It had been several decades since Atxi, James, and Walter had been Returned. Atxi withdrew to the company of others who had not put their faith in Jehovah; joining their Island community where they set their own rules.
Walter worked diligently, expanding the Co-Op from Upcycled Memorabilia to include reconstructed clothing and furniture. After a few years, he expanded again. They had a core list of clients that shared all the things they were making, grateful to have several regular customers lined up.
Ward worked with him and made subtle efforts towards shifting Walter’s priorities, to put Spiritual needs first. Walter had blinders on to everything else; the same dedication that he’d had in OS now in full force. But after years of work, Ward could tell that his ‘employer’ was not happy with what they’d achieved.
There were multiple ‘colonies’ of unbelievers. For the most part, they were sorting themselves out, letting time pass as they tried to get a handle on a world that had changed completely. The Island off the coast of Southern California had thrived more than any of them, with the leadership there having a different mandate; trying to make it work long-term.
James ran supplies to all these little groups. It was a relatively simple mission for him, given that the most common supply was foodstuffs, and the Witness Communities never charged or made any effort to restrict food supply. James would collect a hold full of food, and run it out to them. The Undecided felt better that their supply line came from ‘one of them’.
~oo00oo~
“I bet you know all about making boats.”
“Ships.” James told the people on the docks. “Boats are the things you row. Ships use sails or engines.”
“We’re looking to learn how to sail. They told us to find the most experienced sailor we could; and someone mentioned you’ve logged a lot of hours sailing solo. Part of the classes we’re taking involves ship construction. Purely the sailing method. There’s all sorts of driver’s ed for turbine-powered ships.” The young man said. “But if you’d be willing, I’d love a day to talk about the process back in the early days. I mean, sailing is an expensive hobby for people like us, for you it was life.”
“It still is.” James nodded, trying to get out of this whole conversation. “Look, this is a working ship; and I may be the only crew, but I’ve got cargo to deliver.”
~oo00oo~
“Walter, I’ve had an idea that I wanted to share with you.” Ward said eagerly.
“What’s that?” Walter asked, feeling like he should sigh. Ward’s enthusiasm for the work was increasing, almost in direct proportion to Walter’s growing dissatisfaction.
“Well, I was having coffee with Jodi the other day, and she mentioned that her brother has taken up songwriting. He’s apparently always had an interest, and after decades, he’s finally gotten the chance to spend some time on it. She thinks he’s pretty good, but he doesn’t have… well…”
“I’m not a talent scout.” Walter shook his head. “Nor am I an Agent.”
“You don’t need to be.” Ward nodded. “What he needs, we have already. A list of people who can be informed of a new product. Usually, it’s something we’ve constructed from Reclaimed bits, or it’s a tool that someone can make available for use. In this case, it’s someone who can play an instrument, or a song he’s recorded for them to listen to. All he wants is feedback; and a few listeners. We can do that.” Ward bit his lip. “I can do that.”
With a sigh, Walter nodded. “Go for it.”
Ward looked at him sideways, glancing around the room. Walter had managed to get his home built eventually, but the whole thing was mainly a home office, with little living space. Ward had asked about it, and Walter had told him ‘it was only temporary, until he could upgrade’. But that was years before.
“So, are you going to tell me?” Ward pressed. “Because there’s been something on your mind for months now.”
Walter sighed again and held out a spreadsheet. “We’re not expanding.”
“We’re steady.” Ward nodded.
“That’s the problem. The Co-Op was always meant to be a ‘first step’.” Walter shook his head. “With the Recycling Campaign… It’s been more than two and a half centuries since A-Day. The refuse of the old world is more or less gone. At least, what you can use to ‘Upcycle’ into useful things.”
“Recycling helps.” Ward put in. “People can’t throw away stuff anymore. After a thousand years, the garbage piles up.”
“Our clients can still ‘re-make’ things, to be sure. But volume is dropping dramatically.” Walter countered. “It’s eating into the profits.”
“Of course volume is dropping. People are ‘consuming’ less. That’s the whole point.” Ward nodded. “Walter, say what you want to say.”
Walter looked at him awkwardly. “I really thought I could make it work.”
“You’re closing it down.” Ward said softly.
Walter shook his head. “I forget how intuitive people are here.”
“You’d be surprised how intuitive people can be when they’re not focused on so many personal problems.” Ward nodded. He saw Walter’s mouth become a thin line, and shook his head. “I refer to things like health problems, or working three jobs to make ends meet, or-”
Walter waved a hand. “Sorry. I forget sometimes that this world…” He shook his head again. “I haven’t seen one protest march in years, Ward. No ‘Great Debate’, no flags being waved… I have to admit, I never thought I’d see a world with everyone on the same side. It’s nice.”
“Nice?”
Walter chuckled, despite himself. “Better than nice.” He sobered. “Look, you know what the real problem is. It’s not supply, or demand. It’s not our product, or our pricing. You know what the problem is.”
Ward was silent for a long moment. “When we first met, you noticed that I was ‘young’ by this world’s standards.” Ward commented. “I never told you, did I? How a person could live in your time, and be a Believer, all at such a young age.”
“No, you never did.” Walter agreed. “As I understand it, the world ended, and the Returning began, and started with the people who were… well, expecting this world. But if you were less than thirty, and a Returnee…”
(Author’s Note: There’s no specific scripture about the order of the Resurrection. The reasoning behind the route I took can be found in ‘Now on Earth’. This passage is to keep continuity with my own stories.)
“I was raised a Christian. Knew the words, chapter and verse.” Ward said. “But when I hit eighteen… Well, out of my parent’s house, I found certain things that appealed to me more. And I got in way over my head, had a particularly bad night, woke up here.” Ward sighed. “You get a pretty good grip on your mistakes when they actually end your life, you know?”
Walter nodded. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“My sin was Gluttony, in its way. I fell victim to certain… excesses.” Ward said carefully. “Too much of anything can be lethal. You’re right. We’re not making huge profits. But if you think that’ll change by sinking what you’ve got into a new idea… The world wants things in moderation.”
Walter’s eyes clouded. “Ward, you’ve been a big help, and a good partner for several years now. But you know that sermons don’t interest me.”
“I know.” Ward sighed. “Look… If you really don’t want to keep the Co-Op going, I’d like to take it over.”
“Why? I told you, I’m sinking what little profits we’ve made into a new-”
“No, not a cut.” Ward interrupted. “We’ve started something good here, and if it’s too ‘small potatoes’ for you, then I’d like to take it on myself.” He wrote down a number. “Knowing you as I do, I figured you’d want to work out a price.”
Walter read the number. “Where did you get that? Got a second job?”
“This is every credit you’ve paid me.” Ward said with a smirk. “I haven’t spent more than about five percent of it in the last ten years. Cost of living was low enough that I could save for something worth buying, I guess.”
Walter’s face turned to stone. “You spent ten years setting up that ‘teachable moment’?”
