Putkwyz, Ch.5, The Spirit of Zacon

5



The Spirit of Zacon



In the morning after I woke, as usual I found Mawgri already departed for work and my drawing of the paraglider gone with him. In its place was a pass from Sacacon, allowing me to study the book of the Saca god Zacon, and a coin and a note from Mawgri: “Give this to the priest of Zacon. It will quicken your steps.”

I ate a little, dressed with a toga over my body suit (to deter a lot of licking), and set out for the temple in which the logbook of Captain Hennessey was kept in a special vault.

Luvark drove me and helped me adjust the toga, so I looked more like someone used to wearing one. He and I had bonded from the moment of the assault: I suppose he considered me worthy as a warrior; now we had become partners.

I brought a camera with plenty of memory; I wanted to record the entire book to study at my leisure. I would skim each page while taking the photographs, but I knew I would need more time to thoroughly digest Hennessy’s story.

The Kandizam temple in which the book was kept was built into a cave in the side of the mountain opposite the capital of Sacawyz. Luvark parked in a dirt car park, and I labored up fifty meters of stairs to the cave while he watched from below. At the entrance to the cave stood an altar around which gathered a small crowd of worshippers, who burned incense and dropped coins into a collection box. Since none of the poor worshippers had ATIs, I couldn’t understand everything they murmured as I walked by them, but I made out a few familiar Putkur words and phrases: “save us,” “war,””god,””help Sacacon.”

At the mouth of the cave, I presented my pass to the ecclesiastical guards who were dressed in brown robes—just as the ones who had attacked Mawgri and me in the bazaar. They read the pass and waved me in, bowing. I walked in and was greeted by a bowing priest; I recognized the signature flowing robes from the telecast. I nodded and gave him the pass.

He read it and said, “Za Malcolm, come this way. It is a pleasure to serve a visitor of the Sacacon, Zacon’s representative in His Putkeen realm.” He had an ATI.

“Thank you.”

“How far did you come?”

“Many parsecs.”

“Did you come to see Zacon?”

“Not specifically, but now that I have some knowledge of him, I am curious to know more.”

“One who comes to Zacon with the spirit of Zacon is welcome.”

“I bow to Zacon,” I said, giving a slight bow and handing the priest the bright gold coin worth fifty zees that Mawgri had left beside the pass with a note. The priest took the coin, which quickly disappeared beneath his robes, and led me to the concrete vault whose metal door already gaped open like the mouth of Zacon. Inside was a pedestal and under glass on the pedestal rested Captain Hennessy’s logbook. The interior was lit by lanterns.

The priest said, “I will close the door while you read, so you will not be disturbed. How much time do you need?”

“Two hours should be sufficient.”

“Zacon bless your endeavors,” he said as he closed the door, so I was alone with the book.

I removed the glass cover and set it on a ledge that ran waist high around the wall. I opened the book to the first page. Starship logs were kept both digitally and in hardcopies as a backup system; once the spacecraft had ceased operating, the log could be continued only by hardcopy. I assumed the writing was in Captain Hennessey’s own hand.

The first page read as follows:

06/22/2348 CE, 9:17 Zulu


Our launch from the Martian space station went off without a hitch. We left at 23:02 Z yesterday and have already left the Solar System. The new drive is working like a charm. Breakfast has been served to all the crew and my staff is cleaning and getting ready to prepare lunch. I wanted to make this first entry as soon as I could on our first day out on our mission to explore dwarf star systems within 30 light-years of Earth.


23:09 Zulu


All meals went well this first day. A skeleton staff is left to cover the needs of the late shifts.
I chuckled to myself. Captain Hennessey had been the mess officer. No wonder I had never heard of him. Everyone knew about Admiral Yakimoto and General Zhiskov, but Captain Hennessey’s story had never been told, although he had had a very important function. A starship had a crew of several thousand humans. At least a thousand, probably 2500, would have been elite soldiers under the command of General Zhiskov, although everyone aboard would have been trained in combat with the newest weapons. Admiral Yakimoto had been in charge of the ship and everything on it including its crew of thousands and the exploration force of other hundreds, plus the pilots and crews of all the auxiliary craft: interceptors, attack fighters, repair lighters, lifeboats, freighters, and landing craft. Those thousands of people had to be fed multiple times every day. The mess officer had to make it happen: he had not only to prepare menus and oversee preparation, but he had to store and ration what he had and keep all fed and contented.

I pulled my camera from the folds of the toga and began clicking, photographing every page. Turning and clicking. Turning and clicking. Until I reached page 42 which stated the conditions that started the end of the Golden Hind:


08/03/2348 CE, 19:21 Zulu


My crew had just begun supper service when the Admiral’s voice came over the speakers to inform us that the ship was being influenced by an unknown force, and the bridge was struggling to maintain course. The scuttlebutt is that the ship has entered some kind of vortex that is pulling us off course and putting a strain on the ship’s superstructure.


22:00 Zulu


We have been ordered to man all auxiliary craft and launch into space toward the Crab. A distress call has been sent earthward. We are abandoning ship.


I decided I had better finish my photography before indulging in any more reading and wondering. The book ran to 305 pages, which told me that Hennessey had survived for 263 days after the disaster that destroyed the Golden Hind. I turned and clicked until I had reached page 305, which said only the following:

05/04/2349 CE, 06:08 Zulu


T will leave this book for Envak, and then I will kill myself.



I turned off the camera and replaced it into the folds of the toga. I checked my watch. I had been inside the vault for one hour and thirty-seven minutes. I had twenty-three minutes to kill, so I opened the book again and turned to page 43.



08/04/2348 CE, 07:15 Zulu


Last night I took my best cooks and cleaners onto the freighter Martian Moons, which I knew was loaded with foodstuff. Commander Morales was the pilot and welcomed us aboard although he told us we would have to sleep on the corridor floors as all the bunk space was taken by his crew. We had brought our weapons and armor with us. I made sure everyone in my unit was as comfortable as possible before the launch. Morales took us away from the Golden Hind at 23:06Z. Once we were safely away, he told us that he was heading toward a red dwarf system that was not far away. He estimated we would arrive in a few days, but it was hard to determine an exact ETA. I realized I would have to ration our food and needed a headcount, I counted my staff in the corridor: 24. Morales told me his crew numbered 8. However, when the first meal was served, 16 other individuals showed up (Including Mjr.T). They had come aboard during the general rush and had set up camp in an empty food bin. We had 49 souls on board. The freighter had a small kitchen, but I took it over with the captain’s permission.



