Chapter 16 - Fences

A great rabbi preached at the bazaar. It so happened that morning that a husband found evidence of his wife's murder, and a group of people took her to the market to be stoned. ）。 (There is a familiar version of this story), but a friend of mine, a deceased speaker, told me that two other rabbis were in the same situation.) What I'm going to tell you is their story. )

The rabbi stepped forward and stood beside the woman. Out of respect for him, the people held their hands and waited for him to speak with heavy stones. "Who is here," he said to them, "who has never wanted to see another man's wife, or her husband?"

They muttered, "We've all experienced that kind of longing." But, rabbi, none of us put this into practice. ”

The rabbi said, "Then kneel down and thank God for making you strong." He took the woman by the hand and led her out of the bazaar. Before letting her go, he whispered to her, "Tell the sheriff who saved his lover." that he may know that I am his faithful servant. ”

And so the woman survived, because the society had degenerated to the point where it could not save itself from chaos.

Another rabbi, another city. Just like in the previous story, he walked up to her and stopped the crowd. Then he said, "Who among you is without sin?" let him stone her first." ”

The populace was ashamed, and in recalling their respective crimes, they forgot what they were trying to do. One day, they thought, I might be like this woman, and I would also want forgiveness, hope for another chance. I should treat her as I would like to be treated with others.

Just as they let go of their hands and let the stone fall to the ground, the rabbi picked up a fallen stone, lifted it high over the woman's head, and threw it down with all his might. The stone shattered her skull, and her brain splattered on the cobblestone. "I'm not innocent," he said to the crowd, "but if we allow only perfect people to enforce the law, the law will soon be lax, and our cities will be deserted." ”

So the woman died because her society was too rigid to tolerate her deviance.

That famous version of this story is noteworthy because it is so rare in our experience. Most societies will be biased towards one of depravity and rigidity, and when they go too far, they perish. Only one rabbi would dare to expect us to maintain a perfect balance between maintaining the rule of law and condoning transgressions. So, as a matter of course, we killed him.

――

St. Angelo, Letter to a primordial heretic, trans. amaiatudomundoparaquedeusvasamecrist?o, 103:72:54:2.

minhairm?。 My sister. The words swirled in Miró's mind until he could no longer hear them, and they became part of the background: aouandaémin hairm?. She is my sister. His feet habitually carried him from the square to the playground, in the hollows of the hills. On the top of the surrounding high ground rise cathedrals and monasteries, which always loom above the Alien Workstation, as if watching over the castle gates. Did Lipo go this way when he went to have a tryst with my mother, or did they have a tryst in the xenobiologist's workstation? Or was the tryst more secretive, like pigs on a farm in the grass?

He stood in the doorway of the Alien's Workstation, trying to find some reason to get in. There is nothing to do. He hasn't written a report on what happened today, but he doesn't know how to write it anyway. The power of magic, that's what it's all about. The pigs sang to the tree, and the tree split itself into small pieces of wood. This is much stronger than carpentry. The Aborigines are many, much more complex than previously thought. Everything serves multiple purposes. Each tree is a totem at the same time, a tomb marker, and a small sawmill. Sister. There's something I have to do, but I can't think of it.

The arrangement of the pig clan is the most reasonable. The brothers lived together and never cared about the women. This should be better for you, Lipo, and that's the truth - no, I should call you Daddy, not Lipo. My mother never told me it was so bad, or you could have teased me in your lap back then. Your two eldest children, Ouanda on one side and Miro on the other, aren't we two children we can be proud of?Born in the same year, only two months away, Dad, you would be such a busy man, slipping along the fence to Mom in her own backyard...... ）。 Everyone feels sorry for you because you only have a daughter and no son. No one came to continue the family name. They waste compassion in vain. Thy offspring are overflowing. I have so many sisters than I ever thought. There's one more I don't want.

He stood at the gate, looking up at the forest on top of the hill of the pig people. There is no scientific purpose that requires a night visit. Then I think I'll go for a non-scientific aimless visit to see if they have a room for a new brother in the tribe. I'm mostly too big for my bed, so I sleep outside, and I don't climb trees much, but I know a thing or two, and I don't care about the rules that prevent me from telling you anything you want to know.

He placed his right hand on the identification box and stretched out his left hand to pull the door. For a fraction of a second he didn't realize what was happening. Then his hand felt as if it was on fire, as if it was being sawn off with a rusty saw, and he screamed and withdrew his left hand from the door. Since the gate was built, it had never remained scorching after the identification box had been touched by an alien's hand.

