Chapter 7

Secoweya was hungry. She knew her grandparents were also starving because most of the cornbread and beans they'd carried with them from the Missouri were gone. But sharing food was a sacrament, to be performed only with certain obligations of reciprocity. They had nothing to offer these strangers, therefore they went without. This didn't stop Grandpa from accepting the gift of 'poiteen' and, as they wandered through Iberica, he was starting to display its effects.

This was clearly a military town. Cannon and rocket launchers were parked in some of the plazas and armed men and women were everywhere about. But, when Grandpa asked for directions to the Military Administration buildings he received blank stares. This army, it seemed, ran without any organization at all.

One name they heard often, however, was 'Suetonius.' Suetonius commanded the 'Black Guard' and Black Guardsmen told them of this man with a reverence that bespoke great deeds and admiration. Suetonius was not in Iberica, apparently, but somewhere out East. When he'd be back, no-one knew, as Suetonius kept his own confidence.

"This Suetonius have a wife?" he asked a soldier. The man shrugged. Legend and gossip mashed up with fact and very few could claim knowledge of Suetonius's private life. Someone did suggest they try asking one of his picked commanders. There was, they said, a man everyone knew as 'Napoleon' but his real name was 'Hap.' He was partnered with another called Moira Lys, another of Suetonius's select. 'Napoleon' with 100 handpicked Berengarian infantry had crushed a Com Division, they said, and captured Canaan for the Arks. Moira Lys, it was said, destroyed the right flank of the enemy single handed and commanded a force that took Newbury. Even if half of the stories were true, Grandpa decided he must meet these people as a way in to the Ark inner circle.

Eventually, after trekking for hours through the dusty streets of Iberica, they were directed to a 'van on the outskirts of town. At first, Grandpa suspected someone was playing a joke for these 'great commanders' seemed the least likely heros he'd ever seen. They were sitting under an awning spread from the side of the 'van and anchored on three poles. The sheet was dyed with broad red stripes like a fairground attraction. The 'van, itself, was gaily painted with intricate artwork depicting unicorns and other mythical animals, runic symbols and murals of green rolling hills with ancient stone castles. Three people were sharing a meal under the awning, chicken, salads, and washing it down with pewter tankards of frothy beer.

'Napoleon' seemed the least likely caricature of a great commander. He seemed unprepossessing and was dressed casually in an old worn blue Naval shirt and tattered trousers cut off at the knees. He was barefoot and wore an old, wide brimmed felt hat. The woman beside him to his left was dressed in a shift of hand-stitched ecru cotton. Her hair was in an untidy tangle, dark with a reddish tinge. Grandpa concluded she was clearly 'Napoleon's' wife because he could sense the merging of their souls. The young girl on his right, however, was exposed in a fashion no self-respecting woman of Missouri village would dare, let alone one not yet reached her majority.

Around her small breasts was a strip of cloth that may have been a garment once, but had long since lost that honor. Tied at the back, it left nothing to the imagination. Traveling down her bare midriff, the lustful then encountered a pair of tight shorts that clearly betrayed the full outline of her pubis. Knees, wide, her long bare legs stretched out beckoningly in front of her to her feet, propped on a wooden box.

'Napoleon' had no guards, gofers, or orderlies of any kind. There was not even a group of earnest young warriors clustered around to soak up his spirit and hear his wisdom. This man seemed no different than hundreds of others in Iberica yet Grandpa had been told of his heroism dozens of times. This was indeed a strange place. Secoweya and her grandparents stood a way off, uncertain of their next step. Protocol had to be observed, yet Grandpa had no clue what that protocol was.

"Hoy!" 'Napoleon's wife' called out. "You'll bake in this heat standing there. Come over into the shade." She waved the three over to their awning and tossed down a few large cushions on the ground. "Sit!" she commanded, and the three 'Missouri Sioux' wandered over and took their places. "You look famished," the woman continued. "Dive in. There's chicken, greens, some other shit made with beans and hot as hell some Spaniards gave us." Secoweya and Grandma looked towards Grandpa, who gave a faint nod of his head. They then attacked the food with gusto. "Whoa, holy shit. You folks haven't had a decent feed in a while?"