As I finished the page and contemplated its import, I heard the vault door being opened. I closed the book, replaced the glass cover and went to the door to wait. The same priest pushed the door wide and bowed. I stepped out and said, “Thank you. I will inform the Sacacon of your helpfulness.”

“Zacon go with you.”

The faithful Luvark was leaning against his car as I started down the steps. When I was about halfway down, he looked up, saw me, got into the car and drove it to the bottom of the steps to pick me up.

On the way to Mawgri’s villa, I asked Luvark if he was hungry.

“Yes, Za Malcolm, it has been a long morning.”

‘Stop if you like. I’ll buy you whatever you like.”

“Will you eat?”

“No, I can wait until we’re at the house.”

“Then, I will wait, too.” He was devoted and would accept no more than I would accept for myself.

At the villa, the cook had already begun lunch for the house staff, so we joined them. (Mawgri had had everyone implanted with ATIs for my convenience.) Luvark and I sat at one end of the polished wood kitchen table while on the sides were the gardener, the custodian, the valet, and the housekeeper. The cook’s place was at the other end, but he was up and down serving us mashed taloos, tak bread, steamed wyrd, and kepoc chops. The table was silent as each Putkur and I imbibed. I knew that conversation during a meal was not the custom; besides, since I was considered nobility and their superior, they would wait for me to broach a topic.

Once everyone began sighing and grunting to show their satisfaction with the meal and their full stomachs, I said, “May I ask a general question?”

They bowed and said, “Of course, my lord.”

“What do you think of democracy?”

Only Luvark had mastered reading, so they were somewhat hesitant.

The cook said, “I don’t know much about it, except I hear Kunwyz is our ally, so the Sacacon must think it is ok.”

The valet said, “But you know a lot about cooking.”

“Thanks for saying so.”

The valet continued, “As for democracy, I think it will be good. Pardon me for saying so, my lord, but when the wind blows it puts grit into the eye of the lord as well as the common folk. Isn’t that so?”

I said, “Indeed it is.”

The gardener said, “I hear that we will all have to learn to read and write.”

“Yes, that is what Sacacon wants. If you vote, he wants you to be educated to make informed decisions. Luvark reads and writes, so what do you think of democracy?”

Luvark looked around at the table, but he didn’t look at me. “I have served the Sacacon all my life, but learning to read and write opened up my mind and made me realize that education is the key to advancement. Even the Sacacon would make poor decisions if he wasn’t aware of everything around him because he can read and write.”

The custodian spoke up, “I’ve been thinking about learning to read anyway because with all the new technology, everything is becoming more complicated.”

The housekeeper said, “But we all love Sacacon.”

That statement was greeted with a chorus of “Yes, yes. We love him.”

The valet said, “My Lord, is it true that Radimeer is threatening us?”

“Indirectly. Emperor Kra is threatening his neighbors, but the Sacacon knows that if he isn’t stopped now and is allowed to take over his neighbors, Saca would be next.”

The gardener said, “The Radimeen will be sorry. We will all join the battle lines and fight.”

I stood. They stood and bowed.

“Thank you for the wonderful meal. Please excuse me. I must continue my work.”

As I walked away, I heard the staff murmuring. A lord had never before sat down and eaten with them. He heard the cook say, “All I want to do is cook. These changes make my head swim.”

End of Chapter 5
 
Malcolm is, of course, excited by finding the logbook because he knows that at least one earthing survived the crash.  He now has something significant to report.
 
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One True Love 24

8

There’s a point in the future

That we cannot see,

But whose permanence

 And persistence

Is foretold

By numerous clues.

We pre-see darkly,

Knowing only shapes

And colors.

The essence can be

Recognized only at the time

When it is there.

 
"8, There's a point in the future" was first published in Two Wholes Make It Total, 1978.  The persona hints that he might have waited for his new true love if he had been more aware of both himself and what he needed, but accepts that such a revelation can't come without experience.
 
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One True Love 23

VIII

On sunny days

Her smile reminds

Me that I could

Begin again.

My memory reminds

Me that I would

Hurt her and

Close dark doors

On bright hopes.

 
"VIII, On sunny days" was first published in Memento, 1976. The persona's memory makes him reluctant to attempt another relationship.
 
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One True Love 22

VIII



Long hours, hours spent delayed in haste,
Our Lady Day has worked and wrought her way,
Until her trees are sagging, streams laid waste.
No time was spared to let her mind away.


So Day in patient expectation waits
For gentle Night to lay his velvet cloak
Upon her shoulders, summon her to sate
Her weariness in soft, secure repose.


And Night in shining new amour does come,
He sparks brightly, mellow strides his pace.
Then Day with well-contented face lies numb
Inside regenerative Night’s embrace.


And so you pass the time and wait for me,
And I in time will come and we will be.

 
"Sonnet VIII" was first published in Son(love)nets, 1975.  The romantic persona compares himself to a personified Night (and an implied knight) that will come to rescue and comfort his one true love, who is Day personified (Lady Day: an allusion to Billie Holiday, who found little rest and comfort in this life outside her music).  The metaphor is a clever conceit, but once again, the persona seems to be doing all the steadying in the relationship while the one true love seems needy.
 
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Putkwz, Ch.4, Head of State

4



Head of State



A half an hour later, the servant returned for me. “Za Malcolm, the Sacacon will see you now.” I put the magazines aside and followed the servant into a spacious office in which Mawgri and a richly dressed yellow-and-green-scaled Putkur sat at a table of dark, polished wood. The walls of the office were covered with books and a bank of blank television screens sat in the middle of one wall. I surmised that since the televisions were not on, they were a relatively new technology with few channels and only intermittent viewing times for Saca; the constant sound and kinetic movement of the screen had not yet become part of the Putkeen consciousness.

The servant announced, “Your Majesty, Za Malcolm, the traveler from another system.” I bowed and approached, unsure what I should do. Sacacon was a large Putkur, as the leader of warrior tribes had to be, strong and erect and confident. He seemed also to be in good physical condition, as someone who didn’t indulge in intoxicants and exercised his body.

