Chapter 4: Aztecs

The Russians and Ming had purposely steered their ships south to avoid the Mughal Empires patrols. By the time their movements were discovered the Russians had destroyed much of the Aztec Empire, while the Ming had practically obliterated the Incas' cities and fortresses. Much of the native populations in the area were killed by the diseases the foreigners brought with them, further scattering them. It wasn't until the invaders were cutoff from supply and reinforcements the natives out of desperation fought back and finally managed to win. To the natives it seemed like they had survived Armageddon and they were being forced to pick up the pieces.

It was during this time of transition that a lone foreigner arrived. Tlaloc was the name one village of Aztec survivors gave him. There were few builders left and almost no architects. When the Russians tried to conquer them they had targeted their leaders and scholars when they tried to resist the invaders. Sometimes they managed this by entering Aztec cities heavily armed with their machines and taking captives, other times they picked off anyone who looked important using snipers. To the Aztecs it seemed like the Russians had god-like powers. It was only by watching them and seeing them die by animal attacks or sickness that the Aztecs realized these were not gods they were facing. Some of the survivors tried to kill Tlaloc on the spot because they viewed him as another evil foreigner.

Tlaloc quickly showed them why that wasn't a good idea. Thriving in the rainforest he killed anything that came after with traps or by hand. One unfortunate hunter got his neck snapped while he was relieving himself, and his companions found his headless corpse staked to the ground. Things like this greatly encouraged his enemies to stop hunting and try to make peace. One village didn't and Tlaloc still operating under the assumption that they were his enemies kept killing their men in their sleep. Desperate to stop the violence the leaders of each of the Aztec villages came together to solve the problem. All attempts to meet with the stranger did not prove productive. If they didn't stay together they died, and if they left stragglers behind those men died.

It wasn't until a young maiden named Xochitl volunteered to go into the rainforest defenseless that any hope of peace with the dangerous man seemed possible. Xochitl hoped as she walked for an hour that she didn't die by his hand or some wild animal. When she stopped to rest and get a drink she leaned against a tree. Closing her eyes for a moment they sprang back open when she heard a bow string stretch. The armed stranger she had been looking forward was covered in mud and leaves from head to toe. She had often wondered how one man could kill so many and now she saw why: he could easily blend into the rainforest by changing his appearance so you would overlook him if you weren't careful. At that moment he was pointing an arrow at her heart, and seemed ready to kill her.

"Please don't kill me." She said.

"Why shouldn't?" He replied in her language.

"I wasn't sure if you would understand me." Xochitl admitted.

"Then why beg for you life? What made you think I wouldn't shoot you anyway?" He asked.

"Are you still going to shoot me?" She asked.

"I'm still debating if I should, and still haven't answered my question?" He said.

"Perhaps I just hoped did, or at the very least felt merciful." Xochitl answered.

"Then you took an awful risk." He pointed out.

"My people want to make peace with you. There has been enough killing. You don't even need to come to any of our villages if you feel it is unsafe. To be honest most of our leaders would prefer that you didn't." She replied.

Lowering the bow he said, "Then you will act as my intermediary from now on."

"I don't understand ... my instructions were to deliver the offer of peace." Xochitl said confused.

"I would like to reward your people's change of heart, and in doing so insure my own survival. I will draw you plans to rebuild the ruined cities and show you new tools to make the job easier. Follow them and your people may regain so measure of their former selves, this is under two conditions: you will leave me alone, and no more human sacrifices. I have seen the pictures in the ruins and I know what your people did. The gods you have served for so long have abandoned you. Now it is time to seek a new path, one that will not lead you back to your own destruction." He said.

"We have few builders and almost no architects left. I doubt anyone could understand any plans you could make." Xochitl said.

"Then I will teach you. Return alone when you want your first lesson, and I will pass my knowledge through you to your people." He said.