"Marcus Fatimir Ribera von Hesse, your permission to pass through the fence has been revoked by order of the Lusitania Retreat Committee. ”

Never since the gates were built have there been such rejections of the aliens. It took Miro a moment to understand what it was talking about.

"You and Ouanda Kunhata Figoyla Machumbi should surrender to Acting Sheriff Falia Lima Maria de Bosque, who will arrest you in the name of the Council of the Galaxy and send you to Trondheim for trial. ”

For a while, he only felt dizzy and nauseated. They got it. It's tonight. It's all over. Losing Oanda, losing the pigs, losing my job, it's all over. Apprehend. Trondheim. It was the place from which the speaker had come, twenty-two years of travel, and no one was there, except for Oanda, who was my sister.

He jerked out his hand and pulled the door again, and the pain shot through his entire arm again, activating all the nociceptive neurons, all burning at the same time. I can't just walk away. They will lock the door on everyone. No one will go to the pigs, no one will tell them, the pigs will wait for us and no one will come out of the gate again. I won't, Ouanda won't, people won't, no one will, and there's no explanation.

Withdrawal Committee. They will remove us and erase any traces of our previous existence. That's what it is, but there's something else, isn't it? What do they see? How did they find out? Did they tell them? He's so obsessed. I'll have to explain to the pigs why we're never coming back, I'll have to tell them.

There is always a pig tribe watching them, following them from the moment they step into the forest. Could there be a pig watching now, too?" Miro waved his hand. However, it was too dark. They couldn't have seen him. Maybe they could, but no one knew how good the pigs' eyesight was at night. Whether they saw him or not, they did not appear. Sooner it would be too late, and if the strangers were watching the gate, they must have informed Bosquina, and she should be on her way, whistling from the grass. She would be very, very reluctant to arrest him, but she would do her job, arguing with her about whether maintaining this stupid quarantine would be good for humans or pigs, or for either side, she would never care, she wasn't the kind of person who would question the law, she would only carry out the orders she received. And he will surrender, there is no reason to resist, where can he hide in the fence, in the herd of Kabra? But before he is captured, he must tell the pigs that he must tell them.

So he trudged along the fence, away from the gate, toward the open meadow next to him on the hill below the cathedral, where no one lived close enough to hear him. As he walked, he shouted. There were no words, just a loud whistling, a shout that he and Ouanda used to attract each other's attention when they were separated from the pigs. They will hear it, they will have to hear it, they will have to get him here, because he can't get over the fence. So, come on, humans, leafeaters, big guys, arrows, cups, all pigs, everybody, come on, let me tell you I can't talk to you anymore.

――――――――――――――――――――――

Kim sat gloomily on a stool in the bishop's office.

"Istine," said the bishop calmly, "there will be a meeting here in a few minutes, but I would like to speak with you first. ”

"There's nothing to talk about," Kim said. "You warned us, and then it happened. He's a demon. ”

"Istina, let's talk for a while, and then you go home and sleep. ”

"I'm never going back there. ”

"The Lord eats with sinners who are worse than your mother, and forgives them. Are you better than him?"

"None of the women he forgave were his mother!"

"Not all mothers can be blessed virgins. ”

"Are you on his side, then? The Church is here to make way for the deceased, should we tear down the cathedral and make an amphitheater out of those stones, where all our deceased can be slandered before we bury them in the ground?"

Whisper: "I am your bishop, Istaean, Christ's agent on this planet, and you should speak to me with your respect for my position." ”

Kim stood there, furious, not utter a word.

"I think it's better if the storyteller doesn't tell these stories publicly. There are some things that are better known in private, quietly, so that we don't have to face the shock when an audience is watching us. That's why we use confessionals, to protect us from public humiliation as we struggle with our personal sins. But be fair, Istile. The speaker tells the stories, but they are all true. (Note: Portuguese, 'isn't it'))"

“e。 (Note: Portuguese yes.) ）”

"Now, Istina, let's think. Before today, did you love your mother?"

"Yes. ”

"And this mother you love, has she already committed the crime of complicity?"

"Ten thousand times. ”

"I'm afraid she's not so silvery. But you told me you loved her, even though she was a woman. Isn't she the same person tonight? Has she changed from yesterday to today? Or is it just you who has changed?"

"Yesterday she was an illusion. ”

"You mean, because she's ashamed to tell her children that she's a woman, and she's done all the falsehoods?