Sacacon eased my uncertainty. He gestured for me to come to him. “Sit next to me, Za Malcolm, let me sense you.”

I sat at the table next to Sacacon, imperial in satiny red smur and brilliant, luminescent purple and blue feathers of the aubligado bird. His tongue licked my forehead very quickly—not a sloppy, wet lick—but a dry touch as if fingers had wiped my brow.

He said, “Tell us about the place you come from.” I looked at his face, which held such an open expression, and his eyes seemed so inquisitive that they launched my treatise.

Therefore, I explained where in the universe Earth was, how we were a federated system much as existed on Stuwkrik, how our technology was similar to that of the Stuwkreen, although perhaps a little more advanced. How our planet had suffered periods of war and tension much like Putkwyz was going through, and I sympathized with him.

He surprised me by saying, “Malcolm, let me ask you a question. Did you once have kingdoms and empires on your home planet?”

“Yes, for centuries”

“Why did they disappear?”

“Eventually democracy took over, gradually supplanting all autocratic systems—especially as literacy became almost universal.”

“Mawgri tells me that things happened in such a way on Stuwkrik, also.”

Mawgri nodded his assent.

“Then I think I should promote democratic reforms in Saca, although I don’t necessarily want to give up the throne that my ancestors established hundreds of years ago. What should I do?”

“You could set up a constitutional monarchy, with yourself as head of state, but laws made by consent of a legislature. Your family would remain wealthy and powerful, and if you invest your money wisely, you could have wide influence with your capital.”

“I see. I’ve already mandated eight levels of schooling for all citizens. In ten years, I want to have democratic towns and parishes. After that will come a parliament of nobles and representatives of each parish. What do you think?”

“That’s very wise, Your Majesty. You will be a hero to your people.”

“Then I will retire to a life of study and writing except when called to state functions.”

“How did Kunwyz become democratic?”

“Just as you said. Kunwyz was made up of small tribal polities whose leaders had always been chosen by the tribal members. It’s a mountainous country, so each tribe had its own valley. The tribes had some early wars among one another, but eventually established a peace that all the tribes signed. At first a king was named to oversee the continent. Each tribe took pride in educating its people, so they have always had a high rate of literacy. For trading purposes, they built a road system connecting all the valleys. They have a wealth of hydroelectric power and became industrialized before other regions of the planet. Now, they have a federation and are the wealthiest people on the planet per capita.”

“They are threatened by Radimeer, aren’t they?”

“Yes, but Kunwyz and Saca have just signed a mutual defense treaty. We hope that together we can stem the forces of darkness.”

“I saw in a magazine that Radimeer outguns you in almost every area.”

“Yes, its numbers are impressive. However, we have an edge in technology that we hope will be a vital difference. Of course, those are state secrets that I cannot reveal even to an impartial stranger. By the way, all soldiers must be taught to read and write.”

“Not impartial. I will be pulling for your side.”

“I’m glad to hear that because war is looming more inevitably as each week passes. Mawgri tells me that you have an interest in our religion, Kandizam.”

“Yes, I do. I would like to look at the unreadable book of Kandi. I may be able to interpret some of it. And I would also like to go up Mt. Zaput.”

“I will let you look at the book under one condition.”

“What is that?”

“That you tell me truly what you find.”

“I promise.”

“Then you may see it tomorrow if you wish.”

“I do.”

“I’ll send a pass allowing it.”

“Going up the mountain is more difficult as the religion allows no one except me to go up the mountain, which I have never done except once when I was much younger. I found nothing of interest but wild beasts and a cave, most of which was blocked by fallen rocks. However, there is another way to reach the top than by climbing.”

“What is that?”

“One device that the military has developed is a parachute, by which soldiers can be dropped behind enemy lines and pilots can avoid death. If you went up in an airplane and jumped out with a parachute, no one could stop you. On the way down the mountain, you can say you were blown astray by winds and landed by accident. I can have a representative waiting to escort you safely away.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. To repay you, let me design the parachute I will use. It’s a more advanced design and will allow your soldiers to guide their chutes to specified landings. You keep the design as yours.”

Sacacon slapped the top of the desk to show pleasure. “Mawgri, I like your friend and am glad he landed in the Za System. This conversation has been very pleasant for me, and I am surer than ever that Saca is on the right track. However, state business beckons, so I must leave you now.” He rose.

We rose and bowed and said “Our honor, Your Majesty,” and he left the room.

The servant returned and showed us the way out into the dark, cold night. At the foot of the slope, Luvark waited with his yellow car.

I asked Luvark if he had learned to read because I had never seen him reading.

“Yes, Za Malcolm. I am a soldier of Sacacon. We all learn to read.”

Back at Mawgri’s villa, Mawgri and I got ready for bed, but he paused in the cleaning room and said, “Malcolm, you did very well tonight, but I have a suggestion. Tomorrow you are going to read the book, aren’t you?”

“Yes, if I can.”

“When will you go up the mountain?”

“As soon as I can arrange it.”

“Do you have a diagram of the parachute you will make?”

“No, but it won’t take long to draw. It’s a simple structure, but the fabric must be impermeable.”

“If you have the drawing ready in the morning, I can drop it off and have it made for you in two days.”

“Then I’ll do it before I come to bed.”

“Good, and I have a change I want to make in your plans. After you’ve finished on the mountain, let me fetch you from the mountain in one of my ships; then you won’t have to worry about getting past the ecclesiastic guards on the mountains.”

“That’s fine with me. But will Sacacon be offended?”

“I don’t think so since I’ll be carrying papers for him to Kunwyz. I’ll get you off the mountain and we’ll go directly to Kunwyz.”

“So that was the business you had with him?”

“That and other things.”

“He seemed to like me.”

Mawgri put his strong hands on my waist. “Yes, but not as much as I do.”

“That’s different.” I kissed him. He rolled his tongue over my forehead.

He said, “Now, go make your drawing; then come to bed. In the big desk are paper and pens you can use. There is also a book of measurements for all our planets.”

I found the implements, drew carefully, showing the dimensions in Putkur measurements.
Pleased with my work, I returned to Mawgri’s bed to enjoy his company and showed him the drawing.

“Ah, a clever device for atmospheric planets! But tell me the words and I will write them in Putkeen. Then we can erase the English words; they would give away your knowledge of the book.”

“That’s right, they would. Thanks.” We both went to the desk. I told him the words and he wrote the Putkur words and erased the English words.

