Chapter 8

Rod walked back into his tent. Otatl moved in front of the remaining 8 warriors. His orders were to move away if attacked; his only job was to warn Rod. In the tent, Travlo held the rifle and Rod the pistol.

Dartl, the village Chief, approached the leader of the warriors. Veins were showing on Dartl's forehead. "What are you thinking?" he yelled. "You come into MY village and threaten MY guest."

"The Elders told us to," the warrior said.

"The Elders arbitrate conflicts between villages," Dartl said. "My village has no conflict with another village. The only conflict my village has is with you. That we can take care of, we can kill you and then there won't be a problem. We should kill you for attacking a guest."

Rod stepped back out of his tent. "Dartl," Rod said. "Please don't kill them. They made a mistake, let them learn from it. They didn't know that God is more powerful than the Elders. The two warriors they take back with them can explain. All of you must learn this lesson and make sure that the Elders learn or blood will be spilled and it won't be mine," Rod said to the warriors." Then he said, "Dartl, may I suggest that you ask them to leave?"

"Get the fuck out of here," Dartl said to the warriors.

"Where do you want their possessions placed?" Otatl asked.

"Dartl," Rod said. "Would you give their possessions to the people in the village that need them the most?"

"Yes, Williams. When you are dressed for the cold weather, come to my tent."

"I'll be there soon."

Dartl, Rod, and the Chief's Advisor, Aartl, walked on the paths near the village. They walked slowly because Aartl was suffering from arthritis.

"Williams," Dartl said. "Is that the weapon that you used to kill the welephant?"

"No. It isn't strong enough. I used the rifle to kill the welephant."

"Why didn't you tell me about your weapons?"

"Because he didn't know if he could trust you," Aartl answered.

"Trust me?" Dartl said. "I gave my word."

"But he had to trust you and the whole village," Aartl said. "Even though you are an honorable man, you want such a weapon. Is everyone in the village as honorable as you?"

"Dartl," Rod said. "I trusted you and Aartl but at first, should I have trusted Gavatl?"

"No," Dartl answered. "Not at first, but I think you can now. You won him over when you fought 3 warriors at one time and then you helped heal them. However, I have a warning for you. He will offer you his oldest daughter, for you to say no is a great insult."

Shit. Shit. Shit. "I guess I'll have to say yes then."

"Will you go to the Elders?" Dartl asked.

"Yes. I'll leave in 10 days. I want to surprise them."

"Who will you take with you?" Aartl asked.

"Octal, Aartl, and each of us will take one of our wives. Has Travlo has shared with you the things that God wants the People to do?"

"Yes," Aartl said wearily. "Again and again and again."

"If something does happen to me," Rod said. "Please speak with Chief Atatl of the Southern People and Chief Notl of the Lake People. Try to join with them. Work on numbers, letters, and the other things we have been talking about. It may be that you three are a large part of God's plan."

"The only thing that will happen to you is another wife," Dartl said.

"Better you than me," snickered Aartl.

Rod walked back to his tent. He entered to get out of the wind. Travlo and Trelo were inside.

"Gavatl is going to offer me his daughter," Rod said.

"Duh." Travlo said.

"It is about fucking time," said Trelo. "It's good, she has a good heart. She will make a good wife. She'll be a skanky bitch very soon."

"I'm sure she will," Rod deadpanned. "What do you know about her?"

Trelo looked at Travlo, they both knew what Rod wanted to know; how smart was she. "Her name is Kalo," Travlo said. "She doesn't have big tits but she is smart."

"When will Gavatl make this offer?" Rod asked.

"He would have today but you had to kill people," Travlo said. "He'll offer her tomorrow."

"Were you going to tell me?"

"No."

"Why not?" Rod asked.

"I wanted to see that look on your face," Travlo smiled at him.

"Does she want to marry me?"

"Duh," Trelo said.

oOo

Otatl, Aartl, Elalo - Otatl's first wife, Marlo - Aartl's wife, and Travlo traveled with Rod on the trail to the Elders. Rod was happy to be out of the camp. More specifically he was happy to be away from Kalo. There is nothing wrong with her, except she's 12 fucking years old. I feel like a pedophile. Age appropriate in this society or not, Rod wasn't comfortable playing hide the salami with a 12 year old. He tried to hide his feelings but he wasn't very good at it, which made her feel bad, which made him feel bad, which made him happy to be on the road.

They brought only one tent for the three couples and there wasn't much room. Rod discovered porking with other couples nearby wasn't as sexy as he thought it would be. He liked to concentrate on matters at hand and he found his attention wandering. The others didn't think anything of it. In this society, there was no privacy in a family and little privacy from one tent to another.

Rod was confident that the seeds of a new culture had been sown among the People. If he were killed, it would take longer, but change was coming. Now his thoughts and Travlo's were on staying alive. He would be a politician, equal parts huckster and liar. So far he'd made the Elders eat humble pie, he'd have to feed their egos eventually.

The Elder's village was by far the largest village that Rod had seen. Based on the number of tents, Rod estimated a population of well over 500 people. Rod asked where the Chief's tent was and went to introduce himself.

"I am here," he said. "My name is Williams."

"My name is Bratla," the Chief said. "I have heard of you. What do you want in my village?"

"I'm here to meet with the Elders," Rod said. "May my friends and I have permission to stay in your village while we meet with the Elders?"

"Are you going to harm more of my people or the Elders?"

