Neo Palm suffered some kind of 'dark age' where the knowledge of how to pilot the ship, and even what the ship's purpose was, was lost. The theory stated that it took hundreds of years for this knowledge to be rediscovered, and that that was why it took so long for Neo Palm to reach the planet. But, that theory has been rejected by virtually everyone. You see, we have very extensive and detailed chronicles of the entire history of Neo Palm, from shortly after its launch until nearly the day it landed here. There is no evidence of any such dark age."

"Yet nowhere in all that history is there any clue as to what caused the delay?" Azur asked. "That... Well, it just doesn't make sense."

"There are clues, mind you, but not enough to build a complete picture."

"Do you have a theory?" Demi asked.

"Personally I think that the plan to colonize the planet was abandoned at some time, and that Neo Palm simply drifted. Eventually the old plan was taken up again; perhaps because the ship's artificial environment had begun to fail. As it happens this is my field of study, and if I say so myself, expertise. My work is to try to piece together our history and make sense out of the mystery. It's a rather controversial field, actually, and I'm surprised friend Rie thought me fit to speak with you. After all, Brother has always discouraged any interest in--"

Demi sat up. "I'm sorry; who is Brother?"

Aermel opened his mouth to speak but Rie cut him off. "Brother...is our replacement for Mother Brain," the councilman said. "Please, don't look so alarmed. Brother is different than Mother Brain. He is neither a despot nor a master, as Mother Brain was."

"Could you please explain what he is, then?" Demi asked. "I noticed during dinner that the other council members were loathe to speak of how, exactly, your government operates. I believe I am now seeing why."

Rie sighed. "Yes. Before you landed we decided, perhaps foolishly, that we would not mention Brother to you. But it appears friend Aermel has lost control of his tongue..."

Aermel pursed his lips but said nothing.

Rie continued. "Since Brother's existence has now been revealed, I may as well tell you about him. He is one half of our governmental system. Although the council writes law and passes judgment, all decisions must be approved by Brother. He is the ultimate authority here. However, he is also under our control, as Brother depends upon us for his maintenance. He is our caretaker, and we are his."

Demi nodded. "I see. Am I correct in assuming that you wished to keep this a secret just in case Mother Brain remained in Algo...? Just in case she would hear of Brother and would become jealous of her...competition?"

Rie sighed again, and closed his eyes. "Yes, that is the reason. Please understand, we could not be certain of who we would find aboard the Alis. Our fear was that Mother Brain had at last discovered New Palm, and had sent you to either subjugate or eliminate us. Once we saw that you were not at all what we had feared, we continued to avoid the issue so that, for the time at least, we might avoid a difficult explanation like this one..."

Azur smiled. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that it's all right. We understand."

"Yes," Demi said. "I wouldn't worry about it. Even if we objected strongly to the system you have developed, our priority right now is the criminal we have come here to find."

Rie smirked. "And I've noticed that you are rather tight-lipped about him. You say there is no need for us to worry, and that you will handle him. I hope your confidence is...well-founded."

Demi stood up. "I assure you, it is." The Elsydeon glowed softly in its sheath on her back, but no one noticed. "We will take care of it."

"It's not that I lack confidence in you, Demi," Rie said. "But, should Brother's security system discover this individual before you do, there will not be much of him left to apprehend."

Azur chuckled. "That would be fine by us, believe me."

"I'd like to ask you about Brother," Mium said. "Is he the one who controls your environmental systems?"

Rie nodded. "He is."

"I see... The climate control technologies were originally created by Mother Brain, and she shared with no one the intricacies of how they worked. So my question to you is, who built Brother? I can't imagine anyone would have had the know-how necessary to create such an advanced system."

Rie stopped, and then scratched his chin. "I must admit, I don't know who built him. He's such a part of everyday life...I've never really thought about it."

Aermel cleared his throat. "As I mentioned," he said, "our history of Neo Palm is nearly complete from just after the launch to just before the landing. Unfortunately, the time between the landing and the founding of Leneopolis is cloudy. Virtually all the history that has survived from that time is the origin of the split with the Landians. The ancient leaders, for reasons unspecified, denounced the western coast as forbidden. The Landians refused to leave it, but we had to settle here. That's really all we know. So, as for who built Brother, we aren't exactly certain. I would assume it was a team of exceptionally gifted scientists. Back then they must have still had some idea of how the old Mother Brain network operated."

Mium was expressionless. "I see."