"We have travelled many moons past." Grandpa declared.

'Napoleon' looked up at his strange way of speaking. "Hap," he said, and you are?"

"Among my tribe they call me Tetonka," the old man replied.

"What language is that?" Moira Lys asked.

"Siouan," Hap told her before the old man could answer. "Means 'bull.' Lakota, probably."

"Cool!" said Moira Lys. "Is there anything you don't know?"

"I read a lot of Native American history as a boy."

"No shit!" she laughed. "And you, lady? I'm Moira Lys," she said to Grandma.

"Her name is Haudenotsee," Tetonka answered.

"Sioux?" she asked Hap.

"Iroquoian I think. It's not Lakota. Means something about seven campfires, but I'm not sure." Tetonka gaped at Hap in shock.

"And she is?" Moira Lys indicated the girl.

"Secoweya," Tetonka answered.

"Iroquoian," Hap declared, "but I've no idea what it means."

"The first ray of the sun," Tetonka explained.

"Sunray? Cool!" Moira Lys declared.

Hap offered them tankards of beer and noted only the old man took one. "Water, juice?" he asked the ladies and indicated flasks on the table. "You look all in," he told them. "You're welcome to use the 'van if you want to get some sleep."

"Please," Tetonka said in his most diplomatic voice. "Are you the one they call Napoleon?"

Moira Lys and Mirri burst out laughing and Hap scowled at them. "Suetonius called me that," Hap explained, "and it's caught on a bit. Hap Arnold is my name."

"Ah!" the old man nodded.

"Have you been looking for me?"

Tetonka explained how they lived in a small village near the Missouri river and had recently been absorbed into Ark territory. He told him he wished to meet the new government. He didn't explain how he was looking to form a marriage alliance with a 'senior general' of the Ark army.

Hap listened carefully to the old man while Moira Lys observed the reactions of the two 'Sioux' women. She saw they looked down to the ground as if being in mixed company made them uneasy. They said nothing, leaving the talking to Tetonka. She saw no other communication of any kind between the two women - not a glance nor a tap on the arm. They were certainly a strange trio. She saw in their society women were certainly not high up on the totem pole and all the shots were called by the men.

"You girls want to freshen up?" she asked them. "Maybe some girlchat?"

Haudenotsee looked at her husband and he agreed with a slow tilt of the head. He stole a suspicious look at Moira Lys, which she ignored. Moira Lys took them to the bathhouse, going in by a discrete entrance at the back to avoid the revelers. She lead them into a washroom where they could shower and wash their hair. Following that, she fetched them both up in a tent with fresh juice and fruit, but with a flask of poiteen discretely at their feet.

"Okay, girls," Moira Lys said. "What's the deal?" Haudenotsee looked at her quizzically. "You allowed to speak at all?"

The old woman looked up. "Your ways are not ours," she explained. "Women do not speak in front of men unless they are our tribal brothers."

"Says who?" Moira Lys snapped. "Men?"

"It is our way," Haudenotsee replied.

"Hmm, well, if this is some kind of diplomatic mission and women aren't allowed to open their mouths, why come here at all? Are you here just to cook and massage the old man's vanity?"

Haudenotsee flinched and looked at Secoweya. "It is not for me to meddle in Tetonka's business."

"Right," Moira Lys said, doubtfully. "So, tell me of your village. You live like Indians, right?"

"We are Sioux," Haudenotsee snapped. "We live like our ancestors did. One day, our ancestors will rise up and lead us to a time before the white men."