“I got the time.” Ward said dryly. “Money in this world is meant to make the ‘little luxuries’ and ‘personal interests’ come by easier, from all across the world. Hoarding it for personal gain was never the goal.” He tapped the piece of paper. “But if you’re sinking what we’ve made into a new scheme, then I imagine having more could only appeal to you.”
Walter nodded. “Well, you’re not wrong.”
“Y’know, the people in the Co-Op love the service, and they all use it. Why are you shutting it down on them?”
“I think this has expanded as far as it’s going to.” Walter sighed. “It grieves me, given how much time I’ve put into it, but it hasn’t expanded the way we planned. You don’t want to be trapped by thinking that doesn’t work.”
“I would say the same, but sermons don’t interest you.” Ward said lightly.
~oo00oo~
There weren’t many rules on ‘Undecided Island’. The people there preferred it that way. Atxi had been living among them for years, and knew she had made a mistake. She had come, looking for like-minded people, but she had never felt so disconnected. Not even the Christians were so different from her.
The Undecided were all people who had chosen not to live by the New World’s Beliefs. They all had their own reasons; some of them making sense to Atxi, most of them seeming ridiculous. There were patriots who refused to accept that their flags were gone. There were self-appointed God-Kings who demanded the return of their kingdoms… Some who flatly refused to accept the evidence of their senses; insisting that there was no God, and the Angels were anything from a mass delusion to subtle alien invaders.
Some of them, like Atxi, had been raised to believe in their own holy figures; and refused to betray their gods in favor of Jehovah. Atxi sympathized, but felt a certain amount of contempt for them too.
Hans, who ran the community, had told her that she should feel free to worship any god she wished, in any manner that felt ‘right’ to her. But after a few days of trying, she lost the will to continue. She was the only Aztec on the Island. There were several others, practicing Druid Arts, or Rituals to honor Jupiter, or Poseidon, or Loki…
The variety only served to convince her more of her newfound secularism. A hundred different believers in a dozen different gods, all of them crammed into an island, because the world would not give them a temple. Atxi could see through them all.
Just like Irsu could see through you. Just like you see through yourself. A voice nagged at her, but she did her best to ignore it.
Nobody went hungry, but they worked. James and a few others brought supplies twice a month, and brought news of what was happening in the world.
For the most part, the Undecided were left to themselves, with some exceptions.
Every now and then, missionaries from the mainland would come over. They were not received warmly, but they never quit. And they never aged. A few of them had been coming back, over and over.
“What’s their story?” Atxi had asked Hans the first time she’d seen them.
“They had relatives on the island.” Hans said quietly. “They came back every week, trying to get their wayward lambs to come home. And after years… they succeeded.”
“But they keep coming back?”
Hans nodded. “Back in my day, we called it the ‘White Man’s Burden’. You see a culture that you feel is less advanced, and you just have to meddle, ‘for their own good’.”
“I don’t agree.” Atxi said plainly. She was allowed to say such things to Hans. One or two on the island would take that personally; or fire back; but Hans had a personal mission for everyone to follow their own impulses. “I spent some time with those people. I never doubted that they cared. Irsu was crushed when I told him I didn’t believe in anything.”
“Can I ask… Has that changed?” Hans pressed.
“Off the island, I can go to any community across the world, and sit down at any meeting.” Atxi sighed. “I would know what to say to any believer, I would know what any of them will say to me. It’s why they all get along so well; all of them with the same faith; if different perspectives. Here on the island, I have to juggle thirty different cultures in my head. What would be funny to one person is wildly offensive to someone else. And all of us sitting at the same table.”
“As long as everyone respects each other, that’s the best part.” Hans said with a smile. “At least, it is for me.”
But you won’t be around forever. Atxi thought. And nobody else can take over without one side or the other getting preferential treatment.
~oo00oo~
“Mallory!” James called through his Device. “I got your package.”
“Is it authentic?” Mallory asked as James opened the box. “It was, as far as I could tell; but you’re the only one I could find that has actually handled the thing before.”
James beamed at the artifact. It had been centuries, and the Jeweled Staff wore several scuffs, and one or two dents. “It’s real.” James agreed. “I took this from another Pirate. He had run aground, and I had to get to his cargo before the Dutch got there. Where did you find it?”
“Your rowboat was found by the Spanish Fleet, as expected. Once it was out of the water, everything in that chest scattered. The Crown is in a Museum now. The Necklace, I’m still chasing a few leads. The Cross of Corinth is not likely an option at all anymore.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s the only item on this list that’s a religious icon.” Mallory explained. “In the lead-up to A-Day, the world went berserk, attacking the religious institutions. They went a lot further than most people expected. And that cross? Made of gold and precious stones? No chance it survived the purges. Best case, it was melted down for cash. More likely, it went into the Burners, along with every other church relic.”
“I don’t buy that.” James shook his head immediately. “I don’t care if the law changed. I know from experience that people will ignore the law for a sparkly thing like that Cross. Trust me, whoever had the money or power enough to keep it for themselves, they wouldn’t part with it.”
“Due respect, Captain; but neither of us were there. I’m told the… mania that overtook the world was swift and brutal.”
“Trust me, Mallory. Law. Fear. Rage. Prison. Greed trumps all.”
~oo00oo~
“So why wasn’t it working?” Walter sighed tragically, out of ideas completely.
After selling off his share of the Co-Op, Walter had spent some time comparing what he knew of the world back then, to what he’d learned now. He’d been missing some meetings, but he’d promised David he’d keep up with them, so he went to alternating meetings from different congregations. The Centre hosted half a dozen of them, and Walter was able to fit them around his schedule. The networking opportunity wasn’t lost on him. Word of mouth was as valuable in this world than any mass communications could be. This world was very tightly connected.
Walter worked outside a lot more when meditating on his next goal. The weather was nice, and the days of grimy cities and dangerous streets were long gone. Most people spent their leisure and working time outdoors now. In fact, Walter observed that the whole world seemed to take turns adding music and play to the already beautiful nature scenes; side by side with the most modern civilization.
Walter found a shady spot at one of the city parks, and looked over his notebooks, plucking a fruit from the community orchards. Someone was playing a tune, out of sight; and Walter could see others gathered around the musician.
Walter was engrossed in his notes; as the music changed tempo a bit; and he suddenly felt someone looking. David was there, standing over him.
Walter rolled his eyes when he saw the man; and waved for David to sit down. “Between you and Townsend, who needs a wife or mother?”
David chuckled and sat beside him. “You know me. It’s been a few days, and one thing we can be sure of is that you weren’t home sick with a stomach bug or something.” David took a quick glance over Walter’s shoulder. The notebook was full of hand-drawn spreadsheets and graphs. “What are you working on now?”
“Getting my next business together.” Walter commented. “I’m comparing some data, trying to figure out what went wrong with the Co-Op. My conclusion is that it was too slow a burn. It was useful, but the sort of industry that worked best if you had something more immediate to share. Something that people needed constantly.”
“Well, that’s surprising. See, Lucas asked me to come talk to you.” David said with a smile. “He wanted to know if I could talk you into restarting the Co-Op.”