Then we went happily to our warm bed.

At this point, I should inform the reader, who might be conservative enough to become apprehensive at the prospect of men sleeping together, that we were not lovers in the physical sense of the word. We were platonic, but very affectionate toward each other. The emotional connection was real enough and strong enough, and we did kiss and hug and snuggle, but the true sex act was never performed. After all, we were not only not of the opposite sex, but also not of the same species.

End of Chapter 3
 
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One True Love 21

7

I finally disdained

The unfinished buildings

Whose insecurities

Had engendered faltering.

Only your complete

Brilliance climbing

Through the sky

Could possess

My imagination.

"7, I finally disdained" was first published in Two Wholes Make It Total, 1978.  The persona compares his new true love to an architectural wonder while contrasting her to those incomplete personalities that came before.

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One True Love 20

VII



It takes memory

To bring leftover love

Surging through my palm

Onto the bare white sheet.


"VII, It takes memory" was first published in Memento, 1976.  Since the persona seems to be a one-woman man, nothing arouses him more than remembering the touch of his one true love.

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One True Love 19

VII



St. Valentine’s brings pagan impulses
Quick pounding through our red dilating veins.
Heads turn in forest shadows, consciousness
Spreads darkening fingers through a rich domain.


No danger here! It is but debauched I,
The ancient Dionysus searching glen
And mountain for a love with which to lie
And revel morning, night to dawn again.


Then Aphrodite comes and lays her charms,
Her iridescent flesh and silken hair.
My lustful will and cynical alarms
Are left to wander, but my self stays there.


Thus heat and light, our energies, combine.
Together, we ignite to burn and shine.

"Sonnet VII" was first published in Son(love)nets, 1975. An allusion to the ancient Greek god and goddess passes through the Christian St. Valentine.  The persona seems to be providing all the heat in the relationship, but his beloved all the beauty.

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Putkwyz, Ch.3 "Serious Games"

3



Serious Games


Relaxing after dinner over a game of Rubostio (a multidimensional board game with chess-like features occupying a three-tiered board: a few noble figures of high value and great power combine with many lowly pawns), I asked Mawgri who he thought our attackers had been.

“My guess is that they were assassins sent by Kra’s minions,” he said, but with his warm yellow eyes still centered on the board.

“Why? Because you trade with Saca and Kunwyz?”

“And don’t trade with him. I suppose he thought that removing me would put an end to trade, but it wouldn’t have. Another would have taken my place.”

“How?”

“No one is irreplaceable.”

“Of course, but it wouldn’t have been easy because you have special status being both Putkur and Stuwkreen.”

“That does make things easier. I know both cultures, both languages, and have characteristics of both beings. By the way, I have put your crystal emperor in a tight situation. You can now hope only for a stalemate.”

I returned my attention to the board. Sure enough, my emperor was surrounded on level two, and all I could do was trade crystal piece for obsidian piece until all major pieces were exhausted. Even so, I could not win. I tipped the crystal emperor over. “I concede. I’m going to practice when you’re not around.”

He laughed and said, “Don’t forget: tomorrow we meet with Sacacon.”

The next day I woke into the dim morning light of Putkwyz to find that Mawgri had gone out early for business and left me to my own devices.

After breakfast, I did have plans. I wanted to learn more about the religion Kandizam. I turned on Mawgri’s television and found a religious channel that was showing a Kandizam ceremony. A central person, the priest or shaman dressed in flowing robes, gave small portions of brown crackers and a dark plum-colored liquid to worshippers, who bowed before eating and drinking the small items. The sacrament was given first to the men on the right and then to the women on the left; in public the sexes were always segregated. After the sacrament came chanting of prayers and lighting of candles and burning of incense (which looked suspiciously like slazza). The altar had no image, for to make an image of the god was apparently forbidden. Unfortunately, my automatic translator works only being to being, not machine to being, so I had to listen to Saca Putkur speech, which I was just beginning to understand a little. I caught enough to know that the ceremony ended by hailing Sacacon, God’s ruler on Putkwyz. My question was this: Was Kandizam just a Saca religion or was it a planet-wide religion?

Then I looked through Mawgri’s library and found a book titled Kandizam: the People’s Religion, but written in Putkeen. Fortunately, it had pictures, whose captions I could decipher with the help of a Putkeen dictionary. The first picture was of a sacred mountain, Mt. Zaput, on which the god Zacon and his messenger Kandi had come to the planet. No one was allowed to go to the top of that mountain. The second was a painting of a green-glowing humanoid form, the god himself. The third picture was of the Saca Mot, the holy book, the Putkeen words that the god had given to the people, so they could live righteous and worthy lives. The fourth was a book written not in Putkur but in the language of the god itself. No one could read the words in that book, for none knew the letters or the sounds the letters made.

However, I could read the title; it was in English. The title in English was Log for Captain Christopher Hennessey of the Golden Hind. I knew the story of the Golden Hind, although I had not heard of Captain Hennessey. The Golden Hind was an exploration ship that had set out from Earth centuries ago to find new systems where humans could live and, if possible, to bring back wealth to Earth. It had headed toward the Crab Nebula as scientists had discovered in that direction stars that had planets of approximate Earth size and a distance from the star as Earth was from Sol. The last contact from the Golden Hind had been a frantic transmission that they were being pulled into a vortex of some kind. No other transmission was received. Earth had assumed that the crew had been lost.

Evidently, one crew member had survived, had managed to reach the Za System, landed on Putkwyz, and had started a religion or, more likely, had tried to teach his eclectic version of religion to the inhabitants of his new alien home. If that were true, I had a hunch that Kandizam would be a muddled imitation of one of the religions that had originated in Earth’s Asian regions.

My mind, now familiar with the topography of Saca, could imagine the first encounter between a technologically advanced being from Earth and the inhabitants of Putkur, who at that moment of contact would have been limited to arbez transportation and iron weapons. They might have had the wheel, although that was uncertain. The mountain—which I now very much wanted to visit—was the place where Hennessey’s spacecraft had touched down. Perhaps some Putkurs had seen the strange craft flying through the air and thought it was a chariot of the gods. Perhaps one or two brave souls had gone up the mountain to see it up close. If so, they would have confronted a being that glowed greenly because the early force-fields that Earth scientists had developed had been infamous for that green glimmer that indicated the perimeter of the field. Captain Hennessey would have had that green glow around him and it would have cast its verdigris shadows over him.