The Aztecs and Xochitl agreed and gave the stranger the name Tlaloc. He taught them how to create wagons and how to use the machines the foreigners had left behind. The Russian bulldozers for instance could move earth or carry things much easier then a man could. Xochitl traveled with him to what was left of the invader's camps, teaching her how each machine worked.

Pointing to a large machine near the beach he said, "That is a crane. With it you can lift heavy things and move them from place to place."

"What is that?" She asked pointing at a machine that had brought terror on her people.

"It's a vulture helicopter. Across the sea many were built. I have seen only a few here in this land, and all of them are out of fuel." Tlaloc answered.

"What is fuel?" Xochitl asked.

Getting inside a rust covered jeep he motioned for her to join him.

Once she did he pointed to the fuel gauge, "The device measures fuel. Just as your body needs food, so do these machines. I imagine very soon almost none of them will work without being repaired."

"Could you fix them?" Xochitl asked.

"Perhaps with the proper tools. The problem will be oil and other things. Your environment is already starting to damage them." He said.

"It sounds like you are quite familiar with these things." Xochitl commented.

"Where I come from they are very common. I knew the man who built them. He would not have liked what has happened here ... in fact he tried to stop the Russians." Tlaloc replied as he looked over the mess of machines and supplies that covered the area.

"Why didn't he succeed? Surely if he were able to make such things he was powerful enough to stop these invaders." Xochitl said.

"The ocean is very big and the Russians were very determined. A war was fought to stop this. That is why you saw no more invaders come and were able to defeat the ones who stayed here. They probably expected more of their people to come eventually and grew overconfident. You were very lucky the other camps were destroyed too." He told her.

"Other camps?" Xochitl asked in alarm.

"There are three more to north and two to the south. One of them provided the fuel for the machines here. If that place had not been destroyed the invaders here could have kept on killing you." Tlaloc answered.

"Is that how you came here? You were fighting these invaders too?" Xochitl asked.

Tlaloc nodded, "I fought them. They killed a lot of people before we were able to stop them."

"But why?" Xochitl asked.

"Why did we help you, or why did they try to kill you?" Tlaloc asked.

"Both. We are not your people." She said.

"Because my god and the gods of my people and the morals we held dear told us we had to. The Russians forgot that with power comes responsibility." Tlaloc told her.

"You have only one god?" Xochitl asked in surprise.

"He exists in three forms: father, son, and spirit. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. Mine is a just god. The only sacrifice he required was that his son delivered himself into the hands of his enemies. When they killed him for crimes he did not commit the sins of the world were forgiven." Tlaloc said.

"I thought you didn't believe in human sacrifice, yet you just admitted your god required it." Xochitl argued.

"When your people sacrificed someone they were gone forever. My god sacrificed his son who rose from the grave because he was one of the faces of God." Tlaloc countered.

"So your god sacrificed himself to save mortals?" Xochitl said trying to make sense of his words.

"Yes he did. Sin includes our wrong acts and thoughts that do not conform with the will of heaven. What God wills is just and right. That is my belief, though admittedly I find it difficult to follow." Tlaloc said.

"And your god allows this?" Xochitl asked with interest.

Tlaloc nodded, "You gave each of us the choice to choose him or not. When we die if we have refused to acknowledge him and try to follow his ways then we will be barred from his presence for all eternity. That is our punishment."

"Yours is a strange religion." Xochitl commented.

"I could say so about yours." Tlaloc said as they moved on.

He showed her the other camps where the machines had indeed been destroyed along with anything else that might have been of use. Only twisted hulks of metal and trash were left behind.

"Each camp looks like it has been the site of a one sided battle. I see only the machines and clothing our enemy used." Xochitl said looking around.

"We used the same machines, besides the ruler of my people ordered for all our troops to clean up after each contact. The bodies of our fallen were retrieved and explosives set to destroy what was left." Tlaloc explained.

"You were afraid of it falling into our hands." Xochitl observed.