"Not unless I'm forced to," Rod answered. "I've only done what I needed to do if I was to remain free. Your people tried to take me where I didn't want to go and then your people tried to kill me. If your people do that to me or my friends, more of your people will die. If you treat us as you would any other guests, we'll share ideas with you that will help your children grow strong and healthy. We want to be your friends. It's your choice. You have the free will to decide to help us or hinder us. You will suffer the consequences of your actions."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No," Rod said. "I want to be your friend."

Bratla thought for a moment before he spoke again. "Williams," he said. "You can put your tent at the edge of the village on the path you came in on but I can't give you the full protection of a guest. Dartl spread word of what the Elders tried to do in his village. I have spoken with the men who went to Dartl's village. They didn't like what the Elders' warriors tried to do. Many Chiefs are sympathetic but I can't go against the Elders even if I wanted to. At best, I can stand idle and make my people stand idle, but the Elders have more than two hands of warriors here."

"Thank you for being honorable and telling me the truth," Rod said. "If I have warning I can kill two hands of warriors. I can't if they stab me in the back. Do they have honor?"

"I once thought so. Now I am not so sure."

"Have your men healed?" Rod asked changing the subject. "They are great warriors."

"Great warriors? They said you beat the three of them so quickly they didn't know what happened."

"Maybe," Rod said. "But they wounded me. It is the first time I have been wounded since God sent me here. The warrior with the broken ribs, he almost beat me."

"Who is God?"

Rod went through his spiel.

Before they had even set-up the tent a warrior arrived telling them that the Elders wanted to talk to them. "We'll be there in a little while," Rod said.

"The Elders want to talk to you now," the man said.

"They can," Rod replied. "All they have to do is come help us put up the tent. We can talk while we work or we can talk after we work."

Apparently the Elders didn't like to work.

The Elders had a lodge dug into the side of a hill, not a tent. The front wall was made of stone and the roof of wood and sod. The lodge was old, the stones covered with moss. The trees that formed the roof were in bad shape. They looked like cedar, which last about as long as any wood. Rod now had one more reason not to talk to the Elders. What the Hell.

All three couples stepped into the lodge. As Rod's eyes adjusted to the darkness he could see a circular room with light provided by a hole in the center of the roof. The ceiling slanted up to the central hole. There were holes in the bottom of the stone wall to let air in and a fire burning beneath the opening in the ceiling. Eight old men sat with their legs in a large circular trench around the fire on the opposite side of the fire from Rod's group. A few younger men as well as several women were scattered around the room.

One of the Elders waved his hand toward the trench. Rod interpreted it as an invitation to sit. He pulled Travlo with him and sat, the others joined him.

"We asked only you to come," the Elder said. "Why are 6 of you here?"

"I have been sent by God to join the three Peoples. With me are men from the Lake People and the River People. Also with me are women from all three of the People. When I first came to your planet, I was made welcome by the Southern People, I will try to represent them."

More than a few minutes were spent explaining God, planet, and Earth. Obviously there was some disbelief, but Rod had evidence by way of magic like items and his companions believed him. Maybe Travlo believed and maybe she had fun lying. Rod wouldn't have bet on it. Finally it got down to nut-cutting time.

"Why didn't you come when we told you to?" the Elder asked.

"Because God had told me to do work in Dartl's village before I came to you," Rod lied.

"Now that your work there is done you have answered our call?" the Elder asked.

"Yes," Rod said. "And because God told me to."

"Why does God want to join the Tribes?" the Elder asked. "They have always been separate. It is the way things are. Why change?"

"Who am I to judge God or question his ways?" Rod answered. "I just do what I am told."

"You didn't do what we told you to do."

"You aren't God."

"What is the advantage for the three tribes to join into one tribe?"

You mean what are the advantages for you. "When the three Peoples become one," Rod said. "I said when not if since they will because God wants them to. More children will live, there will be more food. People will not have to fight each other. Life will be easier."

"I'm sorry but there will be extra responsibility for the Elders of course," Rod continued. "In addition to a Council of Elders for each area now held by a tribe, there will be a Grand Council of Elders with three Elders from each area. There will be a Council of Chiefs to make laws, and a King to oversee the land."

"What do you mean by laws?" one of the other Elders asked.

"I mean things like: you can't murder, you can't steal, all persons have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," Rod replied. Liberty and pursuit of happiness took some time to explain.

"If the Chiefs make these laws," the first Elder asked. "What would the Elders do?"

"The Elders would make sure that one law did not conflict with another law and would help see that a wise decision was made when judgment was needed." Several of the Elders nodded their heads at this. As explained by Rod, uniting the tribes would make the Elders more powerful.

"We must discuss this," the first Elder said. "Please leave now. We will talk to you again."

Rod left before the roof could cave-in.

"Husband," Travlo said. "You didn't tell me about your plan. I was worried but it is a good plan."

"I do have a brain," Rod said.

"Yes but it's a small one."

"Fuck you. The plan won't be exactly what I told the Elders," Rod said. "The Elders will be picked by the King and approved by the Chiefs. If the Chiefs don't approve, the King will have to pick another Elder. There will another group like the Chiefs. They will be picked by the people. The Chiefs chosen for the group of Chiefs will be picked by the people. I will be the King. In one country on my planet the two groups are called the House of Lords and the House of Commons."

"This system will work well for now," Rod continued. "We will need a King to hold the Peoples together. Someday the King will be able to step back and just be an advisor or a figurehead." Rod had to explain what a King, a figurehead was.