If his force field had been working, then he would have seemed invincible to the Putkurs, whose weapons could not have penetrated the field and who would have believed him to be a god. If he had asked for food, they would have offered plants and animals on an altar for him. With his weapons (gunpowder or laser) he could have seemed to be creating death from lightning and thunder. Perhaps that one person who first encountered him became his spokesperson, his spin doctor, and taught him the language of Putkurs. Then he and Hennessey wrote down the laws that all Putkurs should follow, creating the Saca Mot.

What had happened to Captain Hennessey? I very much wanted to read the log book and go up Mt. Zaput. I knew the answer would be either in the book or on the mountain or perhaps both.

After Mawgri returned home in mid-afternoon while the sky was its lightest and brightest gray, I told him what I had discovered and why I wanted to go up the mountain and read the log book.

He was astonished, but since he thought religions were mumbo jumbo anyway, the revelation was humorous to him. He had a good laugh, but then a caution. “Well, you have thoroughly amused me, but I don’t think these things should be revealed to the general population, some of whom take the religion very seriously.”

“What about Sacacon? What would he think? If he gave permission, I could read the book and go up the mountain.”

“I don’t know. To go up the mountain is strictly forbidden; even archaeologists have been warned to leave the mountain alone. To read the book is not, but you would have to explain how you could read the book. I could tell him that you think you might be able to interpret some of the book based on other languages that you know. That might get you in to see the book without too many questions. However, Sacacon, as politically astute as he is . . . even if he feels the same way I do . . . would never let the revelation into public since the religion gives him dominion over everything on Putkwyz.”

“To read the book would help a lot. As for the mountain, how about this? Since I’m neither Putkur nor from the Za system, the religion doesn’t apply to me. Could you convince him of that?”

“Maybe. I’ll try.” Then he paused and looked at me. “Are all your people as forward looking as you? They must be incredible people.”

“The Stuwkreen have done as well.”

“I suppose we are a close second to Earthlings, but we haven’t ventured beyond the Za System.” He identified himself as Stuwkreen even though he was part Putkur; his father had been Stuwkreen and he had grown up mostly on Stuwkrik.

“Because you have many livable planets and moons nearby. We were desperate to find other places to live.”

“That is true. We have a saying on Stuwkrik: Necessity begets all exploration.”

“We have a similar saying.”

“You know there is one planet closer to Za than Stuwkrik. We call it Mynçu. It is larger than Putkwyz and rotates very slowly. Our scientists have proposed that it could be terra-formed if we set down on the dark side and set up polarized bubbles that would absorb much of the heat and rays during the long daytime. With solar panels we could produce enough energy to run everything during the long dark night. Others say to land in the polar regions and live there in the dim twilight and slowly work our way up and down to the equator.”

“Either could work . . . or both.”

“Well, Malcolm, it’s all speculative for the moment. Such attempts are years away. So, let’s get ready to see Sacacon.”

To visit the great Sacacon, we had to dress formally: shiny black boots with long woolen socks, body suits of shiny white smur, and greatcoats of kepoc wool and gwarg leather softened to a warm suede dyed (blue for Mawgri, ochre for me) and with ruffled cuffs and neck of the feathers of the aubligado bird (yellow for Mawgri, red for me). We had matching wool inside suede gloves. For hats we wore wide-brimmed, ear-flapped hats with once again wool encased in leather, but this leather was smooth and hardened. When I looked in the mirror, I thought I resembled a Cossack dandy, if such had ever existed. Of course, we wore our mandatory weapons.

When I stepped out into the black night, I was greeted by the chilly air and my breath expired in clouds of moisture. I understood the need for the thick, warm clothes.

Once again, Luvark proudly drove us in his assigned yellow car. He let us out at the foot of the palace slope, where we mounted an elevator that carried us up the slope to the entrance to the palace, a yellow concrete wall with an iron grill gate. Above the yellow wall spaced fifty spaces apart were the red and purple pennants of Sacacon. All along the elevator slope were armed guards, and armed guards opened the gate for us after checking Mawgri’s identification.

A servant dressed in yellow smur led us into the palatial foyer, past paintings of former Sacacons, and sculptures of other heroes. He took Mawgri’s card and left us standing. We took our hats off, and I looked around and at the far end of the room I saw a Kandizam altar. Before it two guests in togas bowed and lit incense.

The servant returned and asked us to follow him. Instead of leading us into the throne room, he led us down a long hall to an antechamber that was brightly lit with electric lights ensconced along the wall. Many soft couches and chairs in yellows and reds were spread throughout the room. Beside each grouping of furniture were small tables holding carafes of water and magazines. I followed Mawgri to a central red couch and we sat. Mawgri seemed very much at ease, even a little bored. I poured myself a glass of water.

I said, “How will I know if it is all right to bring up the subject of Kandizam?”

“Oh, he might bring it up himself. If not, I will introduce the subject.”

“How well do you know him?”

“Better than most. Since I am not a subject, he treats me more as an equal. We’ve had some very interesting conversations. He really is quite intelligent. Besides, he relies on me for my insight into Stuwkrik and my relations with its leaders.”

The servant returned and announced, “Za Mawgri, the Sacacon will see you now.” Mawgri rose, said something about “business first” and followed the servant into another room. I remained stuck to the couch, frustrated that I had not been included in the meeting.

I passed the time looking through glossy Putkur magazines with splendid color photography and graphics. The first magazine I picked up seemed to be a kind of architectural digest with pictures of beautiful homes, palaces, churches, and commercial buildings. My Putkur was too limited to decipher much of the written articles other than to get an idea of the focus.

Another magazine was some kind of scientific journal, also with colorful photography, and with articles about breakthroughs in science. “Hrinthum may not have been correct!” blared the title of one piece. I didn’t know if Hrinthum was a person, an object, a procedure or a system; but my limited Putkur had allowed me to understand the smaller words. The pictures illustrating the article showed a view of the Za System in three dimensions, which was labeled “Hrinthum blah blah”; and a second picture in which things were stretched and bent, labeled, “blah Hrinthum.” The pictures reminded me of the difference between the Newtonian universe and Einstein’s universe. Were Putkurs on the verge of realizing the space-time relativity continuum and nuclear physics?