Rie handed an electronic clipboard to Demi. "This book viewer has an abridged history of my people. Consider it our gift to you."

Demi smiled and accepted the viewer. "Thank you, Rie. Now, I think that it is time we retired for the night. Androids may not need sleep, but we still need to clear our heads. And all of us will need to be at our best come tomorrow."

Rie bowed his head. "Of course."

The councilman led Demi, Azur, and Mium back to their rooms. Down in the library, Aermel rubbed his chin, and pondered.

Landale VII came to rest in the shade of a rocky outcropping. After he disembarked, Dark Force looked out over the landscape of the planet his sixth sense had led him to. In all directions there was nothing but rock, sand, and low, craggy mountains. Scarcely a plant disturbed the surface. Not a single creature crawled through the wasteland. The sun was setting in the distance, and it burned a deep red.

"This truly is a beautiful world," Dark Force said. "The view from space had left me a little disappointed."

"Indeed," Xanon said. "If one of our kind dwells upon this planet, to find the place a paradise would surely mean his failure."

"I find this pestilence encouraging," Dark Force said. "And more than that...I can hear the one who called to me..."

The four Xe-A-Thouls crowded around Dark Force.

"You...hear him?" Xarxelle asked.

"Yes," Dark Force said, nodding. "I can hear his screams. He is a few leagues north of here. And he is in desperate pain."

"Then we will hurry," said Xanon. "Xe-A-Thouls!"

The four red-robed monstrosities each made a circular motion with their upraised right hands. Four black circles appeared in the air before them. The circles swirled and shifted and blended into one another, creating a deep portal which all of them could step into together. They did so, and Dark Force followed them.

The other end of the portal opened onto the town square of a small village. Or rather, it had been a village, a long time before. The simple wooden houses that surrounded the central square were severely dilapidated and looked ancient. The roofs of most of the buildings had long since caved in. No glass filled the windows. Doors had fallen loose on their hinges. What little grass remained had grown wild and long. Somewhere nearby an old weathervane whirled and groaned in the absence of wind.

At the north end of the square was a small fortress with the ruin of a two-story wall surrounding it. Ramparts lined the wall and the roof of the fortress. A flag pole remained on the fortress parapets, but there was no flag.

"What a wretched little hole," Xarxas said. "Let's burn it!"

Dark Force backhanded Xarxas square in the face, sending the unlucky Xe-A-Thoul tumbling back into the remnants of a small cart.

"Be quiet," Dark Force said. "I am listening..." Dark Force stepped forward blindly, almost as if in a trance. The Xe-A-Thouls scurried along behind him. They glanced all about, trying to detect whatever it was that Dark Force was sensing.

Their master stopped short a stone's throw from a fountain in front of the fortress gates. Clearly it had been a magnificent fountain in its own day. A life-size statue of a Palman woman rose from the center of the basin, her gown flowing outwards at her feet and blending in with the rest of the stone. Her fist was raised above her head in a sign of triumph, and at her side she held a fine sword. She was the epitome of Palman loveliness, and her face, though showing determination, was soft and looked kind. The entire piece was made of purely black stone.

"This is The Heroine," Xerik hissed. "The people who lived here were Palmans."

"They must have brought our 'friend' with them when they left Algo," Xarxelle mused. "But where is he now?"

Dark Force knelt down before the fountain. All of the Xe-A-Thouls had to look away when he did. Although the woman was merely a statue, to see Dark Force kneeling before a Palman was highly troubling.

"He is...inside of the fountain," Dark Force said, staring up into the Heroine's face. "There is some sort of enchantment here. It is familiar to me... It is similar to the magic N'gan used to defeat me many centuries ago. But it is not quite the same."

"Who is it inside the statue?" Xanon asked. "Another Dark Force? Or perhaps a lesser being?"

"I cannot tell," Dark Force said. "He is trying to tell me, but the magic at work here keeps me from hearing all that he says."

"Let's simply destroy this stupid statue!" Xanon said. "Then he will be let loose for certain."

"No!" Dark Force shouted, causing all the Xe-A-Thouls to cower in their terror of him. "We must not harm the statue. If we do, he will be harmed in kind. This much he has been able to communicate to me: to destroy the statue would be his destruction as well."

Xerik knelt down in front of the fountain, beside Dark Force. "Master," he whispered. "Take a look at her sword."

"Hmmm?" Dark Force turned his attention to the sword Alis held. He lightly fingered its blade, and at once his mechanical eye brightened dramatically. "Amazing," he said.