"My people had seen enough destruction and didn't want to responsible for more. Perhaps if we had been stronger none of this would have ever happened. The war was obviously won by us since no more invaders came to your shores." He said.

Walking to what was left of a tank he studied, "The metal from this tank and other broken machine can be reclaimed by melting them, or re-forging them. You could power the liquid metal into molds and fashion any weapons or tools you might need."

Taking small pieces of metal he piled them up in one spot and retrieved a hammer he had seen earlier.

"Build a fire there on the sand while I gather more metal." Tlaloc told her.

Following his directions she built a fire and watched as he brought over all the metal nearby he could carry and dump it next to the fire. Next she saw him drag over a solid block of metal before he picked up pieces of metal using a pair pinchers and heated them up in the fire. Before her eyes Xochitl watched him Tlaloc hammer pieces together, forming a burning metal blade. Walking to the water he dipped the blade into the sea and she saw it kick up steam as it dipped beneath the surface.

Examining the blade he said, "It is a crude blade, but it will serve its purpose."

Xochitl asked to hold it once it was cool.

Testing its edge and point she commented, "It isn't as sharp as obsidian."

"But it will hold its point longer. While I can teach you the basics, your people can learn to perfect it. A long time ago my people used weapons like this. Now swords are fore ceremony and knives a last defense. When the metal here at the camps runs out you can mine for it or gather deposits from rivers. Metal can also be used like a protective skin that will protect you in battle." He explained.

Xochitl took a hand full of blades and spear points home and showed her people what Tlaloc had taught her. The tribe sent out workers to gather up metal and try to use the machines. Those they could get to work they used to clear land near the camp under Xochitl's direction. The area they cleared was big enough for all the Aztec villages and gave them a new food source to draw from. With this done Xochitl headed back into the rainforest to learn more from Tlaloc.

When they met up he continued his instruction saying, "Before you rebuild your ruined cities you must first protect yourself from enemies and wild animals. Right now your enemies are busy recovering so they haven't tried to conquer you. Once they grow strong enough or you prove yourself a threat they will attack. By building walls of earth and wood you can surround your villages and limit their access to you so you can defend yourselves. Watch and learn."

He made a miniature model of the fortifications he wanted Xochitl to build, "Using the machines you can dig pits in front of the walls and allow rain water to collect or you can fill them with wooden spikes. Both will slow the enemy down."

"You mean stop them." Xochitl argued.

"No, I mean slow them down. No defense made by man exists that cannot be overcome. The best you can hope for is to improve your chances of victory. That means slowing enemy warriors until your side can kill or discourage them." Tlaloc replied.

Making a large hole inside the walls he said, "Next you can make a lake. Once the rains fill it, or you transport water to it using wagons and pots you begin building artificial gardens."

"How can we build gardens?" Xochitl asked.

"You weave reeds together, pack mud from the bottom of the lake on top of the reeds, and after that take seedlings and plant them in the wet mud. The plants will put down roots, which will push past the reeds to the fresh water below. By the way I should add that if you wish you can also create a second lake on the outside of the fort that can hold salt water." Tlaloc said.

"Why would we do that?" Xochitl said.

"To grow seaweed and farm fish." Tlaloc replied.

"You can do that?" Xochitl asked.

Smiling at her he said, "There is only one way to find out."

Returning to her people once again she directed them to build the defenses and the lakes that Tlaloc had described. When her people finished all of the machines were out of fuel, but it had been done in record time. The leaders of the Aztecs were so impressed with all that they had accomplished with Tlaloc's help they asked Xochitl to encourage him to live among the Aztec people.

When she asked Tlaloc said, "And why would I want to do that?"

Shocked Xochitl replied, "Surely it is lonely and dangerous out here."

"Out here I answer to no one. Out here I'm free to do what I wish. Through you I have found a purpose. What can you offer me to change my position?" Tlaloc replied.

Xochitl was speechless.

"By your lack of response I believe I have proven my point. Next we will try farming on land. Construct wooden pins like this." Tlaloc said showing her with twigs he had gathered before she had arrived.