A third magazine was current events reportage. I assumed the pictures were of famous Putkurs. A central article was about the two great empires: Saca and Radimeer. A fold-out illustration showed the military capacity of the two. A stylized soldier holding a weapon in red represented Saca’s force; in black, Radimeer’s. Even though Saca was larger and more densely populated, its forces were three-quarters the size of Radimeer’s. Next were armored vehicles: Radimeer led 5-1; bomber aircraft, Radimeer, 3-1; fighter aircraft, Radimeer 4-3; submarines, Radimeer, 2-1; aircraft carriers, Radimeer, 3-2; battleships, even. I could see why Mawgri considered the Radimeens the greatest threat; their empire was a regional powerhouse militarily and seeking global influence (If not, why all the aircraft carriers, bombers and armored vehicles? Those are offensive weapons.)

The most interesting read was an agricultural newsletter featuring an article on the cultivation of one of Sava’s most valuable products: smur.

Smur was produced by arachnids deep inside the earth in dark underground caverns. The arachnids—blind, poisonous, long-legged spider-like creatures—spun the smur threads from their brown-and-black bodies, coating the silky gossamers with a substance that was both gooey and smelly, having the adhesiveness of glue and giving off the stench of rotting meat: a perfect trap for small, hungry critters.

Over centuries the cave-dwelling spiders (Kot) had been bred to hang their silken threads deep inside dark caverns. They were also bred to produce longer and stronger strings, and their diet had been studied and enrichments added to their feed that was scattered onto the webs.

The threads glowed with a phosphorescence, so they illuminated the black rocky interiors and drew dinner (traditionally, hungry grubs, skittering and flying bugs, small rodents) with the odor of decaying flesh, into the iridescent, sticky, smelly webs. The careful breeding and feeding had produced a domesticated horde of constant weavers and spinners who could spread a three-meter diameter web in a few days.

Harvesting was simple. Agricultural laborers in protective suits, masks and gloves carrying bright lanterns entered the webbed chambers. The glaring light drove the light-sensitive spiders into the cracks and crannies of the walls. Then the workers used delicate rakes to pull the webs down into carts. A single chamber could fill four to six carts.

The raw smur was consolidated and shipped to a factory where the sticky, smelly substance was desiccated and the dried flakes and powder blown off the fibers. The powdery residue was not wasted, but was deodorized and combined with liquids and made into tightly bonding glue. The clean fibers were then dyed or bleached and woven into the famous soft, satiny material that was the hallmark of wealthy Putkurs.

End of Chapter 3
 
The complication builds.  To find the answers for his mission, Malcolm is willing to undertake untraditional, even risky, activities.  Fortunately, he has Mawgri to help smooth the way.
 
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One True Love 18

6

One had been a rough circle;

One, a cold, hard ring;

One, a heavy, solid disc;

The best were merely

Concentric or tangential

Ripples in my life.

But you were the complete globe,

Round, textured like the earth –

A life-giving sphere.

 
 
"6, One had been a rough circle" was first published in Two Wholes Make It Total, 1978.  The new true love amazes the persona with how much she brings to the relationship.

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One True Love 17

VI


Someday is

A time that used to be

But slipped under the door

And away because

You weren’t quick,

You didn’t hold it fast!



I weary of

Residual futures.

 
"VI, Someday is" was first published in Memento, 1976.  The persona despairs at the loss of the one true love.
 
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One True Love 16

VI



Adventure could be gotten once or twice
By leaving on a valiant sailing ship
For sunny clines or lands of snow and ice
Where mysteries are found with each wet dip.


Or one could course the steaming jungle, thick
And plush with animals and verdant life;
For there would be strange creatures, coarse or slick,
And there constant, romantic, primal strife.


And even now, the planets, stars are there
For those whose drear existence gets them down;
They need not stay attached to earthly care
When other worlds are reached by thrust and bound.


Yet such are found in your enchanting sight:
Excitement, joy, mysterious delight.

"Sonnet VI" was first published in Son(love)nets, 1975.  The romantic persona continues to be enchanted by the one true love; in fact, he seems to replace all adventure with the one relationship, but to limit oneself that way may be a foolish thing to do.

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Putkwyz Ch2 Fuel for the Body and Soul

2

Fuel for the Body and Soul

I had never ridden in a gasoline powered car; they had long been superseded on earth by cleaner, quieter forms of transportation. The fumes the gasoline car gave off were noxious and smelly, and the internal combustion engine made a lot of racket, a kind of churning throb, and when it picked up speed, it roared. From my knowledge of history and ecology, I knew that any species whose dominant form of energy was fossil fuels was doomed to destroy its planet. On Earth, the internal combustion engine is still used in racing, but it is fueled by cannabic ethanol, which enhances the race for all involved.

The car rumbled over asphalt streets, which added to the carbonic odor. Around us I saw Putkurs going about their business. Most were poorly dressed in ragged and worn clothing homespun from fupil reeds or kepoc wool and bowed to the car as it passed, for at that time in Saca only the wealthy could afford a luxurious form of transportation. The peons assumed nobility was passing. The proletarians walked, or if they rode, they rode in wagons pulled by arbezes or on public transportation: electric trolleys or steam-driven trains: the first was a clattering, shaking ride; the last, a noisy, sooty ramble.

Women were noticeable by their absence from public. This planet was ruled by men for men. Women were the property of and servants for men. Women rarely ventured out alone; if one appeared, she was accompanied by a man. Occasionally, groups of women might be seen shopping together.

The car stopped at the entrance to a bazaar, a marketplace for the merchants of Saca. Mawgri and I got out. Mawgri said something sotto voce to the driver, and then we headed into the bazaar lit by incandescent lamps that flickered and glowed sending a yellow suffusion of light throughout the mall.

Beside the entrance to the marketplace was an altar to a god, and several poor people in typical roughly woven tunic and trousers were lighting incense and dropping coins into a collection box. The blue smoke of the incense spiraled upwards and hovered in the air, giving the nearest lights haloes of smoky light.

I asked Mawgri of what the Saca religion consisted.

He said, “I’m not a religious person. Organized religions are repugnant to my spirit, although I suppose they have their moral uses among the illiterate masses. To me they are just organized magical thinking that leads nowhere.”

“What is the religion called?”

“Kandizam.”