"She's not a mother who can raise her children at all. ”

"If she had come to confess and received forgiveness for her sins, then she wouldn't have to tell you at all. You won't know until you enter the grave. That cannot be counted as a lie, for since she has been forgiven, she is no longer a woman. Admit it, Istetian: you're not angry for her. You get angry because you want to defend her, and as a result, you bring yourself to shame in front of the whole city. ”

"You make me look like a fool. ”

"No one thinks you're a fool. Everyone thinks you are a loyal son. But now, if you are a true follower of the Lord, you will forgive her and let her know that you love her more than before, because now you understand her suffering. The bishop glanced toward the door. "Now I have a meeting here, Istina. Please go to my inner room and speak to Magdalene. Also known as Mary Magdalene. Although they have the same name, she and the Virgin Mary are two people. Pray, beg her to forgive your heart that refuses to forgive. ”

Kim walked through the curtain behind the bishop's desk, looking more depressed than angry.

The bishop's secretary opened another door and let the deceased speakers inside. The bishop did not rise to greet him. To his astonishment, the speaker bowed his knees. It's an action that Catholics only do to the bishop in public, and Peregrino can't think of what he means. But the man knelt there, waiting, and the bishop got up from his seat, walked up to him, and offered him a ring to kiss. By this time the man was still waiting, until finally Peregrino said, "I bless you, my child, although I am not sure if you are mocking me with this salutation." ”

The speaker still bows his head when he speaks, "I don't mean to mock." Then he looked up at Peregrino. "My father was a Catholic. He pretended no, for convenience, but he never forgave himself for not having a strong faith. ”

"You were baptized?"

"My sister told me that it was like this, and my father baptized me shortly after I was born. My mother was an apostate who hated baptizing babies, so they had a fight over it. The bishop stretched out his hand and lifted him up to speak. Talkers eat and laugh and say. "Imagine that. An underground Catholic and an apostate ** arguing over religious rituals that they both profess not to believe. ”

Peregrino was somewhat skeptical. It is also very good to say that the man is actually a Catholic in the end. "I thought," said the bishop, "that you deceased said that people were beginning yours, and how shall I say that before the careers of the people had renounced all religions." ”

"I don't know how other people do it. I don't think there's anything about it - certainly not when I became a speaker. ”

Bishop Peregrino knows that people can't lie, but this one certainly seems vague. "Andrew, the man of words, there is not a single Catholic in the whole world who has had to hide his faith for three thousand years. This is a great blessing from space travel, which removes that terrible population restriction on an overcrowded planet. Are you telling me that your father lived on Earth 3,000 years ago?"

"I'm telling you that my father intended me to be baptized as a Catholic, and for his sake I did something he was not able to do in his life. It was for him that I bowed my knees before a bishop to receive his blessings. ”

"But I bless you. "And you're still dodging my question. This implies that my inference about the age in which your father lived is correct, but you don't want to talk about it. Mr. Christopher has said that you are much older than you seem. ”

"Very well," said the speaker. "I need this blessing more than my father, because he is dead, and I have a lot of trouble to deal with. ”

"You may be seated. The speaker chose a stool on the opposite wall. The bishop sat down in the wide chair behind his desk. "I wish you hadn't said anything today. It's inconvenient at this time. ”

"I don't see any signs that the council is going to do that. ”

"But you know that Miro and Oanda have broken the law. Bosquina told me. ”

"I found out a few hours before I spoke. Thank you for not arresting them yet. ”

"It's a secular matter. The bishop prevaricated, but they both knew that if he insisted, Bosquina would have to arrest them on the orders given to her, ignoring the pleas of the speaker. "Your words have caused a lot of trouble. ”

"I'm afraid it's more than usual. ”

"So- your duty is done, you cause wounds and leave it to others to heal?"

"Not trauma, Bishop Peregrino. It's surgery. And if I can help heal the pain afterwards, then yes, I'll stay and help. I didn't have an anesthetic, but I did try to sterilize. ”

"You know what, you really should be a pastor. ”

"Non-firstborn used to have only two options. Priesthood or military office. My parents chose the second path for me. ”

"Not the firstborn. But you also have a sister. And you've lived through a time when population control forbade parents to have more than two children unless they were granted permission by a political axe. They call such a kid a junior, right?"

"You know history very well. ”

"Were you really born on Earth, before interstellar flight?"

"What we should be concerned about, Bishop Peregrino, is the future of Lusitania and not the personal history of a deceased man who is apparently only thirty-five years old. ”

"Lusitania's future is something I want to care about, Andrew the speaker, not yours. ”

"Your concern is for the future of humanity on Lusitania, Bishop. I care about the pigs as well. ”

"Let's not compare ourselves to each other, who cares more. ”

The secretary opened the door again, and Bosquina, Mr. Christopher, and Ms. Christie entered. Bosquina looked back and forth at the bishop and the speaker.