“I left that with Ward. He bought me out.” Walter shook his head. “The Co-Op just wasn’t working out.”
“Really? Seemed to be working fine for the hundred or so people using it. It was a good idea.” David observed. “Lucas in particular was thrilled. The book he wrote? He got more readers with you than anyone else, just sharing it with people on the mailing list.”
“There were what? Fifty? Maybe seventy?”
“Right. Still more than he’d had before you came along.” David said, unconcerned. “I took a look at it myself. Pretty good stuff.” He gave Walter a look. “I never would have read it if I hadn’t been on your mailing list. This world is all about connection. It’s not such a bad thing, putting people in touch with each other.”
Walter shook his head. “Too slow. I get that it could work, but it’d take the rest of the millennium.”
“Are you in a rush?”
“I’m not the only billionaire to come back from the dead.” Walter explained patiently. “You know the best time to build an empire? When there’s no competition. And even if my contemporaries aren’t interested, there’ll be some that are. Everyone from Steve Jobs to Rockefeller, to Croesus himself is going to get their shot.”
“Empire.” David repeated the key word. “Is that the problem? A Co-Op is not an empire?”
“Have to start somewhere.”
“No, I mean: Is that the problem?”
Walter blinked. “I don’t follow.”
David had his Bible out. “1 Corinthians 16:14: ‘Let everything you do be done with love’.”
“What’s that got to do with this?”
“You were offering a cheaper option, a more efficient deal. But that’s not how it works anymore. Acting with efficiency now takes a backseat to acting with love. And in a world where nobody ages, and nobody has to fear going hungry; efficient is a word with a whole other definition. We’ve re-written half your dictionary; and I’ve been waiting years for you to notice.”
“I’m not wrong.” Walter said again.
“Walter, you’ve known me for years. Decades, by now.” David soothed. “The world changed on you. And everyone I know is happy about that, except you.”
Walter was silent a long moment. “I’m not trying to sell weapons, or narcotics, or dirty magazines. I get that the rules have changed. I’m not trying to be a Crime Boss here, but people keep acting like I am.” He was getting angry. “The reason I can’t get any traction is that nobody wants to do business with me.” Walter pointed at his aging expression. “Because I’m not ‘one of you’.”
“That, and because you try to cut corners on everything. You do everything on the lowest bid, you approach people who have less disposable income due to their contributions; and you don’t pass along nearly as much of those savings to others you work with.”
“That’s how it works. I’m trying to get the best deal possible.”
“Your customers want the best deal for everyone.” David pressed. “Not just themselves. That’s why they don’t like doing business with you. When they find out that someone is struggling, they send their business that way, just to help out. When you find out a competitor is struggling to start their own companies, you’re pleased. There’s enough to go around. There always has been. Now you.”
“Now me, what?”
“You want to know why it didn’t work like it used to. Now you tell me why you thought it would. Why?” His guide asked. Not challenging, or dismissive, he was honestly asking for the reason. “Why conduct your business that way? You see that people don’t exploit each other any more. People don’t turn a blind eye to each other any more. Why try to squeeze them more?”
“Increases profit margins.”
“How much profit do you need?”
“More.” Walter said, as though it was obvious.
“Why?” The man asked again. Again, no judgement, or disapproval. David was trying to lead him somewhere.
“For expansion.”
“Why do you need to expand?”
“To solidify my client base.”
“Your clients won’t age, won’t ever die. How soft can they be, if they like your service?”
“It’s not just the numbers. I told you, I’m not the only one like me out there. I’ve looked around, and I need to consolidate my own position. I need…” He broke off.
“Security.” David supplied for him, and rose to go.
“Where are you going?!”
“You aren’t there yet.” David said easily. “But you will be.”
“Why do you always react that way? It’s been years! What are you waiting for?!” Walter yelled. A frustration he hadn’t acknowledged came bursting out. “I know you don’t agree. I know you think I’m a fool! Why don’t you ever do something about it?!”
“Because.” David said simply. “I have time.”
“I’m not wrong!” Walter called after him. “I’m not doing anything immoral here! It’s just business!”
But David was already gone.
“People can open their own doors.”
Walter turned. There was a young boy sitting behind his bench, with a guitar across his knees. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, leaning back against a tree, picking at the strings a little. And Walter was half certain that he hadn’t been there before. “I’m sorry?”
“A while back, you said that wealth wasn’t about having ‘stuff’. It was about being done with the things that don’t matter. For you, wealth was about convenience.”
Walter nodded. “How did you know that?”
The Boy ignored the question. “But what, exactly, was inconvenience? You had a staff of people to do your laundry. You had a driver. You had people to pre-cut your cigars, and everywhere you went had doormen; their whole career was to open doors for wealthy people at restaurants, hotels… When you went to the gym to exercise, did you even carry your own gym bag?”
Walter scoffed. “Anyone would do it, if they could.”
“Plenty of people thought the same, once. You need the security. But there isn’t anyone across the world, even among the Undecided, that are worried they’ll starve or freeze. Security is here.” The Boy said plainly. “Washing a plate is not a hardship. You know what is? Being treated badly. Being desperate for food and water. Hardship is a boy crying out to God for help when his father is drunk, or a hard working parent weeping over pennies, because that’s how tight the budget is. Hardship is forcing yourself to go to work, because you can’t afford to miss a shift over a fever. Hardship is wheeling your kids home in a wheelchair after an accident; and keeping a smile on your face so they won’t see how heartbroken you are.” The Boy smiled. “And in almost three hundred years, not one person has felt any of that fear. Not for one second.” The smile morphed into a pointed look. “Nobody cried out to God in tears because they had to open a door themselves.”
“Kid, it’s not that I didn’t care about any of those people. Back There and Back Then, if I gave all my millions away, how much of a difference would it really make?”
“To the world as a whole, likely very little.” The Boy conceded. “But you weren’t responsible for fixing the world, and you still aren’t. Relatively speaking, it’s fixed.”
“Mine isn’t.”
“This isn’t your world. In fact, it never was.” The Boy reminded him. “What you said, about how someone can grow very used to convenience? It’s true. You know some of the things people have ‘grown used to’ in the last two centuries? Eternal life. No poverty. Strangers being welcomed with love and friendship. An Authority that actually does care, and truth being more powerful than lies.” The Boy suddenly looked terribly sad. “And, Walter? If you can’t see that as a good thing, because it means you might have to take a turn washing your own dishes? Then you have lost something far more important than money.”
Walter was about to fire back at the kid for being so superior with his elders… when The Boy faded into nothingness, right before Walter’s eyes.
The man stood there for several moments, staring blankly at the empty space where someone… or something had been. He scanned around, looking for the trick, looking for anyone watching, trying to fool him… Before slowly turning his gaze upwards.
“Bah, humbug.” He said finally.
~oo00oo~
Arguments broke out on The Island fairly often. There were just too many different viewpoints. Atxi didn’t like the fact that in trying to escape the Believers, she had somehow fallen in with all the malcontents. Hans was a natural peacemaker, talking endlessly about mutual respect and practicing ‘live and let live’, but Atxi could tell that they were following that code only out of respect for Hans. The fragile peace he was building among the Undecided wasn’t going to last without him there.