"Huh?" Moira Lys gaped. "You really believe that? Y'know? I'd no idea there were any real Indians left. I thought they'd all been absorbed into the general population. I don't think Hap's convinced. He's pretty smart, you know, and can sniff bullshit from a distance. You listen not only to what he says but how he says it. That bit about the language? he's really asking how come your names are from different Indian languages and dialects. He figures 'real' Sioux would have real Sioux names. I figure that after a few hundred years of interaction with outsiders, your 'culture' would be little different from the rest of us. As for customs, well, maybe a few half remembered ceremonies..."

"I do not understand you," Haudenotsee said. Secoweya looked on with her mouth open.

"Ladies, I think you're nothing more than some kind of religionist cult. This here," she continued, picking up the flask of poiteen, "is the sacred spirit of my ancestors. It's called poiteen and right now we are going to share a sacrament."

Meanwhile, Hap wasn't getting very far with Tetonka. Mirri grew bored and went in search of Moira Lys. Hap poured the old man another beer and he slurped at it as if it was his last drink. "The spirits have guided me here," Tetonka went on, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "The spirits have shown me a man of great mana among his people."

"Ok, can we cut the bullshit, Tetonka?" Hap said. "Look, there is no 'Ark government'. You have a bunch of independent groups of folks, some wander around, and others camp in small settlements. Most have some notion of complete freedom or 'autonomy.' The army is a people's militia except for the Black Guard and we haven't really figured out what they are at this point. Many of the columns and bands have some kind of elected spokespeople and the Nins and Connollys have a council. But they don't really tell anyone what to do - just listen and convey ideas to the Convoke. All decisions are by consensus, believe it or not, and there's no casting votes or chairmen. If there's any disagreement, they spend as long as it takes to reach a unanimous decision. These people really do have all the time in the world," he added, ruefully.

Tetonka nodded gravely as Hap spoke, seemingly taking everything on board, but Hap wasn't convinced. Whether he believed it all, Hap couldn't be sure, but he was certain the old man had cards hidden up his sleeve. The Sioux word for bull just about some up this guy. Tetonka was, indeed, full of 'tetonka.'

"A man must listen to his spirit," the old man went on, and Hap rolled his eyes. He proffered another jar of ale, and watched as the old man downed it.

When Mirri finally tracked down Moira Lys, Haudenotsee and Secoweya it was clear the women had loosened up considerably. The culprit was an empty jar of poiteen lying discarded in the corner. Secoweya was bright with moist eyes - her grandmother sat propped against a tent pole snoring loudly.

Mirri!" Moira Lys cried with delight.

Mirri shook her head and grinned. "Might have known."

"You've met Secoweya?" Moira Lys said. Mirri nodded. "This is Mirri, Secoweya. She's family."

"Ah, your daughter?" asked Secoweya.

"Not exactly. Clonagh is off with her father somewhere in the Southern Mountains. Mirri's community was, ah, wiped out by arseholes."

"Uh!" Secoweya gasped. "I'm so sorry."

"The problem has been taken care of," Moira Lys told her.

"The criminals have been punished?" Secoweya asked.

"Yes. I've known Mirri since she was a baby. It was natural she should join Hap and me."

"Of course," Secoweya nodded. "Everyone needs a family."

"You like yours?" Moira Lys asked. "We don't have to like our families, y'know. Tell me honestly, you like that old bat over there and your Grandfather? A canny old bullshitter if I've ever met one."

"Um," Secoweya flushed red in embarrassment, fidgeted for a moment, then in a small voice said, "you won't tell?"

"As if," Mirri craned forward, bolted a fifth of poiteen, shook, and waited expectantly.

"Other girls don't have to do what they want me to do," Secoweya blurted out, tears running down her cheeks. "Why me? Why do I have to do it?"

"Why, indeed." Moira Lys replied. "Um, what, exactly, do they want you to do?"

"Marry!" Secoweya buried her face in her hands and sobbed bitterly.

"Huh, what?" Mirri said, mystified.

"Marry, who?" Moira Lys asked.

"I don't know," the Sioux girl squeaked. "They are going to find a husband for me from your leaders."

"Ah!" Moira Lys leaned back in understanding.