"There's no blood on the floor, if that's what you're looking for. The bishop said.

"I'm just measuring the temperature," Bosquina said.

"The warmth of mutual respect, I thought," said the speaker. "There is no burning heat of anger, and there is no cold of hatred. ”

"The man who speaks is a baptized Catholic, even if he is not in faith," said the bishop, "I blessed him, and it seems to have made him more obedient." ”

"I've always respected authority," the speaker said.

"You're the one who threatens us with an inquisitor. The bishop reminded him. With a smile.

The smile of the speaker is just as cold. "And when people say I'm Satan, you're not supposed to talk to me. ”

While the bishop and the speaker sneered at each other, the others laughed nervously, sat down, and waited.

"It's your meeting, the talker. Bosquina said.

"I beg your pardon," said the speaker. "There were others who were invited to attend. If we could have waited a few more minutes for her to come, it would have made things much easier. ”

――――――――――――――――――――――

Ella found her mother outside the house, not far from the fence. A breeze barely stirred the kapim grass and grabbed her hair, swaying gently. It took Ella a moment to realize why the sight was so surprising. Her mother hadn't broken her hair in years. The hair looked surprisingly natural and smooth, especially as Ella could see where it had bent and curled up after being pressed into a bun for so long. That's when she realized that she was right. Mother would accept his invitation. Whatever the humiliation or pain that to-night's words had brought her, it now allowed her to stand in the wilderness, looking at the pig hills in the twilight when the sun had just set. Maybe she's looking at the fence. Or reminiscing about a man who had a tryst with her here, or somewhere else in the Kapim grass, so that they could love each other without being seen. Always hidden, always kept secret. Mother was happy, Ella thought, to let everyone know that Lipo was her real husband, that Lipo was my real father. My mother was pleased, and so was I.

Mother didn't turn her head to look at her, but she could definitely hear Ella as she walked through the grass. Ella stopped a few steps away.

"Mother," she said.

"Well, it's not a bunch of cabras," said the mother. "You're loud, Ella. ”

"Speak of people. He needs your help. ”

"Yes. ”

Ella explained what the speaker had told her. The mother did not turn around. After Ella finished speaking, her mother waited for a moment, then turned and walked up the mountainside. Ella chased after her. "Mother," Ella said. "Mother, do you want to explain to him about the spin syndrome?"

"Yes. ”

"Why now? All these years later? Why won't you tell me?"

"Because you can do better on your own without my help. ”

"You know what I'm doing?"

"You are my apprentice. I can access your files as much as I want without leaving any traces. If I don't look at your work, what kind of mentor am I?"

"But—"

"I've also read the documents you've hidden in Koyula's name. You've never been a mother, so you don't know that all paperwork for children under the age of twelve is reported to their parents on a weekly basis. Koyula's work is truly extraordinary. I'm glad you came with me. When I tell the speaker, I tell you. ”

"You're on the wrong track," Ella said.

Mother stopped. "Isn't the house of the speaker near the square?"

"The meeting was in the bishop's office. ”

For the first time, the mother confronts Ella directly. "What do you and the talker want to do to me?"

"We're trying to save Miro," Ella said. "And the Lusitania colony, if we can do it. ”

"Get me to that spider's lair—"

"The Bishop must be on our side, or else—"

"So when you say us, you mean you and the talker, don't you? Do you think I haven't noticed? All my children, one by one, he kidnapped you all—"

"He didn't crutch anyone!"

"He kidnapped you, and in his way, he knew what you wanted to hear, and—"

"He's not a sycophant," Ella said. "He didn't just tell us what we wanted to hear. He told us what we knew was true. He didn't win our love, Mother, he earned our trust. ”

"Whatever he got from you, you never gave it to me. ”

"We've always wanted to give it to you. ”

This time, Ella didn't succumb to her mother's aggressive gaze. Instead, it was her mother, who gave in, looked away, and looked back with tears in her eyes. "I thought about telling you, too. "Mother wasn't talking about her papers. "When I saw how much you hated him, I thought about saying that he was not your father, but that your father was a kind and benevolent man—"

"He didn't have the courage to tell us himself. ”

Anger welled up in the mother's eyes. He wanted to say. I won't let it. ”

"I have something to say to you, Mother. I love Libo, just as everyone in Miracle Town loves him. But he volunteered to be a hypocrite, and so did you, and no one could have imagined that your lies had poisoned us all. I don't blame you, Mother, or him. But I thank God for the speakers. He was willing to tell us the truth, and that liberated us. ”

"It's easy to tell the truth," the mother whispered, "when you don't love anyone." ”

"Is that what you think?" said Ella. "I think I'm sure of something, mother. I don't think it's possible for you to learn the truth about others unless you love them. I think that people love their fathers. Makaw, I mean. I think the speaker understands him and loves him before he speaks. ”

The mother did not answer because she knew it was true.