And then there was Hans’ second; who was more militant about his position.
“You don’t seem happy, Atxi.” The Centurion observed.
“Well, if I’m honest, I came here because I didn’t recognize any of the world.” Atxi sighed. “But I don’t understand any of this island either. You’re all from different centuries, different countries… But doesn’t that just prove the Witnesses are right about what’s happening in the world?”
“We never said they weren’t right about what was happening, only that we didn’t have a better explanation. And even if they are right, they don’t get to decide things for everyone.”
Atxi had heard it all before. She’d come to the Island to get away from all the people all telling her the same thing. But the people here, for all their variety, also shared the same opinion on the subject of God. It was closer to her own, but…
But what? She demanded of herself. You said you didn’t want to be like the others, and you aren’t. Neither are these people! What’s wrong with you?
“James is back.” The Roman noted, smothering a small grin. “I thought you’d be down at the dock.”
Atxi hid a smile of her own. She had spent some time with the Pirate, and liked him more than she let on. James hadn’t been subtle about his interest, but she’d rebuffed him gently. She knew it was going to happen eventually, but she’d heard enough stories about pirates and their ways. There were a few people who came to the island over something called ‘free love’ who encouraged her to go for it, and not let anyone tell her she was wrong.
Atxi knew better. There were worshipers of many eras who had tried to set up Altars to their own myriad of gods. The angels had stopped them, even here. The practicing polygamists had been ‘prevented’, much to their chagrin; and the amusement of the general population. The Undecided thought their little colony was apart from the world, but the Christian God was enforcing His rules in every part of the Earth.
(Author’s Note: There is no specific scripture or publication defining how far the ‘judicial’ aspects of the New System will be enforced with regards to lifestyle choices. It hasn’t been a major plot point in any of the previous volumes; beyond a comment that people are always ‘chaperoned’ in the New World. It stood to reason, since the question of Sovereignty is answered in two parts: The World under Man/Satan’s rule, versus the World under Christ. One of the key promises about Paradise is that we will be under the Authority of God’s Kingdom. Even those in disagreement are unlikely to be able break laws set by a perfect and omnipresent King.)<<
Hans came back over, looking tired, but it was clear he’d been close enough to hear that conversation. “Axti, can I offer some advice?” He said easily. “Maybe the reason you can’t let the rest of the world go, is because it’s not the JW’s that have a hold on you.”
Atxi bit her lip. “Yeah, you’d be right about that.” She admitted. “There’s something about the Witnesses that makes me feel awkward, but they’ve never been anything but kind to me. There’s only one person I should have confronted.”
“Everyone has someone like that.” Titanus nodded. “Even the JW’s. That’s why they have the database. The minute their own ‘unfinished business’ shows up, they can confront it right away.”
“When I saw my ‘unfinished business’, I ran away.” Atxi shivered. “I’ve been putting it off long enough, Titanus.”
Hans nodded. “So, as I said… James is back.”
Atxi looked over at them. “Aren’t you meant to be talking me into staying?”
Hans smiled, and gestured at Titanus. “He might. I won’t.”
Titanus didn’t bother to deny it. “I’m a soldier. You don’t send your people to the opposition, even when there’s no fighting.”
“That’s a soldier’s view. Me? I’m an activist.” Hans gave the other side. “I want everyone to have what they want. What they need. From the Free Love Hippies being told they’re shameful to sleep with whomever they consent, to the growers who were told their crop were legal and medicinal one minute, and criminal threats the next, to the Founding Fathers told that there are no nations to build, to the straight up ordinary people who just want to eat a fat steak, or smoke a cigar…” He gestured at her. “And the people who escaped one destructive religion and don’t want to join any other. This world is a peaceful, loving place; but it only accepts people like themselves.”
Atxi couldn’t help the question. “What about Ramensti?”
Hans smiled at her. “If what you need is people worshiping you, that’s your choice. If nobody decides to kneel, that’s their choice.” He shrugged. “Who knows. Somewhere out there, maybe someone desperately wants their Pharaoh to command them again.” He looked at her earnestly. “Atxi, I’m not sure that what you want, and what you need are the same thing. But I know that you haven’t found either of them here.”
Atxi looked down. “You might be right.”
“This Commune isn’t meant to be a hiding place. It’s meant to be a place where people can be themselves. You came here because you didn’t agree with the world in general. Is there one person on this Island who believes what you do?”
“I don’t even know what that is anymore.” Atxi confessed. “Maybe… maybe I was coming here because I was hoping to find a new ‘truth’.”
“It’s an Island, Atxi. The only things here are what we brought with us.” Hans almost laughed. “Go. Find your truth. Let it strengthen you. It’s pretty clear by now that you haven’t found what you’re looking for. In fact, the only time I see you smile anymore is when the Nicholas is in port.”
~oo00oo~
“So, I was wondering, could I come with you?” Atxi summed up an hour later.
James seemed very happy to learn that Atxi was leaving the Island with him. James was a well known figure on the Island, but something of a loner himself, since he spent almost all of his time out in the world too, acting as their supply line.
“It’s not that I don’t approve. Of the Christians, or the Undecided… I just don’t fit with either of them. Not really.”
“People like it when everything fits in neat little boxes.” James nodded, unsurprised. “For people who are not ‘all in’, one way or the other, you have to find your own way. There were a few members of my crew who found their niche after sailing away from everything they knew.”
“Think I’m the same?”
James smiled warmly at her. “Atxi, you haven’t left everything. You’ve still got me here.”
“Could be I’m just looking for my own Truth.” Atxi murmured with a wry smile, feeling warm at his look.
“You’ve been talking to Hans, haven’t you?” James quipped.
“I don’t know why you hate him so much.” Atxi commented.
“Because I know his type. You know I haven’t joined the Believers either, but I can tell you that Hans doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.” James scorned, even as he turned the wheel. “Every idea being equal and permissible sounds good. I was a Pirate, of course I like that idea. But I had a captain once who thought it best to shoot a crewmember now and then randomly, just to keep the rest of us on our toes. If he thought we weren’t working fast enough, he’d just pull out a pistol and there’d be more food to go around the next meal.”
Atxi shivered. “Sounds nasty.”
“It was evil. But that was his way of doing things. Tell me again how everybody should be free to do things their way as they like?”
“I didn’t say I agreed with him.” Atxi shot back. “The Island isn’t where I want to end up. I thought it might be, but I was wrong. I’ve been hiding here for too many years.”
James nodded. “Well, if there’s somewhere you wanna go, Miss Atxi, I’d be glad to take you…” He gave her one of those looks again. “To be honest, I’ve wanted to have you back sailing with me again for a while.”
Atxi felt warm for a moment. James had always been nicer to her than a Pirate would be to most. She knew his love for the Ocean. He wanted to show her something important to him, and have her company while he sailed. And if she was honest, she liked it when he came back to the Island. He told her stories about the Old Days. The battles he’d been in, the places he’d seen. They were exciting tales.