“What are the beliefs of Kandizam?”

“Let’s see . . . I studied this in school . . . so it should come back to me. . . . Ah, yes, the central idea is that God [Zacon] created all Putkurs, that all Putkurs who believe in Him will be rewarded in this life and have a sweet afterlife, that all Putkurs should be good to one another, and that all Putkurs should obey the Sacacon, who has been anointed by God to oversee life on Putkwyz, and all women should obey their fathers and then their husbands.”

“Sounds familiar.”

“All religious mumbo-jumbo covers the same ground. Of course, the advent of the Stuwkreen threw a wrench into all that gobbledygook. How could the God of the Putkurs protect them from a superior species?”

“But you said there is a balance of power. How is that?”

“The Putkurs are brave warriors and have effective weapons: machine guns, flame throwers, rockets and missiles. No one else would want to tangle with them man-to-man or woman-to-woman. The Stuwkreen do not want a war with them; they do not want to conquer them, but they want to make them more civilized before their space-flight technology develops to the point that they could attack other planets. Already they have rockets that can exit their atmosphere. They have seen our spaceships and would like to buy some, but so far they have not gotten their hands on any.

“The Stuwkreen are encouraging education and democratic reforms. That is why they support the democracy of Kunwyz and also the Saca Empire because Sacacon is considered enlightened through education.”

“An educated populace will be needed to support both democracy and the new technology.”

“I know, but this planet is a long way from that. Literacy runs around 5-10 percent in the tribal polities and only 25 percent among the empires and kingdoms; education is expensive and exclusive to the nobility and priesthood. The democracy Kunwyz, which has public education, has around 78 percent literacy. Sacacon has instituted reforms: he is building schools in every town and mandating that every citizen go through a minimum of eight levels of schooling to learn the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic and science. Saca’s literacy rate has already climbed to 38 percent.”

“Sacacon does seem enlightened.”

“He is, but he is also an autocrat. Autocrats do not usually surrender power easily . . . at least in my experience and understanding.”

As we talked, we passed colorful stalls selling every item available in Saca: foods from the three civilizations, radios, phonographs, record platters, appliances, tools, weapons, ammunition, armor, office supplies, jewelry, clothing, shoes, hats, and pets.

Merchants had developed into a third class, below the traditional nobility but above the peasants and workers. Some, who had begun mass-production, assembly-line techniques in factories, were becoming quite wealthy. Others were forming businesses around distribution and selling of the new products. Others were making money from pulling minerals and fuels from the earth. Others were creating wealth from managing other people’s money. Others had become artists and writers. This merchant class had begun educating their children and represented 28 percent of the literate. The traditional nobility represented the other 10 percent.

The poorest, illiterate 62 percent were the ones for whom the new schools were being built. Some of the teachers for those schools came from the merchant class. Others were Stuwkreens who, after being implanted with translators and learning Putkeen, came for a salary higher than they could earn on Stuwkrik or the Putkwyz moon, called Huppof (Faraway Neighbor) in Stuwkreen but Putgiwyz (Little Putkwyz) in Putkeen. Even female Stuwkreen were permitted to teach, although they had to live in dormitories and were shuttled to the schools in buses.

Huppof was a bone of contention between the Stuwkreen and the Putkurs. Since the Putkurs had not had spaceflight capabilities until recently, they had never lived on that moon, although their astronomers had discovered that it had a livable atmosphere and seemed to be supporting life forms of its own. This information had been available for a couple hundred years to the educated elite, since its scientists had developed glass-grinding and constructed telescopes. They had even determined that conditions on the moon were perhaps even more livable than on the home planet. They wanted to go there but could not. Their aviation industry had discovered the secrets of aerodynamics, but their winged vehicles had been able to penetrate no higher than the third layer of their own atmosphere. Now rocket technology had allowed them for the first time to send Putkurs into space and two from Kunwyz had orbited the planet.

The Stuwkreen, on the other hand, had long ago developed spaceflight technology. They had been leaving their planet for hundreds of years, had sent robotic probes first to both Putkwyz and Aasheen, and then to their moons, and so knew that intelligent species already inhabited both planets. However, no intelligent beings inhabited any of the moons, not even Huppof, although that moon teemed with plant and animal life. Their first manned flights went to Huppof, which they saw as a relief outlet for their heavily populated home planet. At the same time that Putkurs were learning their moon’s secrets by telescope, the Stuwkreen were landing and developing colonies. Now tens of millions of Stuwkreen lived on Huppof and thought of it as their home. The Putkurs resented this because they thought of the moon as belonging to their planet, even though they had seen the Stuwkreen spaceships coming and going and knew others inhabited the moon.

On the more barren moons, the Stuwkreen experimented with terra formation. Most intensively, they were attempting to terra-form their own three moons, the moon of Aasheen, and the other smaller moon of Putkwyz.

Terra forming, as I knew, was a slow process. First came liquids and gases, then rudimentary plants that could live in those liquids and gases, then more advanced plant life such as stromatolites, followed by one-celled animals and then insects and worms. Techniques for rapidly advancing each step had been developed, but decades were needed before carbon-based, oxygen-breathing intelligent life could safely live on such moons or planets. (I remembered that we had taken three centuries to successfully terra-form Mars. Of course, it had been our first attempt—very experimental.)

“Here we are,” said Mawgri outside a structure that seemed to be an office building. I followed him in. We were bowed to, of course, and I felt the eyes of all Putkurs on me—a being they were all seeing for the first time.

Mawgri led me up a flight of stairs and we entered an office. A secretary in a white body suit rose and said in Putkur, “[Za Mawgri, welcome. Let me announce you.]”

“And my friend Za Malcolm from the Sol System. “

“[Yes.]” The secretary bowed. He spoke into a telephone and then led us into another office. After we entered, the secretary shut the door behind us. Ahead was a desk at which sat an overweight Putkur in a green body suit and a rose shoulder cape. He bowed to us and offered us seats before his desk.

“[Welcome, Za Mawgri and Za Malcolm, to Five Continents Distributors. Did you bring your cargo manifest?]”

Mawgri said, “Yes, Boleen, and I assume you can pay me.” He pulled a sheet from his valise and handed it to Boleen. “Here is a list of all that I have brought with each item’s cost and the total cost tabulated.”