"I also know that he loves Gregor, and Koyula, and Orjado. And Miro, and even Kim. And me. I know he loves me. So when he showed me that he loved me, I knew it was true because he never cheated on anyone. ”

Tears spilled down her mother's eyes and down her cheeks.

"I've been lying to you, and everyone else. Mother said. Her voice sounded weak and nervous. "But you have to trust me anyway. When I say to you I love you. ”

Ella hugged her mother, and then for the first time in years she felt warmth from her mother's response. Because the lies between them are no longer there. The speaker has cleared the obstacles, and there is no longer any reason to hesitate and be cautious.

"You're thinking about the damned talker, aren't you?" her mother whispered.

"You too. Ella replied.

Both of their bodies shook with their mother's laughter. "Yes. Then she stopped laughing and looked Ella in the eye. "Will he always be among us?"

"Yes. Ella said. "He will be among us, like a bridge, not a wall. ”

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Miro saw the pigs when they were coming down the hill halfway towards the fence. They were so quiet in the forest, but they weren't very skilled in moving through the Kapim grass - the blades of grass rattled as they ran. Perhaps it was when they came to respond to Miro's call that they didn't feel the need to hide themselves. As they got closer, Miro recognized them. Arrows, humans, big shots, leafeaters, cups. He didn't call them, and he didn't speak when they arrived. Instead, they stood behind the fence opposite him and stared at him in silence. No stranger had ever called a pig to the fence before. They express their anxiety through their silence.

"I can't go see you again," Miró said.

They awaited his explanation.

"Strangers found us. Violated the law. They closed the gates. ”

The Leaf Eater touched his chin. "Do you know what strangers see?"

Miro smiled wryly. "What did they not see? A stranger came to us. ”

"No," the human said. "The queen of worms is not talking about people. The queen said they saw it from heaven. ”

Sputnik?

"What can they see from heaven?"

"Maybe it's hunting," Arrow said.

"Maybe it's shearing the cabra fur," the leaf eater said.

"Maybe it's an amaranth field," the cup said.

"All those," the human said. "Perhaps they also saw that the wives had already given birth to three hundred and twenty children after the first harvest of amaranth. ”

"Three hundred!"

"Add twenty more," said the big man.

"They saw that we had plenty of food," Arrow said. "Now we will definitely win the next war. Our enemies will be planted in new groves on the plains, and the wives will plant mother trees in each of them. ”

Miro felt sick. Is it for all their labor and sacrifice that they want to give a pig tribe some short-term advantage? He almost blurted out that Lepo didn't die so you could conquer the world. But his training kept him in check and made him ask a non-positional question. "Where are all these newborns?"

"None of these little brothers have ever been to us," the human explained. "We have so much to do to learn from you and teach to our brothers in other houses. It's impossible for us to train the little brothers. Then he proudly added, "Of those three hundred, half are the children of my father, the Rooter." ”

The big man nodded solemnly. "Wives take very seriously what you teach us. They have high expectations for the deceased. But now you're telling us, it's pretty bad. What are we going to do if strangers hate us?"

"I don't know," Miro said. At the moment, his mind was running at high speed to process all the information they had just told him. Three hundred and twenty newborns. A population explosion. And the root somehow became the father of half of these children. Prior to today, Miró would have classified the idea of the root being the father as part of the totemic worship system of the pig people. But after seeing a tree uproot and tear itself apart in response to a chorus, he was ready to question his assumptions.

But what's the use of learning now? They won't ask him to report anymore, he'll not be able to get his job done, he'll be on a starship for the next quarter of a century, and someone else will take over all his work. Maybe worse, no one took over.

"Don't be so upset," the human said. "You'll see -- the deceased said that people would take care of things properly. ”

"Speak of people. yes, he'll take care of everything. "In the way he handled me and Ouanda. My sisters.

"The queen said he would teach strangers to love us. ”

"Teach strangers," Miró said. "Then he'd better hurry. It's too late for him to save me and Oanda now. They want to arrest us and take us off this planet. ”

"To the stars?" asked the human wistfully.