“I figured it out, by the way.” She said quietly.
“What’s that?”
“When we first arrived, neither of us could figure out why we Returned so far north when we both died on the far side of the world.” She looked at him. “Because Irsu was my best bet for a teacher. Someone who had faced the same realization about false gods that I had to. And Karen was a good teacher for you. Someone not fooled by a lot of happy noises when the reality was darker; someone who favored straight talk over ‘sugarcoating’ when discussing heavy topics. They were both up north.” She shivered. “And so was Huitzilin and Lancewood, both people who went north to escape their pasts.”
James smiled a bit. “Funny. I thought we both arrived up North within a day of each other because… Well, because we could find each other.”
Atxi felt her heart give a solid thump. Maybe Hans was right.
~oo00oo~
Huitzilin had apparently moved in the thirty years since she’d seen him last. This was not unusual. A lot of people were on the move. It was an accepted part of life as an eternal, that new experiences kept you ‘young’.
She found his contact details quickly, and went up to the ship’s deck. “Set course for…” She checked again to make sure. “The World’s Fair Expo.”
“Southern California.” James nodded. “It’s close. Less than a day.”
He went to the Bridge, and then they were sailing again, gliding across the ocean swells. Atxi prepared a meal for them after a few hours.
“I miss mutton.” James sighed as he sat with her. “You’re a fine cook, Atxi; but I miss meat and salted pork. I’d settle for a fish, to be honest; but I haven’t been able to catch one in years.”
“I’m told that eating greens is good for sailors of your time.” Atxi countered. “Something called ‘scurvy’?”
“Less of an issue, in this world.” James admitted. “But yes, this many greens would have been a prize, in my time.”
“But you prefer other prizes.” Atxi guessed. “You won’t find it, you know.”
“You’ve been reading my notes.” James guessed. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t pleased. He was… cagey, waiting for her to declare, before he expressed his opinion on the matter.
“The other things you might be able to find.” Atxi told him. “But that Cross? I’ve seen the historical documents. The Cross was a religious Symbol. All the icons have been destroyed, from every faith.” Her mouth had become a very thin line. “Even the Temples. They’re gone, James. The world embraced a madness so complete that they burned down half the planet looking for anything like that Cross. And what false icons the World spared, God finished off himself.”
James regarded her. “Yes.” He said, still non-committal.
Atxi looked back at him. “I know. I just declared my Temple to be one of those ‘false icons’, didn’t I?”
“I’ve sailed a lot of the world, Atxi.” James said knowingly. “Back then, Right and Wrong were a fact of geography. Something I learned was that everyone was completely convinced that his way was the only right way, even if he had no problem with other people living their own way even a hundred miles across water. In one nation, you were virtuous until your wedding, or you got stoned. In another, it was honorable to have six wives. In one place, you were ‘noble’ to stone a foreigner to death, and in the next one, you could keep him as a slave, as a sign of respectability.”
“And here’s me, far from my world, not agreeing with anyone else’s moral code.” Atxi sighed ruefully, feeling a shiver. “I had ‘one way’ my whole life, before here. And now I don’t know if this one is any better.” She looked at him. “Because if it is…”
“The more people I saw back then, the more convinced I was that nobody knew what ‘Right and Wrong’ were.” James nodded. “It made being a pirate easy enough. I sink a French Ship, and I get a reward from the British. And vice versa. Pirates made our own places, set our own ‘right and wrong’. This world… everywhere outside the Island has the same way now. I don’t agree with it, but it’s easier to keep track of local customs whenever I sail, considering there’s only one set of ‘customs’ left.”
Atxi nodded, looking to the horizon. “I had the same thought.” She admitted. “Don’t tell Hans, but I’ve been following the Witnesses.”
“Following?”
“On the database. Every day there’s something new. I’ve been reading everything they put out, watching all the interviews… I even agree with what they’re saying. Peace and love overcoming old hates. Spiritual treasures being more important than material ones. What we owe to each other, and to the Creator… I agree with a lot of it.”
“Is that why I’m taking you to the mainland?” James asked casually.
Atxi shook her head. “No. I just… I can’t. I gave my life to one Altar. I can’t go through that again.”
~oo00oo~
The World’s Fair Expo was a place designed to showcase all the possibilities of technology and imagination. The Expo was also a school for the most advanced of minds. Plenty of people had wasted their potential for invention and education in the old Days, trapped by laws, prejudices, or economic necessity, and now had the chance to spend eternity exploring the secrets of the universe.
The sorts of things invented by these people would have been fanciful or science fiction in any other time; but the world was remaking itself as something clean and pure and wonderful. The Expo reflected these values, with towers and meeting places that were as much art as industry. The whole city seemed to shine, like something bright and playful was living in its streets.
Atxi looked straight through it. She was going a particular way. The one part of the Expo that didn’t stand out as different or particularly advanced was The Community Centre, where the meetings were held.
She’d searched for his name on the Expo terminals, and found that he had a posting at the Education Centre, teaching people about history. It was the sort of thing Atxi had been offered by Drew Thorne, but in more of a ‘classroom’ setting.
He also held the position of ‘Elder’ among the Witnesses, which meant he wasn’t just teaching about the history. He was also teaching the Bible.
As before, Atxi found his name on a schedule. The meeting was already underway.
~oo00oo~
Ward was in Walter’s home, collecting a few things. He was running the Co-Op now, and that meant he was in charge of their books, their mailing lists, and other assorted acts of management. Walter had kept all that in his home office, and with Walter out of town, it was a good opportunity.
Walter had been withdrawing more from his neighbors. Ward knew why. Walter was aging, and none of the people in the area were doing so. It made for a certain distance that Ward had been unable to break through.
These thoughts chased him when Walter’s phone rang. David hesitated for a moment, and answered. “Walter Emmerson’s phone. This is Ward.”
“May I speak to Mister Emmerson, please?”
“I‘m afraid he’s not here. He’s in California on business.”
“My name is Mallory. Would it be possible to get contact details for him?”
~oo00oo~
“Consider the early civilizations. They all had the same idea: That there were many different gods, and that you could worship as many as you liked. There were fanatics in every temple, of course; insisting that one deity was better than another; but on the whole, there were whole Pantheons that people prayed to, had icons for… And why do you suppose that is?”
Atxi took a spot in the doorway again, out of sight. Huitzilin hadn’t changed a bit. He was still holding centre stage, weaving a lesson for those in the audience.
“Satan was in charge of that world. Satan was the first person to suggest that maybe there should be an alternative to Jehovah. Satan was the first person to present the idea that there could be an ‘other god’. There were numerous examples in the scripture, of Jah’s followers being led into worshiping idols and other altars. For the nations that opposed God at the time, that wasn’t a big deal. They all had dozens of different gods. Worshiping more than one? That was normal life for them. So why did Jehovah get angry about it?”