"What will we put inside these pins of yours?" Xochitl asked.

"Follow." Tlaloc said leading her deeper into rainforest.

They were walking for some time before they came to a pit.

"What is this?" Xochitl asked.

Motioning towards the pit he replied, "Look inside."

Venturing forward she was careful not to fall in as she peeked over the edge. What she saw was a pig-like creature called a Tapir inside. The herbivore was walking around at the bottom pit in frustration as it couldn't climb out.

"How exactly do you plan to get it out without the animal escaping?" Xochitl asked.

"I was planning to use a net." Tlaloc said.

Feeling a little embarrassed Xochitl said, "I suppose that would work."

"If you can manage to gather enough of these beasts to breed and eat then return to this place and I will teach you something else." Tlaloc said leaving her.

The elders went ahead organized the people to create pins for the Tapir, but now they wanted to recruit Tlaloc even more. Every time Xochitl went out to meet him she was gone for days and if something happened to Tlaloc his knowledge would die with him. They gave Xochitl the authority to offering him anything he wanted to get Tlaloc to come back with her, but when she returned their meeting place she could not find him. Hearing voices she tried to hide as they drew close, a hand clamped over her mouth muffling a scream.

"Do be quiet." Tlaloc whispered in her ear.

Together they watched in silence as a large amount of Mayan warriors marched past their hiding place in some bushes. When they were far away he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Where are they going?" Xochitl asked.

"Where do you think? There is only one settlement in that direction." Tlaloc said.

"We have to warn my people." Xochitl said.

Getting up Tlaloc picked up a submachine gun he had brought with him. For the first time she noted that he was wearing a uniform and had strange objects hanging from his chest.

"What are you doing? Where did you get those?" Tlaloc said.

Cocking the gun he replied, "I've been hiding weapons so no one else could find them. Apparently my people missed a lot of them. The good news is they do provide a great advantage over your enemies. You can go ahead and warn your people. I plan to kill as many Mayan warriors as I can."

Xochitl watched as he disappeared into the rainforest. Waiting and listening in fearful anticipation she heard burst of gunfire silence the sounds of the local wildlife. Men screamed and she found herself rushing to the sound to see that Tlaloc was alright. When she came in sight of him Xochitl watched him firing away at the Mayan warriors who milled about in confusion since he kept firing on the move. To them it was like fighting of army. When the Mayans tried to regroup and fight back Tlaloc lobed grenades at them killing dozens. For a moment Xochitl thought Tlaloc fought with the fierceness and power of the Aztec god of war Huitzilopochtli. No weapon seemed to touch him as he killed swiftly and without mercy. Bullets found flesh, ripping men apart with deadly accuracy. At this range Tlaloc felt as if he could not miss. His hands were cold and steady, firing with practiced ease. When one clip ran out he reloaded, using trees as cover from Mayan arrows when his enemy found it hard to close the distance between them.

He was on his last clip when the Mayans at last broke, fleeing in terror from the man they swore was some vengeful god bent on repaying those who trespassed on his lands with death. The Russians had not prepared them for Tlaloc. He was not an inexperienced conscript. This man was a killer down to his very bones. He had been forged in a place like this one, and fighting here reminded him of that dark time when there was nothing but blood shed. He roared like a wild beast and charged after them, emptying his last clip into the unlucky few who were still in range.

Xochitl moved and as if hearing the slightest shifting of her feet Tlaloc spun around, squeezing the trigger. Xochitl here the dry click as she froze, looking into his eyes. For a moment the man she had thought she knew so well was not staring back at her, it was something different, something that sent a shiver down her spine. Tlaloc blinked and that part was gone, and he was in control again. Looking down at his spent gun he looked around noting the carnage.

"It appears I got carried away." He said before meeting her eyes again, "Do you still want me to live among your people?"

When she didn't answer he nodded and said, "I didn't think so. Farewell Xochitl. Our journey together is done."