"Yes, go to the stars, go to be judged, and be punished for helping you. It would have taken us twenty-two years to get there, and then they would never let us come back. ”

It took a while for the pigs to absorb the information. Very good, Miro thought. Let them wonder how people are going to solve all their problems. I trusted him, but it didn't do much to me. The pigs gathered together and exchanged ears.

Humans leapfrog and approach the fence. "We're going to hide you. ”

"They can't find you in the forest," said the big man. "They have machines that can track me by my scent. Miro said.

"Ahh But isn't the law forbidding them to show us their machines?" the human asked.

Miro shook his head. "It doesn't matter. The gate is now closed to me. I can't get through the fence anymore. ”

The pigs looked at each other.

"But you've got kapim grass there. Arrow said.

Miro stared blankly at the grass. "So what?" he asked. "Chew it. Humans said.

"What?" asked Miro.

"We've seen humans chew kapim grass," the leaf-eater said. "That night, on the hillside, we saw a few of the speakers and those in robes chewing kapim. ”

"There are many other times," the big man said.

It's frustrating that they look so eager for him (note: maybe the word orz is more appropriate). "What does that have to do with the fence?"

The pigs looked at each other again. Eventually, the big man ripped a Kapim leaf from the ground, carefully folded it into a thick ball, and put it in his mouth to chew. After a moment he sat down. The other pigs began teasing him, poking him with their fingers and pinching him. He appeared unconscious. Finally the humans pinched him hard, and when the big man still didn't react, they began to speak, in the language of the male surname, ready, the time to go, now, ready.

The big man stood up, a little wobbly at first. Then he rushed to the fence and climbed to the top, flipped over, and landed on all fours on Miró's side.

Miró jumped up and screamed as the big man reached the top, and before he could finish his scream, the big man was already standing up and dusting himself off.

"You can't do that," Miro said. "That stimulates all the pain nerves in the body. The fence is impassable. ”

"Oh," said the big man.

On the other side of the fence, the human rubbed his two thighs together. "He doesn't know," he said. "Humans don't know. ”

"It's an anesthetic," Miro said. "It makes you feel no pain. ”

"No," said the big man. "I felt pain. It hurts terribly. It hurts the most in the world. ”

"The Root One Says Fence Is Worse Than Death," Humans Say. "It hurts everywhere. ”

"But you don't care," Miró said.

"It acts on your alter ego," the big man said. "It works on your animal ego. But your tree's ego doesn't care. It allows you to be your tree's self. ”

That's when Miró remembered a long-forgotten detail from Lipo's grotesque death. The deceased's mouth was stuffed with a clump of kapim grass. The same goes for the mouths of all dead pigs. Anaesthetic. That kind of death may seem like a horrific torture, but the pain is not the goal. They used anesthetics. It has nothing to do with pain.

"So," said the big man. "Chew the grass and come with us. We'll hide you. ”

"Outanda," Miro said.

"Oh, I'll go and bring her. Said the big man.

"You don't know where she lives. ”

"No, I know. Said the big man.

"We do this many times a year," the human said. "We know where every human being lives. ”

"But no one has seen you," Miro said.

"We acted very stealthily," the big man said. "Plus no one is looking for us. ”

Miro imagined a dozen pigs sneaking into Miracle Town at midnight. Only a handful of people will have something to do and need to go out at night. And the pigs are small, small enough to sneak into the Kapim grass and disappear. No wonder they knew about metals and machines, even with all those rules designed to prevent them from learning that. Needless to say, they saw the mines, they saw the spaceports, they saw the brick-burning kilns, they saw the farmers plowing the fields and planting the amaranth for the human use. No wonder they know what to ask.

How stupid we are to think we can isolate them from our culture. They keep more secrets from us than we can keep from them. So much cultural superiority.

Miro pulled up the Kapim leaf to himself.

"No," said the big man, taking the leaf from his hand. "You shouldn't have roots. If you eat the roots, it's useless. He threw away Miró's leaf and tore it from about ten centimeters above the ground. He then folded it and handed it to Miro, who chewed it.

The big man pinched and poked him.

"Don't worry about this," Miró said. "Go to Oanda. They could arrest her at any time. Go ahead. Go now. Let's go. ”

The big man looked at the other pigs, saw some kind of invisible signal of approval, and staggered along the fence towards the Alta district, where Oanda lived.