Atxi was expecting to get angry again. Those ‘nations’ included the one both of them had been born to. And yet…
“Jehovah is the only God that has always demanded exclusive devotion. Right from the start. It was the first Commandment. Even in the ‘last days’ of OS, the churches and temples would agree that you could attend other services if you wanted; more interested in lip service and contributions than any thought of who was receiving Praise. In those days, the overriding thought was that there was good in all faiths, and that you could believe in ‘a little of everything’.”
And yet, here we are. Atxi thought. Now I’ve got years of meeting people who followed some other deity on the Island, realizing what blind fools they all are, praying to Zeus, praying to Jupiter, praying to Ra…
“Now we know better. People who prayed to a statue or a carving were shown to be deceived. The Universe wasn’t put here by anyone else. Why should Jah share the credit for that with a carved piece of wood? The original belief that there was a practical alternative to Jehovah God came from one place only; and that is from The Devil.”
Atxi stared, not comprehending what was happening to her. She had come to confront him. To tell him off. To rage against him for so easily betraying their old ways and going along with the crowd.
Old ways that you don’t believe in any more. She reminded herself. You haven’t seen any sign of any other God listening to your prayers since you met Irsu…
“Of all the gods and goddesses that anyone ever bowed to, Jehovah has demanded your exclusive devotion for the entirety of human existence; and now you can see why.”
There was a round of applause at that; and Atxi took the opportunity to slip out. She wasn’t angry with him. Not even a little bit.
And now she had to figure out why.
~oo00oo~
While waiting for Atxi to finish whatever she was doing, James checked his messages. He didn’t have many. One or two members of his crew had returned, but he was ducking them, for now.
He had a new message from Mallory.
James,
I got a new lead on that Necklace. I traced the 2014 bill of sale to a man named Walter Emmerson. You lucked out. Not many fat-cats from that era made it here. He was in New Roma, but I’m told he’s somewhere around the Expo, trying to do some business. I haven’t approached him yet. His contact details are included, along with what I could find about the path your pretties took.
James read the message twice, and noticed Atxi was back, reading over his shoulder. “I know you think it’s silly, but.”
She shushed him. “I’m not in a position to tell people what they should care about.”
James tapped the message. “This ‘Walter Emmerson’ is at the Expo.”
Atxi put her arm in his. “I have no plans for the rest of the day.” She said. “What are we looking for?”
“A necklace, owned by a Spanish Duchess. My crew… liberated it, and planned to ransom it back, in exchange for certain concessions about sailing in their waters.”
“So, it wasn’t so much a prize, as a hostage?” Atxi drawled. “What made a necklace that valuable?”
“It was given to her by a Admiral of their Fleet, as part of the spoils from one of their many wars in the south.” James explained, before he blanched. “Oh. Come to think of it…”
“It was probably plundered from my people?” Atxi commented archly. “Oh, this is going to be a fun day.”
~oo00oo~
Walter answered the knock on the door of his Dormitory Room, and found David. Walter sighed. “Of course.” He said, unsurprised. “Alright, come in.”
David did so.
“Europe to California is a fair trip, even with the new Mass Transit. You came all this way to talk me out of it?” Walter asked, not really expecting anything else. “I’m not breaking any rules, you know. It’s not gambling.”
“That’s not why I’m here at all.” David shook his head. “I figured you might be a little depressed today. You are every year, around this time.”
“I miss Christmas. It’s hardly limited to me.” Walter excused.
“We go through this every year, Walter.” David said lightly. “Why Christmas? It’s not like you’re exactly ‘Christmas-sy’.”
“How would you know? You’ve never had one.” Walter countered. “In fact, back when we first met, you actually asked me what the word meant.”
“Well, I know you. A big feast? You can have one every day.”
“Minus a turkey, or ham.” Walter countered.
“And gifts? You never accept presents, so much as make out IOU’s.”
“I don’t like owing people any obligations.” Walter countered. “At Christmas, it’s expected.”
David shook his head. “I know I wasn’t there, but I can’t imagine a world where you have one or two days where you’re ‘allowed’ to be generous and giving; and the rest of the year expect reciprocation.”
Walter was about to answer, when his Device buzzed. He checked it. “I have a message… I don’t recognize the name.”
~oo00oo~
It took a while to arrange the meeting, but eventually, they were all in the same room. David played host, intrigued by the story. James, Walter, and Atxi. There was an uncomfortable moment as they all realized they were all aging. The percentage of the population that looked their age was a very small minority, outside the Undecided Colonies.
David was more aware of it than any of them. A Congregation Elder, surrounded by familiar faces, all of them Undecided. “I remember you two.” He said quietly as he put out a tray of snacks for them. “You were there for Walter’s first meeting.”
Atxi nodded. “James and I came back on the same day.”
“So did you.” James said to Walter. “I remember, because you and I were the only ones at that first meeting that looked out of place. I don’t believe you saw me. That’s something of a coincidence, isn’t it?”
“I’d be suspicious too, but you should see the kind of improbablities that stack up when they’re just building a house.” Walter commented.
David nodded. “But that’s not why you looked him up, is it?”
“No.” James was only too happy to get them all back on topic. “Back in my old life, I was… shall we say… Freelance.”
“He was a pirate.” Atxi translated, not balking at his outraged look. “What? You’re think you’re going to fool them? Who’s interested in a six hundred year old necklace?”
“Necklace?” Walter repeated.
“A Spanish Necklace, circa 1600’s.” James clarified with a sigh. “It belonged to a royal, and was liberated, by me. Then from me, upon my death, it was taken by Pirate Hunters, and given by the First Officer of a ship called the Mariposa to a young woman of the evening in a Barbados port town-”
Walter couldn’t help the smile. “Alright, as much as I find this fascinating, I’m afraid I can’t tell you much. I had an Antique Scout that handled that sort of thing. He would have found items that would have been good investments, and I would have signed the cheques.”
“I know.” James said plainly. “They were routed to a ‘safe deposit box’. My investigator was able to track the bill of transit, but it was two hundred years old; so all I got was your name.”
“Mm.” Walter nodded. “My antiquities were in storage at a Private Security Vault in the McKellan Building in New York. I’m told the city isn’t there anymore; let alone… I was trying to divest all my movable goods anyway; so it might have been moved.”
“Wait.” David repeated, biting his lip. “A Necklace? Jewels, gold band, locked in a safe in a New York tower vault?”
Walter stared at him. “You know something about it?”
David had his device out, and started tapping at the screen. “Give me a moment.” He turned the screen around. “Is this it?”
Walter looked at the picture. A woman with greying hair, standing between David and Hitch, all dressed up for a night out at some exclusive event. Walter had seen people dress for such things, though it wasn’t an everyday practise. In the picture, the woman was wearing a gold band necklace, with precious stones set into it. “That’s it.”
James looked at the necklace in the image and nodded. “Yup. That’s the bit of shiny itself.”
David sank his face into his free hand. “Well, this is awkward.”
“I know that woman.” Atxi pointed at the picture. “I met her once, when I first arrived here.” She shook her head at her improved memory. “I don’t know how I remember that, but I do.”