"What is it?" Xanon asked.

"This sword," said Dark Force, "is not part of the statue. It is a wholly separate piece. And beyond that, this sword is...a Desrona."

"A Desrona?" Xarxelle asked. "I thought the demon swords were all extinct ages ago."

"Apparently not. Long ago I used them to defend my forces on Dezoris. They were among the most powerful of my creations."

"Is this Desrona the presence you have been detecting all this time, Master?" Xanon asked.

Dark Force shook his head. "No. Unfortunately, the Desrona appears to be dead."

Xerik gently handled the sword's hilt. "We cannot even remove the sword from the statue's grip, for she is holding it very tightly."

"This Desrona may very well be the key to unlocking the one within the fountain," Dark Force said. "If we could simply find a way to remove it..."

"To take the sword would require shattering the statue's hand," Xerik stated calmly. "And you said to harm the statue is unallowable. This is quite a quandary."

"What should we do?" Xarxelle asked.

Dark Force stood up and stared down at the sword. "Upon our descent I spotted a village over the crags southeast of here. Xe-A-Thouls: I want you to assume disguises and go to that village. Try to learn what you can about this place. Why was it abandoned, and why is our comrade locked within the statue? Most importantly, try to find out how we can release him."

"We shall do as you command, Master," Xanon said. The four Xe-A-Thouls bowed extravagantly, with a flourish.

Dark Force crossed his arms and locked his eye on the eyes of the statue. "Do the job well, but take your time," he said. "Alis will have to give up her secrets soon enough."

Everyone arose early the next morning. They showered while their clothes were cleaned and pressed and then they had a fine breakfast with Rie. It was still only mid-morning when Rie, along with Aermel, brought them back out into the courtyard, and the landing pad. The other council members crowded into windows and onto balconies above and watched, all smiling down at them in a most friendly manner.

Sitting beside the Alis was a small, globe-like landrover. It was a metallic purple color with three rows of treads along its bottom. The windshield made up the entire face of the sphere. Eight seats were visible within. There were two seats for drivers down in front. Two rows of three chairs each were raised up behind.

"You are welcome to keep this vehicle," Rie said. "As I mentioned to you at breakfast, the Landians do not take kindly to having ships land in their territory. The few times we sent automated vessels there, in order to harvest resources, they were turned away with stones and spears. If you were to take Alis you would have to leave your ship in the no man's land and hike everywhere on foot. It is very inhospitable territory, so it would be wiser to go the distance in a landrover. That way you can remain within the safety of the car at all times."

"Thank you very much, Rie, for everything," Demi said.

Rie smiled and nodded. "From here you can board our moving roadway."

He pointed to the opposite end of the courtyard, where a large gate swung open. On the other side was a street that was moving like a conveyor belt, quickly whisking pedestrians to other points throughout the city.

"Simply follow the roadway straight; don't branch off anywhere. It will take you to the edge of town. If you keep following the roadway you will leave the city and come to the end of New Palman territory. There is a small way-station there. Beyond that there is a pass at the low point of the mountains, and then the Landians." Rie frowned. "I do wish I could send a guide with you, but none of us are allowed to go beyond the border. Not even robots and androids are exempt. If they were to cross the line, they would not be allowed to return, and they would eventually perish."

"We do understand, Rie," Dahl said. She stepped forward and shook his hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you and seeing your beautiful city. We are all very grateful for your hospitality."

"You better believe it," Azur whispered to Erol. "I've never eaten like such a pig."

Erol smiled. "I beg to differ."

A warm wind blew through the courtyard.

"It's going to be nice and hot today," Mium said.

"Are you kidding?" Elm asked her. "Not compared to my home desert. I'm freezing!"

"Then why in Algo do you work on Dezoris?"

"Oh, come on, Elm," Erol said. "You don't want to become known as a cold-blooded Motavian, do you?"

Aermel gave Erol a funny look. Erol was a little embarrassed; he hadn't realized Aermel could hear what he and the others were muttering back and forth.

Dahl was still speaking to Rie. "I find it astonishing that there has never been any contact whatsoever between your people and the Landians. Two thousand years is an incredibly long time."

"It certainly is," Rie said with a nod. "Once in a while someone on the very edge of our territory will see one of the Landians on the very edge of their territory. A few times, Landians have even called out to our people, but we cannot answer them. It's not that we hate them, really. We are simply forbidden from dealing with them."