Miro chewed for a short while. He pinched himself. As the pig said, he felt pain, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that it was a way out, the only way to stay on Lusitania. Most likely, it's the only way to stay with Ouanda. Forget those rules, all those rules. Once he leaves the human enclave and enters the Pig Forest, they are of no use to him. He'd be a traitor, as they had already accused, and he and Ouanda would be able to throw off all those perverse human norms and live the life they wanted, and raise a human family with new values, learning from the pigs, from the life of the forest, and that would be something completely new in some world, and the Council would not have the power to stop them.

He ran to the fence and grabbed it with both hands. The pain didn't abate in the slightest, but now he didn't care, and he crawled to the top. But as the pain grew stronger with each grip, then he began to care, he began to care very much about the pain, and he began to understand that the kapim grass had no anesthetic effect on humans at all, but by this time he was already on top of the fence. It hurt so much that it drove him crazy, he couldn't think anymore, and his habit made him climb to the top of the fence, where he balanced and didn't move, his head straight above the fence. All the pain he could feel in his body rushed into his brain in an instant, as if every inch of his body was being burned.

The little men watched in horror as their friend hung from the top of the fence, his head and torso on one side and his hips and legs on the other. They immediately screamed and reached for him, trying to pull him down. Because they haven't chewed the kapim grass yet, they don't dare touch the fence.

Hearing their shouts, the big man ran back. He still had enough anesthetic in his body to allow him to climb up and push the heavy human body over the top of the fence. Miro landed to the ground with a muffled thud of broken bones, his arm still resting on the fence. The pigs dragged him away. His face froze in a grinning expression of intense pain.

"Quick!" shouted the Leaf Eater. "Before he dies, we must plant him!"

"No!" the human replied, pushing the Leafeater away from Miro's stiff body. "We don't know if he's going to die yet! The pain is just an illusion, you know, he's not hurt, the pain will pass—"

"It won't pass," Arrow said. "Look at him. ”

Miro's fists clenched, his legs curled up beneath him, his back and neck arched back. Even though he was breathing hard and hard, his face looked tastured from the pain.

"Before he dies," said the Leaf Eater. "We have to put him down roots. ”

"Go find Oanda," the human said. He turned to face the big guy. "Now! go find her and tell her that Miro is going to die. Tell her the door is closed, that Miro is on this side of the door, and that he's going to die. ”

The big man got up and ran.

―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

The secretary opened the door, but it wasn't until he actually saw Nowanhua that Ander let himself breathe a sigh of relief. When he asked Ella to look for her, he was sure she would come, but after they had waited so long for her to come, he began to doubt his knowledge of her. Skepticism is unnecessary. She was exactly the woman he thought she was. He noticed that her hair was down and fluttering in the wind, and for the first time since he had been to Lusitania, Ender had seen the maiden on her face, and she had summoned him in her anguish, less than two weeks ago, more than twenty years ago.

She looked nervous and anxious, but Ender knew that her uneasiness was due to the situation in which she was now, having come to the bishop's office so soon after her treachery had been revealed. If Ella had told her about the danger Miro was facing, it might have caused some of her nervousness. All of this was temporary, and Ander could see from her expression, from her effortless movements, from her calm gaze, that the end of her long deception was indeed the kind of gift he had hoped for, had believed to be. I'm not here to hurt you, Nowanhua, so I'm glad to see that my words have brought you something better than shame.

Nuo Wanhua paused for a moment, looking at the bishop. Not provocatively, but politely, with dignity, he replied in the same way, silently motioning for her to sit down. Mr. Christopher was about to get up from his stool, but she shook her head, smiled, and sat down on another stool, very close to the wall. It's close to Ender. Ella also arrived, standing behind her mother's side, and she ended up partially behind Ender as well. Like a daughter standing between her parents, Ender thought, and then he threw the thought away from himself, refusing to think about it again. There are much more important things to be done at hand.

"I've found that," said Bosquina, "you're going to make this meeting an interesting one." ”

"I think the parliament has made a decision," Ms. Christie said.

"Your son has been accused," Bishop Peregrino began, "for a violation—"

"I know what he's accused of," Ms. Noh said. "I didn't know until Ella told me tonight, but I wasn't surprised. My daughter, Ella Nora, has also been flouting certain rules that her mentor has set for her. Both of them put loyalty to their own conscience above the rules that others have laid down for them. This is a disadvantage if your goal is to maintain order, but it is an advantage if your goal is to learn and adapt. ”

"Your son is not on trial here," Mr. Christopher said.

"I've asked you to come to a meeting," Ender said, "because there's a decision that has to be made." To obey or not to obey the orders given to us by the Galactic Council. ”

"We don't have many options," Bishop Peregrino said.