“She’s my mother.” David sighed. “I was a little kid, and working as an apprentice. We were recovering something fragile and valuable from a Vault in New York City. The place had been abandoned for over a century. Took us a while to find it, and along the way we found some other stuff. I was about ten years old. Figured mom might like a new necklace.”
“Well, slightly used.” James said with understatement.
“Drew Thorne is your mother?” Atxi was staring at the picture. “Yeah, the necklace belonged to the Temple Priestess. If the Spanish got it as part of their pillaging, I guess it means the temples were taken after all.” She looked to James. “Well, until you got to our conquerors.”
“And then Hunters got to me.” James quipped. “And whoever got to them, and passed it on to Walter.”
Walter shook his head, almost laughing at the conversation. “This conversation is surreal in so many ways.”
“We’re always the temporary custodians of all the things we own, Walter.” David said lightly. “But, as it happens, I was on my way to see my mom next week. She’s curating a history exhibit at the Museum of London. If you like, I could give her a message, or set up a meeting.”
“Excuse you, but the last owner of that ‘bit of shiny’ was me.” Walter put in.
James calculated. If the necklace was a museum piece, or if it was owned privately, either by Walter, or by a fully recognized, eternally-young citizen of this world, he’d be unlikely to get it back. “No, never mind. Thank you for your time.” He said politely, and mentally crossed the Necklace off the list of Treasures.
~oo00oo~
“I know David’s mother.” Atxi said as they walked back to the Docks. “At least, I know of her. She met me early after my Returning, and asked me to sit with her a while, tell her all about my time, my people… I never did get back to her.” She almost laughed. “I never would have expected to run into her son after this long.”
James shook his head ruefully. “We wondered if we were all brought back in the same time and place for a reason. Could be the connections go a lot further than just thee and me.”
“I’d like to go to London.” Atxi confessed. “I haven’t seen much of this world, and I’m starting to realize that was a mistake. I may look old now, comparatively; but I don’t feel it. Not yet. Telling an expert in other cultures all about my own, keeping some of it alive; seems like a good way to spend some time.”
James turned to stone. “London? Really?”
Atxi looked surprised. “Is that a problem?”
“Well…” James hesitated. “When you said you wanted to leave the Island and come with me, I didn’t realize that what you meant was ‘I need a personal carriage to take me places’.” He cleared his throat hard. “And London? I’ve been to London-Town only twice in my career, Atxi. Both times, I barely made it out alive.”
“You know that’s not an issue anymore.”
“Of course I know that, but… Who knows how much time either one of us has left?” James’ fist was clenching and opening as a bit of a nervous habit. “You sure you want to spend your life on something like that?”
Atxi stopped, startled by that. “As opposed to what?” She countered. “You’ve been chasing the wind yourself, James. And I’m not talking about the weather. Are those trinkets what you want to spend your time on? Because if I wasn’t here, you’d be doing that, right?” Her gaze narrowed slightly. “Or is that the problem? That I’m coming to other ports with you this time?”
“Meaning?” James asked, annoyed at her tone.
“Well, you’re the first Pirate I’ve ever met, but I hear they have a reputation for being… possessive with things they want. And also for having a girl in every port… I imagine the island might be the only place in the world left where you could, now that ‘every port’ isn’t quite so-”
“HEY!” James snapped.
“Well, am I wrong?” Atxi pressed. “Are you saying if I stayed on the island, you’d have stayed with me? For what? For company? You take off every time your supply run is unloaded. Why should I build my life around your boat?”
“I’m not saying you have to!” James argued. “But I had a course of my own charted, and I would have liked your company along. Now, it seems, I’m heading to London; a place I actively avoided for much of my life, because you have someone you could chat with there. I don’t know if you noticed, but the world is full of ways to talk to people on the far side of the horizon, luv.”
Atxi settled through sheer force of will. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She said tightly. “But the point of leaving the island was to look for something I couldn’t find where I was. So I will be going to London.” She took a deep breath. “I’m told the Aircraft haven’t had a single accident in over two hundred years. It’s probably time I tried one.”
James looked down. He’d pushed too far. “I know the world isn’t quite so predatory as it was, but you’ve never been to a city before. Not a modern one, anyway. It may not be like it was, but it’s still a city with many, many people in it. The noise alone... All seas are treacherous when you get lost. Do you have someone to… escort you?” Ask me, please.
“David offered to make sure I reached my flight, if I decided to go by air.” Atxi bit her lip. “Irsu would meet me on the other end, if I asked him to.”
Somehow, from his reaction, Atxi got the sense that this was the worst part yet.
She pulled her head in a bit, feeling awkward. “I don’t really have anyone else outside the Island to call; and he’s been trying to get in touch since I left, every few months. I’ve been ducking his calls and… well, he was the first person I met when I got here. I’d like to see him again. It’s been years.”
James nodded, withdrawing. “Of course.”
“What are you afraid is going to happen?” Atxi asked him, suddenly angry at him. “Irsu and I aren’t-” She almost said it. Like you and me. “But I don’t have anyone else to call. No family, which is a nightmare, no friends beyond you and him. So yes, I’d like to see more than this ship, which I have seen and traveled on before.”
James’ mouth became a thin line. “Of course. My apologies for the… presumption.”
~oo00oo~
Atxi had little, but the people in the Dorm were quick to supply her with things she needed for a trip to London. She had made no announcement to the people at Dinner, but in her room, she found a travel bag with maps of London, a new change of clothes, contact details for all the public Dormitories and Community Centres in the area; and some food for the trip.
“I have no idea where it came from.” She remarked to David. “Someone left everything I’d need and didn’t even stop for me to say ‘thank you’.”
“Most of the human race is on the move at some point.” David was unsurprised. “You leave in the morning. Were you planning to get an early start?”
“I usually do.” Atxi admitted. “It’s strange, but one of the lifestyle habits I never shook was the way I always got up with the dawn. Don’t know why I bother. Transit like planes and trains are usually on time, but nobody else seems to take schedules seriously. I’ve met people in this dorm who honestly don’t know what year it is.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t tell you when my birthday is to save my life.” He agreed. “How long have you been back in the world, Atxi?”
She froze. “Huh. I’m honestly not sure. Decades, at least.”
“Some people keep a journal, day to day. Some people just don’t worry about time anymore.” David checked his Device. “I have a stop to make between here and the Airport. If you don’t mind a slight Detour to the Community Centre…”
~oo00oo~
“How did you find me?” James asked as he sat down. “I woke up to a note waiting at my ship. Are you still tracking her somehow?”
“Nono, try that again.” Karen said lightly.
James took off his hat. “Apologies. Good morning, Miss Karen. It’s been some years; and wonderful to see you again. You haven’t changed a bit; wish I could say the same about myself.”
“So do I.” Karen said under her breath.
The cafeterias weren’t the only place to eat. There were small cafes, open plazas where vendors found regular customers; and the off Diner. The entire spectrum of where people went to meet and dine together was represented somewhere in the world. Karen had invited him to a small cafe that catered to people that had just arrived at the dock.