Boleen looked over the list and grunted to show his appreciation. He inspected me with one eye as if judging my monetary value. “[Good, very good. We will both make nice profits from all these wares. Where are your ships?]”

“They should be unloading at your warehouses as we speak.”

Boleen picked up his phone and dialed a number and spoke into the phone. “[Have the ships from the other planets landed? . . . Yes? . . . Very good.]” He hung up and grunted again. “[You have done well, Mawgri. I have a list for you, too. These are things for which we have a growing demand.]” He handed a paper to Mawgri.

“I will do my best to bring all I can. But, I will need the money.”

“[Here is your check already prepared.]” He handed Mawgri an envelope.

“You are very efficient.”

“[And you are very dependable. You have never failed us. May I invite you to dinner?]”

“Thank you, Boleen, but Malcolm and I have much business to attend to and will not be able to take any pleasure this trip.”

“[Too bad. My favorite restaurant has a troupe of Diwok dancers. Very entertaining.]”

“Again, thank you, but we mustn’t.”

Boleen rose and bowed again as we left.

I said as we exited the building, “You said I would be licked, but no one has licked me.”

“No, since we are dressed as nobility, no lesser person would dare to do so; it would be considered an insult. Tomorrow you will be licked plenty.”

“How much did you get?”

“Over 200 million zees.”

“That’s a lot of dough.”

“Not bad for one distributor.”

“You have others?”

“My ships are landing at four distributorships in Saca and two in Kunwyz.”

“How rich are you?”

“Rich enough to do what I want, but keep this in mind. Much of trade is done on credit and honor. I have great credit and am widely trusted.”

“Why don’t you trade with other polities on Putkur?”

“I would be encroaching on my distributorships’ territories. Those distributorships make Saca and Kunwyz more powerful, and the enlightened despot and the budding democracy are the hope of the planet.”

“So you are a politician, too.”

“I understand the social implications of my actions.”

“But doesn’t limiting your contacts help your competitors?”

“Any competitor who deals with any nation other than Kunwyz and Saca would be an outlaw.”

“Aren’t there any?”

“Of course. Greed is not limited to any species, but the punishment is death for any Stuwkreen for trading with unapproved partners. It’s a risky business.”

“Why death?”

“If an enemy of Saca or Kunwyz gets more advanced technology, that destroys the chance for civilized exchange between our civilization and the Putkurs because that makes it more possible for an unenlightened ruler to conquer the more enlightened. Such an event would be disastrous for the planet.”

“Who is the prime enemy?”

“The Empire of Radimeer is the greatest threat. Their Emperor Kra has been building up his armed forces and threatening his neighbors. He has one of the largest military establishments on the planet and he abides no dissent. He hates Kunwyz and is envious of Sacacon. If he acquired a technological advantage, he would attack them.”

As if signaled by those words, several caped and hooded figures moved out of a dark corner toward us just as we neared the exit to the bazaar. I could see the glint of polished steel in their hands. As I looked at those closing in on us, I heard Mawgri say, “Draw your weapons. We have a fight.”

I drew my pulsar gun, pointed at the hooded being nearest me and fired. My target groaned and crumpled. Mawgri fired his laser and another of the attackers fell. The others turned to flee but were cut down by bullets from a machinegun handled by Luvark, who had been waiting and watching for us.

The skirmish ended within seconds of its beginning, and we inspected the downed assailants. The two bullet-riddled bodies were bleeding red blood into the tan dirt floor of the mall. Mawgri’s victim lay with a black hole burned into his brown cape and his chest. Mine had no marks, but he sprawled just as lifelessly because his insides had been scrambled by the wave of the pulsar.

They were Putkurs, but why they had attacked us was yet to be discovered.

Luvark bent over them. “They are dressed as Kandizam pilgrims, but obviously they are not. Pilgrims would never attack strangers.” He pulled back their hoods and capes and examined them more closely. “I think they are not from Saca, their scales are different, but they have no identification on them. They are strong, well-fed. Their weapons are the crooked daggers of Radimeens. They are warriors.”

Mawgri, indicating I should follow his example, stood and raised his left hand and said, “As are you, Luvark.”

I raised my left hand and repeated the words.

“We shall tell the Sacacon of your bravery and skill.”

Luvark raised his left hand in return and said, “We are brothers. Za Mawgri and Za Malcolm, I am your servant.” At that instant I felt a tongue on my wrist, just for an instant, a touch from Luvark, acknowledging our bond that I had invited. He bowed to us once again, and we waited for the police to arrive, so we could file a report.

While we waited, I bent down and examined the wicked-looking knives of the attackers; they were deadly instruments: wide wooden handle for the Putkur hand, round hilt and serpentine blade of forged steel sloping to a deadly point. They were heavy, not for throwing, but for thrusting the cold metal into warm flesh, and ridged to channel the blood pulsing from its gashing wound.

When the police did arrive, we let Luvark do the talking. Within a short time, we were on our way home. The incident was reported as an attempted robbery by thugs.


Luvark stayed the night in a guest cottage inside Mawgri’s compound. He wanted to be available in case another attempt was made on our lives. Mawgri sent him kepoc chops, taloos, rul nuts and nectar fruit, all sprinkled with slazza and served on a silver tray by the house valet.

End of Chapter 2
 
Chapter one identifies the protagonists and reveals their complicated relationship. Chapter two explains the situation on the planet Putkwyz.
 
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One True Love 15

5

“The shadows of the moon

Lead only to the moon,”

He said, grasping

The crystal in his luminescence.

“The stars you see

Are no longer there

In reality.

Light-years have passed

Since that glimmer was cast.”

I turned from his dark eyes.

“I don’t want shadows of the moon.

I don’t want fading glimmers of stars.

I want to be

In her burning brilliance

To be consumed.”

 
 
"5, The shadows of the moon" was first published in Two Wholes Make It Total, 1978.  The persona rejects the shadows of orbs and the light of stars as too far from reality.  For the persona, reality lives in the company of the new true love; she gives both light and warmth.
 
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One True Love 14

V




I wish

         i hadn’t;

         or

         i wish

I wouldn’t remember.

"V, I wish" was first published in Memento, 1976.  This short free verse poem has its main emotional message in the margin-flush lines beginning with capital I's.  Embedded within and indented are lines beginning with small i's.  The implication is that the persona has some guilt or feels some shortcomings in allowing his or her one true love to escape.
 
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