"Who, exactly, set those rules?" Demi asked. "You never said, and I've been meaning to ask."

"Our founders," Rie told her. "We call them the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs. They're almost more legendary than historical, actually. We don't know a whole lot about them, or why the western edge of the continent was forbidden."

"Personally I think there must have been a war," Aermel interjected. "The several social and ethnic groups aboard the Neo Palm had been cooped up together for a thousand years. When they finally were allowed to spread across this vast continent some of them were probably very happy to do so. Others tried to stick together, but had widely varying opinions on how a planet should be run. Thus, there was conflict, and eventual separation."

Demi nodded. "Such is the history of our civilization, unfortunately. But we all pray that the future will be different." Demi and Rie shook hands once more. "We'll be leaving now."

Rie waved as they boarded the landrover. "Good luck to you all! We'll be waiting!" He continued waving until the landrover had disappeared from sight, and those within the vehicle waved back at him. But Aermel simply stood where he was, with his arms folded.

Although it looked small from the outside, the rover was roomy enough within. There was even a small water closet in the back of the vehicle. Demi and Mium took up the controls. Dahl and Azur sat behind them, with Erol and Elm in the back.

As the roadway moved farther from Key it rose higher and higher off the ground. At its peak, the rover was rolling along at least a hundred meters above the streets below. From that height, the people looked like insects. In the distance, a single spire far taller than the rest reached up, up, seemingly forever, and disappeared into the clouds. The view was absolutely breathtaking.

The party watched the city of Leneopolis pass them by. The spire-like towers reminded Dahl and Erol of the towers of Parellin, a fledgling city on Palm II near their laboratory home. When Azur looked over the bustling cityscape, with its dome houses and churches and shops, she was reminded of the ancient Palm of the history books. Mium was reminded of the same, but to her it was not some near-fantasy world: it was her home. Elm saw a land far too crowded and bustling for his tastes. And Demi saw nothing. Her mind was focused on finding Dark Force, and on Wren, who was still lying unconscious in the repair bay of Zelan.

It was only a few minutes after departure, while the rover was still on the roadway, that Erol noticed something lying on the floor.

"What's this?" he asked aloud, leaning forward and picking up what he'd discovered. "It looks like some kind of note."

"A note?" Azur asked. She turned around and Erol handed it to her.

"Can you read it?" Elm asked. "Or has their alphabet evolved too differently?"

"No, I can read it," Azur said. "The letters are very ornate; lots of loops and crosses and unnecessary dots. But I can read it."

"What does it say?" Dahl asked, leaning in closer to get a look at the sheet of paper.

"It says, 'There is a farmhouse in a dry basin on the other side of the mountains. You will find food and lodging there.'"

"Is that it?" Erol asked.

Azur nodded.

"But who is it from?" asked Dahl.

Azur blinked. "It's signed Motabaermel."

"Motabaermel?" Elm said, scratching his beak with his index fingernail. "That's Palmalatin for 'Motavian.'"

It was Dahl's turn to blink. "What?"

"The literal translation is 'man from the brown star,'" said Azur, "with the 'brown star' being what the ancient Palmans called Motavia."

"Oh, I get it now!" Elm said. "That note is from mister Aermel! He simply left the first syllable off of his name when he met with us. See? 'Motabaermel' minus 'Motab' equals 'Aermel.' The short version must be his nickname. Rie said that his name was a nickname, too."

"You're right," Dahl said. "He said 'Rie' is what his friends call him. Maybe the giving of nicknames is a tradition here."

"I believe one of the council members mentioned that at dinner last night," Demi said.

"You're right," Mium told her. "One of them, a woman named Jai, mentioned that to me."

"That certainly explains a lot," Elm said. "I was wondering why our historian friend was named 'star man.' But it sounded like a stupid question to ask, so I didn't."

"It also explains why he gave me that funny look," Erol added. "You know, when I called you a cold-blooded Motavian."

"But why in the world would a New Palman be named Motavian?" Dahl asked. "It's so weird. I don't suppose any of the council members were named Dezorian or Musk Cat or Esper, were they?"

Mium chuckled. "Not if memory serves, no."

"And how the heck does he know where we can find food and shelter on the other side of the mountains?" Erol asked. "Rie and the others made such a huge deal about how New Palmans are never allowed across the border, under any circumstances."

Demi and Mium gave one another a nervous glance. "Something is seriously fishy here," Mium muttered. Demi simply nodded.

Dahl sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. She stared out the window and said, "This is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted a vacation."