“So, how did you find me?” He asked again.
“I got a call a few days ago from your Investigator.” Karen reported. “Your phone was off, and you weren’t responding to your Holo; so he started looking for a contact point. It didn’t take much to figure out where you’d docked; and I knew you wouldn’t be staying in the Dorms.”
James shook his head. “All this ‘instant communication’ would have made being a Pirate impossible.”
“I found the Stargazer.”
James’ eyes flashed. “What?”
“Your old ship? I tracked her down.”
“I did the same myself, years ago. She was found by a surveying team-”
“They found the wreck. The news you didn’t find, was that they salvaged more than the cargo.”
James nearly dropped his cup. “WHAT?”
“The Stargazer was rediscovered by Surveyors some years before A-Day. Treasure hunters took the cargo. Most of the wreck was unsalvageable, but what was recovered was sent to the Museum of London. A structure that survived A-Day, and is still in operation, I believe.”
James was intrigued. “What parts did they keep?”
“Hard to be sure. A lot of the records were wiped out by the passage of centuries, but there are Restoration Teams cataloguing everything.”
“Well then.” James said with dark irony. For a moment, he looked upward, as if to pose a question, but he said nothing until meeting Karen’s eyes again. “London. Of course. To London, then.”
Karen didn’t stand up. “And then what?”
James paused. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to London to look for the fragments of your old ship?” Karen repeated, clearly not believing it. “Come on. You can come up with something better than that if you want to fool me, Pirate.”
James paused, looked to her, and sat down again. “Back then, there was a difference between ‘legal’ and ‘right’, wasn’t there?”
“I’d say yes.” Karen nodded.
“It’s… not that I’m not repentant, about the things I did.” He said finally. “Some things more than others.”
Karen’s eyes flashed, intrigued that he was finally opening up about his past. “For example?”
James fought all his survival instincts for a moment. Sharing information about the Crew was dangerous, for him, and for them. But deep down, he knew they weren’t his crew anymore, and probably never would be again. “Smitty.” He confessed. “He was my friend. My brother.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I get the idea that ‘all men are brothers’ here, because I already had that with some of my crew. The Pirate life isn’t a safe one. I lost a few to attrition, some more to combat. Smitty… I killed him myself.”
His eyes flicked to her, expecting judgement, or at least some disapproval. She just gave him a steady look and gestured for him to keep going. “Tell me about him.”
“Well, he caught me-”
“No.” She interrupted gently. “Not how he died. Tell me about him. This world is a place for the living.”
James hesitated. “‘Smitty’ wasn’t his right name. He never actually told me what is was; and it hardly mattered. He was born Dutch, but the Ocean is home for Independents.” He said finally. “He was younger than I was. We met on our first tour. He was selling pages out of his Bible.”
“Selling pages?” Karen repeated. “Why?”
“He was…” James shook his head at the irony. “He was a believer. Was raised by a church-run orphanage, I suspect his mother couldn’t admit to him. So he was raised by a Vicarage, and he was in training to join the clergy.”
“You put together a Pirate Crew with an ex-Vicar?” Karen found that very amusing.
“Something happened, he wouldn’t say what, and he decided to go elsewhere.” James pushed at his breakfast, not really seeing it. “Seemed to me that he did it for the same reason I did. You saw something you couldn’t stand for, was told that was how the world worked, and decided you’re rather rebel. He sold pages out of his Bible, so that some of the men could roll their tobacco into a shape they could smoke. That was how I met him.”
“And you stayed friends?”
“Our Captain, on the second tour, was a monster. I took him down. Smitty supported me, and… Yeah. That was how we started.” He looked away from her, out the door of the cafe. “How we ended, was at the end of each other’s swords.”
“And you regret that.”
“I regret all my sins, Miss Karen. The point was that in some ways, the rules of this world are not at all unlike the rules of my own. The things that those in power considered ‘wrong’ and what I considered ‘justice’ have never been in agreement.”
“And sometimes they are.” Karen pointed out. “Like Smitty.”
“Yes.” James admitted. “I was very much in the wrong that day.”
Karen sipped her juice slowly, letting that hang in the air for a moment. “James.” She said finally. “Your first day here, I remember the meeting was on the topic of how ‘we could do nothing against Jehovah’. You disliked that idea. But what you didn’t consider is that all the things you regret were wiped out too.” She smiled a bit. “I remember when I made a really bad screw-up, my mom used to tell me: ‘In a hundred years, who’s going to care’? Well, I died way too young, and A-Day came a lot sooner than a century after that.” She pulled out her device. “On the subject of regret, let me show you Romans 6:21. ‘What, then, was the fruit that you used to produce at that time? Things of which you are now ashamed. For the end of those things is death.’ And you, James; already died. What more can one ask?”
“You don’t understand.” James said plainly. “I wasn’t exactly there for any of that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Would it be more merciful if God boiled you in a lake of fire and brimstone for a few centuries first?” Karen scorned.
“I’d feel like I owe Him less. Him, or my crew.” James returned. “I know they’ll be back too. I know that’s the whole point. So I had better be prepared to make an accounting for my sins towards my people.”
“What about your victims?” She shot back. “You’re still trying to find the treasures you stole. Are you prepared to give them all back? Because I don’t think you’re trying to find these ‘priceless relics’ you lost to return them to their rightful owners.”
“The people I stole from weren’t the ‘rightful owners’ any more than I was. Not by any measure, except for the laws they wrote for their own convenience.” James scorned with real hatred. “But now, in a world where everyone can live forever, they can keep what they have, at last. You have any idea what that would mean?” James pressed, getting more excited again. “After centuries and centuries of changing hands, the truly priceless things stop moving. We’d be the eternal owner of what we actually deserve. I saw Smitty’s eyes when he… I can give it all back to him.”
“And then maybe he forgives his best friend for a sword through the heart?” Karen said with sympathy. “You know that isn’t…” She trailed off, knowing he wasn’t there yet.
“I know.” James told her with unshakable confidence. “In this world; the only things that exist are the things that matter. Trust me, what I was trying to do was far more important than make money.”
Karen looked over, surprised. “Then… What were you trying to do?”
He gave her a sideways look. “We find my ship, maybe I’ll tell you.”
Karen smirked. “That works for you, doesn’t it? ‘Get what I need, and maybe you’ll get your cut’?”
James chuckled. “I know. Not exactly how it works here, but it’s how things go when you’re a Pirate.”
She nodded. “You can play your cards as close as you like, James. It’s not my business.” She sipped the last of her coffee. “But don’t think I didn’t notice you changing the subject. You aren’t going to London for the pieces of your ship. I mean, what would you do if you found them?”
James hid his response behind his cup. “Come with me, find out.”
“To London?” She seemed surprised. “I have final exams on some of my classes; but I can meet you there. I assume you’ll sail your own ship. I take a flight, I might even beat you to London.”
James kept his face even, but was glad to hear it. Unsupervised? Better and better.
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