Turning away Tlaloc left the speechless Xochitl behind. After a time she turned back towards her home and started to walk, her mind numb because of what she had just seen. Xochitl made it back to her people and told them what happened. The elders like her were unsure how to handle this news. There was something dangerous about their new guide. They now realized they had already seen the warning signs of it, but now it was obvious. When pushed he would kill, and when he did Tlaloc more deadly than the most fearsome predator in the rainforest. While the jaguar could kill a few, he could kill hundreds and disappear just as quickly as he had appeared.

Xochitl had begun to fall in love with the builder and teacher, but she hadn't realized that the killer couldn't be separated from the other two. He was simply to much a part of Tlaloc's character, and the more she thought about it, she couldn't blame him. That part of him that terrified her and everyone else had allowed him to survive when other men would have died. Her people had tried to kill him just as the Mayans had, the problem for both groups of warriors was that he was simply better than them at it, and had the will to back it up. Alone she left her people and found him near the old Aztec ruins.

"Why have you come? Don't I frighten you? You have seen my true face." He said.

"I know, but I won't run. I understand this is a part of you, but so is the rest. You have helped my people rebuild, and we owe you much ... I owe you." Xochitl said.

"Keep your gratitude. I only sought to forget what I am." Tlaloc said showing her a pistol he now carried, "This is who I am. I kill as easily as other men breathe. I don't feel any guilt for killing those men, even though I know I should. My God says that all life is equal and precious. In my mind I understand this, but I can't seem to feel it at this moment. I was relieved when I killed them. There was no more trying, no more struggling, it felt natural to me. Can you understand that?"

"I can understand that you have suffered, and that suffering has changed you. If I could I would fix it, but I can't. I can offer you nothing but the promise that I will be here and stay with you for both our sakes." Xochitl said.

Looking away Tlaloc asked, "Could you love a monster?"

"I see only a man." Xochitl said walking up to him, "I can love a man."

Desperate for some connection, some feeling of warmth he kissed her, and she kissed him back. Together they returned to the Aztec settlement where he began to teach them the concept of a forge and developing metal armor. While Tlaloc's skill as a blacksmith was extremely limited, he was able to communicate the basic idea. As others talked to him they discovered the reason he was able to learn their language so easily: he had been sneaking into their camps since he first made contact with them and listened to them at night. Even the fort they had built hadn't stopped him since it was built in a u-shape, with the open end facing the sea. Tlaloc being an excellent swimmer swam around the walls and snuck inside that way. He had seen with his own eyes what they had built and took a certain pride in his part in them. When the first breast plate was made he showed them what it could do.

"Fire your normal arrows at it." Tlaloc instructed one of their warriors.

A crowd had gathered to watch, and witness the arrowhead explode on contact with the metal armor, but there was no sign of it penetrating.

"I can teach you how to improve your bows of course, but only metal will be able to penetrate armor like this. You now must try your hand at mining so your supply of metal will not run out." He told them.

The people were impressed and were eager to make more of this armor. A plan was devised where a small group of warriors carrying a mixture of weapons would escort workers to and from nearby mountains and hills that they were mining. With time small outposts were built out of rock or wood that could protect the workers if they were attacked. Building large galleys Tlaloc led them north where they could capture animals like deer to be used as beasts of burden. Putting enough of them together they could drag wagons. As the Aztec population began to grow new settlements were built near outposts where the defenses could connect to the already built fortifications. To make sure there would not be too much put on the Tapir as a food source Tlaloc encouraged the people to begin trapping for Peccary, which looked a lot like small furry boars. This was not a difficult prospect since a Peccary would fall into the pits they dug from time to time. Like the Tapir the small animal proved a stable food source. Paving the road that they used for mining and travel from one fort to another they didn't have to worry about muddy roads stopping their wagons.