"There are a lot of options," Ender said, "and there are a lot of reasons to ask for a choice." You have made a choice - when you find that your documents are being stripped away, you decide to try to save them, and you decide to entrust them to me, a stranger. You have not found the wrong person in your entrustment - I will return your documents to you at any time you ask, without reading or altering them. ”

"Thank you," Ms. Christie said. "But we did that before we knew the seriousness of the allegations. ”

"They're going to get us out," Mr. Christopher said.

"They controlled everything," said Bishop Peregrino.

"I've already told him," Bosquina said.

"They don't control everything," Ender said. "They're just controlling you through the Ansebo connection. ”

"We can't cut off Ansepo," said Bishop Peregrino. "That was the only connection we had to the Vatican. ”

"I'm not suggesting cutting off Ansebo. I'm just going to tell you what I can do. And when I'm going to tell you that, I'm trusting you the way you trust me. For if you say those things to others, the cost to me - and others, someone whom I love and trust - will be immeasurable. ”

He looked at each of them, and each of them nodded in turn.

"I have a friend who has complete control over the Ansebo communications in the Great Hundred Worlds - and completely undetectable. I'm the only one who knows what she can do. She told me that when I asked her, she would make it appear to all the strangers that we had severed our connection to Ansebo here in Lusitania. But we still have the ability to send encrypted messages if we want to -- to the Vatican, to the offices of your congregation. We can read remote records and intercept remote communications. In short, we can see and they will be blind. ”

"Cutting off Ansebo, or simply looking like it's going to do it, is an act of rebellion. Act of war. Bosquina tried her best to say it harshly, but Ander could see that the idea was right for her, even though she was still resisting its temptation. "I have to say, though, if we're really crazy enough to think about war, it's a clear advantage to speak about what people offer us. We're going to need whatever advantage we can - if we're crazy enough to rebel. ”

"We will gain nothing from the rebellion," said the bishop, "but we will lose everything." I am saddened by the tragedy of sending Miro and Oanda to other worlds to stand trial, especially when they are so young. But the court will undoubtedly take this into account and be lenient with them. By obeying the Commission's orders, we will save this community a lot of suffering. ”

"Don't you think that being forced to evacuate this world will also make them miserable?" Ander asked.

"Yes. Yes, that would. But if the law is violated, there must be a price. ”

"What if the law is based on a misunderstanding and the cost is disproportionately high compared to the crime?"

"We can't be judges on this issue. The bishop said.

"We are the judges on this issue. If we obey the orders of the Parliament, then we are saying that the law is good and the punishment is just. That's what you'll probably decide when this meeting is over. But there are things you must know before you make your decisions. Some of them I can tell you, and some of them only Ella and Nowanhua can tell you. You should not have made a decision until you know everything we know. ”

"I'm always happy to know as much as I can," the bishop said. "Of course, the final decision lies with Bosquina, not me—"

"The final decision belongs to all of you, the leaders of Lusitania who are secular, religious and intellectual. If any of you decide against rebellion, rebellion is impossible. Without the support of the church, Bosquina could not lead the people. Without the support of the citizens, the church has no strength. ”

"We don't have the strength," Mr. Christopher said. "Only opinions. ”

"Every adult in Lusitania will look to you for wisdom and just thoughts. ”

"You forgot about the fourth force. Bishop Peregrino said. "Yourself. ”

"I'm a stranger here. ”

"A stranger of all extraordinary," said the bishop. "In the four days you have arrived, you have captured the souls of these men, in a way that I feared and prophesied. Now you are talking about a rebellion that could give us everything. You are as dangerous as Satan. But here you are, committed to our authority, as if you weren't free to get out of here on a space shuttle while Starship returned to Trondheim with our two young criminals. ”

"I am committed to your authority," said Ender, "because I don't want to be a stranger here. I want to be your citizen, your student, your parishioner. ”

"Speaking as a deceased?" the bishop asked.

"As Andrew Wiggin. I have some other skills that might be useful. Especially if you rebel. And I have some other work to do here, which they won't be able to do if humanity is removed from Lusitania. ”

"We do not doubt your sincerity," the bishop said. "But you have to forgive us if we hesitate to bet on a citizen who is somehow a new entrant. ”

Ender nodded. The bishop won't say anything more until he knows more. "Let me start by telling you something I know. Today, this afternoon, I went out with Miro and Oanda into the forest. ”

"You, you've broken the law!" the bishop half-got up from his seat.

Bosquina held out her hand and gestured to the bishop. "The intrusion into our documents began much earlier than this afternoon. That council order could never have anything to do with his irregularities. ”