"They can't do that," Mirri cried in outrage.

"Who the hell are they going to find?" Moira Lys laughed. "Can't think of anyone off the top of my head."

"Maybe, Hap?" Mirri suggested. "He's kind, loving..."

"Haha, I think the poor guy has enough on his hands," chuckled Moira Lys.

"But, he is married already," Secoweya said, confused. "To you, or..."

"Secoweya. We're not married. No-one marries in this land. We partner of our own free will and depart the same way. Some people move around a fair bit while others stick together, but it's always their choice. Kids are brought up by everybody. That's the way of the Travelers and you'll find the Anarchist attitude is not much different. You've no need of your 'alliance.' Arks won't interfere with your settlement and won't demand any taxes nor impose laws. But, it disturbs me that at 19 you are not free to decide who you want to go with or not. I think all Arks will have a problem with that. It seems to me your community need to have a look at the way you do things and your women need to demand their freedom."

"You need to learn to say 'no, '"added Mirri.

"How can I?" sobbed Secoweya. "I will be beaten for..."

"What?" Moira Lys and Mirri said in unison. Mirri opened fire first. "You can't tolerate that shit. No-one has the right to lay a hand on you without permission. It's fucking slavery. It's not right..."

"Shh, don't wake the old girl," Moira Lys cautioned. "She's right, Secoweya. Kids, here, are brought up believing their bodies are sacred. What Mirri said is true. Some of the Anarchist bands arm their kids from about 13 onwards. Most learn knife play since so high. I haven't heard of anyone beating a child, but, if there were, I'm fairly sure that person is no longer around."

"But kids need to learn..." Secoweya started to say.

"The only thing anyone learns from a beating is fear. Caution is something we all need, but no-one needs fear in their life."

"But how are children to learn, be corrected?" Secoweya asked.

"Listen," Moira Lys replied, grinning. "Kids copy what their parents do until they become little arseholes. They then do all the wrong things until they discover the adults were right after all. It's been pretty much the way of things for generations. No amount of 'correction' makes a blind bit of difference. Kids break the rules, and as adults, we can only hope they survive it."

It was getting on for dusk when Moira Lys, Mirri and Secoweya returned to the 'van. They found Hap alone and he explained Tetonka was sleeping it off. Quickly, Moira Lys explained what Secoweya told them and Hap gravely nodded.

"That adds up," he said.

"Apparently girls are left pretty much alone until they have their first period, then everything changes," Moira Lys explained. "While the boys go off on something called a 'vision quest' the girls are all but locked up until husbands are organized for them."

"What about schooling?" Hap asked.

"They get a basic education from Cap schools especially set up for them. They're not entirely ignorant, but the tribal elders have tight control over what's taught."

"Secoweya said her happiest memories were when boys and girls could play together," Mirri added. "They could swim together, check each other out. She knows what boys look like and got to play with their little wieners," she chuckled.

"Then when they have a period, snap! It's cruel," Moira Lys said.

"Well, I guess that's the way they do things and who are we to tell them different?" Hap said. "A generation of contact with Arks will no doubt change all that."

"Sure, but when the old guy sees that there's no-one here to marry her off to, she'll have to go back and hook up with whoever they say," Mirri told them. "It's not right. She's our friend and she doesn't want to have to fuck some old guy or some jerk she doesn't even like. Isn't that right, Sec?"

The girl nodded.

"Shit!" Hap sighed. "I might have known you two would corrupt her. Look, we're all held captive by the society we were raised in, to some extent. How do you know she'll be happy here? What if arranged marriages, subservience and all that gender shit is what really makes her comfortable?"

"Choices?" Moira Lys interrupted.

"Choices, choices? The one great pile of bullshit you people foist on each other. 'Free choice' is a myth. How can you have free choice when you need to deal with the realities of living in harsh environment - and other people. Everything around you limits your ability to do whatever you want. Love, for fuck's sake. Love screws with 'free choice' like nothing else."