Outside the possibility of enemy attacks, the Aztecs' biggest problems were rainfall that threatened floods if they didn't prepare from them and the vegetation itself that tried to overrun their walls. Clean water was brought stone waterways like those that had once run into the Aztecs' former capital. The water was used for drinking and bathing. Some Aztecs bathed as many as two times a day. Not satisfied with the defenses Tlaloc as head architect ordered the building of a high stone wall that stretched for hundreds of miles with towers and walkways for the guards provided by the nearest settlement. This led to small towns be built just within the wall and paved road so families could stay near their loved ones. Most towns and settlements were being built using stone by this time. With pickaxes and chisels workers from quarries could load up entire wagons full of any stone or minerals the people needed.

A second wall was later built to protect the Aztecs from any dangers to the south. After that anyone could walk for days without fear of some predator or enemy attacking them. Inside their walls the Aztecs were safe. Even a sea wall was built near the original settlement so no enemy could sneak in without having to get past the city's guards. At Each tower along the wall a ballista was added to increase the defender's attacking distance and killing power. Two large wooden gates stood at the west and east ends of the wall for when the Aztecs wanted to venture out over land.

Since the other tribes were a threat to the Aztecs when the ventured out to gather wood and hunt Tlaloc added a new weapon to their arsenal, and added the Chakram; a handheld metal ring that could be thrown like a Frisbee or launched from a single finger. It had a sharp metal edge which meant any part of could kill or wound. Light and compact it was easy to use and could be deadly accurate and could fit over the arm and wrist, making multiple chakrams easy to carry. They the fact that they could be used in grappling attacks made a great advance in weaponry. As promised he also taught his people how to make a composite bow, which he then followed up with a shield. The shield was designed to cover most of the body, and was covered with bronze on the outside, with padding on the inside. Aztec warriors could use their shield as an offensive and defensive weapon, using it to deflect a blow or thrusting it directly into an enemy stunning them. Each warrior painted the front of their shield to personalize it.

Fighting in a phalanx the heavy infantry were placed in front, fighting behind a solid shield wall, while archers and artillery could fire from behind. Light infantry was saved as militia and were not supposed to be committed to battle when numbers were needed. Well trained these men and women were the best their people had to offer, still it was the light infantry that often performed escort duty. The troops practiced daily until every movement was second nature.

Evening as Tlaloc armed his heavy infantry with pila or throwing spears, he recognized that heavy infantries had their limitation. They were less mobile and depended on fighting as a group. Light infantry could adapt quicker on a battlefield, especially to ambushes since they weren't weighed down. On the plus side heavy infantry was better protected and could form formations like a tortoise shell to protect them from missiles fired from all sides.

With the Aztec army well protected Tlaloc focused on developing more advance inventions to provide his people. His fascination with things that went boom urged him to create an offensive hand grenade based off of the German hand grenade of World War I and II. Made mostly of wood it didn't use much of their valuable mineral resources and Tlaloc was able to teach a few other bright young people how to make them. Unlike fragmentation grenades he had used before, not only could you throw these grenades farther because of the handle, but it was safer for the user since they didn't have to worry about hot bits of metal hitting them or allies. This type of grenade used a concussive force kill the enemy and could be thrown as far as sixty yards. Arming specialized units his side could lob them from walls or behind the relative safety of the heavy infantry's shields.

The Aztec military leaders eager to take the fight to the enemy that harassed their people led their armies against the other tribes, and were able to conquer much of the territory they had once held at the height of their former empire's power. A few tribes like the Mayans had rebuilt a few of their stone cities and proved harder to conquer they too were developing walls and gates around their settlements. When the military asked for his help Tlaloc took time away from his growing family and other projects to solve it. Using messengers he sent plans to the front written on scrolls made of parchment showing how to build siege weapons. Taking his plans the army built rams and towers in the field using axes and hatchets that were brought to them using ships and brought to them by workers who would build the weapons. Each fortified city fell in quickly since their defensive tactics didn't include fighting back against siege weapons.