V - Decorum

How many creatures are born on any given day in this universe? Millions? Billions? Trillions? Billions of trillions?

And is this vast universe, while teeming with life, almost devoid of intelligent beings?

And who is to judge what is intelligent life? You? Me? Or some other life form?.........Or are we the alien life form?

And what is it precisely that enables a mass of tissue and flesh to leap to that level which lies far beyond the sum of its constituent parts? Consciousness! Awareness. The ability to think! To wonder. To reason. To dream.

And do these intelligent beings have the capacity to alter the macrocosm in which they live? Indeed, in all the vastness of the cosmos, can any single individual ever truly affect the course of the universe? Is it possible for one individual to rush headlong into the path of nature and alter its direction? Would anyone notice? Would anyone care?........................

That afternoon Kamon hired a crew of landscapers to go to his property and reseed the land from which the Minot trees had been taken. The task was essential if the soil was to be saved from further erosion. He would have preferred to work on the project with them. However, with the bridge gone, it would take the crew all of a day just to assemble the necessary equipment and ferry it across the stream. Thus, no actual work on the hill could be done for at least a couple of days, and tomorrow he had to be on a hovercraft back to the state capitol. He knew the councilwomen would not tolerate his absence for more than just this one day. They would indeed send the temple police after him; he did not doubt Casio's warning.

Since he had to leave early the next morning, Kamon rented a room in Vexen for the evening. He called Markita and declined her offer of dinner. He preferred to be alone on this night. Markita did not press the issue.

As Kamon lay in bed, he stared into the darkness, pondering the events of the past two days. What had really happened? Was he making too much of a single human hair? It could have gotten on his body.........some way.......

But how? Certainly, no way that he could imagine.

Was it possible that someone other than himself was now living in the mountains? He did spend a great deal of time away from home. Perhaps someone had by chance been hiking through the foothills near his cabin. But with the inordinate amounts of rain that had been falling lately, that seemed unlikely.

Abruptly, Kamon bolted upright, throwing back the sheets and planting his feet on the floor. He reached for the phone and punched in a number.

Kamon pressed down the button, disconnecting the call. Then he punched in a new number. He waited for an answer.

"Yes, could you tell me what time the rain finally moved out of the area around Vexen, yesterday, especially in the foothills north of the city?"

Kamon hung up the phone and began mentally calculating how long it would have taken a woman to get to the closest bridge that spanned the stream near his cabin.

There were no roads on the cabin side of the river, with the exception of the gravel drive leading up to his home. Still, there was a small bridge extending over a gorge farther upstream. It was not intended for vehicles, though. It was used by an occasional hiker, but only the most adventuresome. It was very old and extremely unsafe. But, it could be used....if it had to be.

Not enough time, Kamon finally concluded. A woman could not have made it to that bridge on foot, crossed the stream, retrieved her vehicle, wherever it may have been parked, and returned to town before the rain had ended.

And if such had occurred after the rain had ended he would have seen tire tracks on the only road leading out of the foothills.

But he had seen none on his journey back to Vexen.

That meant if someone had been in the mountains, she was still there!

Kamon hung up the phone and stared straight ahead for a moment, deep in thought. Finally, he lay down in bed again and pulled the sheets over him.

This was ridiculous! He was making far too much of a single human hair. No one was out there! No one had been out there! No one would be out there! It had been a dream! A simple, ordinary dream.

After much fitful tossing, sleep finally came to the troubled man.

The following morning Kamon arrived at the hoverport before dawn to catch an early flight to Positron. Arnot's female scientists had unlocked the secrets of the fifth force of nature, calling it repulsion. Their hovercraft vehicles employed the power of repulsion to speed them to any location on the globe. The first successful flight of a hovercraft twenty years ago had marked the beginning of a revolution in the transportation system on the planet.

Kamon's flight across the vast state to Positron would take almost three hours. He settled back comfortably in his seat, allowing his thoughts to wander.

Achieving a Council seat had once seemed an end in itself. It would solve all problems, resolve all differences, end all injustices. Well, he was now in the Council, had been for almost three years....and nothing had changed. He was angrier now and more frustrated than he had ever been. When would it ever end?

Kamon's brooding was broken only as his flight gracefully glided into port at Positron. He reached under his seat and pulled out a small bag containing toiletries and other overnight essentials. He always traveled light. His father had taught him it was the wisest way to exist in the wilderness. Be prepared....but not burdened. Kamon had found that living among structures of concrete and glass did not alter the principle.

Departing from the hovercraft, Kamon hurried through the terminal to the subway entrance. An escalator carried him downward into the pit. He leaped into a subway car just as the door whooshed shut.

The ride to the Capitol Building station took only about ten minutes, and he jumped out as soon as the door opened. He took the escalator to the surface, climbing the steps even as they carried him upward. He was impatient to reach his office.

Emerging into the warm sunlight, Kamon set off at a brisk pace for the Capitol entrance. He never failed to be struck by the strangeness of this sprawling city with its huge population. Large clusters of people continually bustling from one place to another. It was a part of urban living to which he might never become totally accustomed. The crowds, the masses of people. It was always comforting to get away from all this and retreat to his mountainside home.

Kamon approached the portico which formed the entrance to the Capitol Building. Stately columns of cream-colored stone rose high into the air supporting the carved stone roof. Still, this section of the building was minuscule compared to the rest of the edifice. The front portico merely served as the entrance to a huge circular structure rising eight stories and sprawling across ten acres of land. The exterior was decorated with fine carvings painstakingly etched into the stone surface. Impressive and magnificent.

The building was as functional as it was beautiful, however. The first two floors contained various eating and recreational facilities which were off limits to all but Council members.

On floors three through six were perimeter offices which were used by the Council members and their staffs. Also on these floors and closer to the interior of the structure were committee rooms.

On the upper levels, floors seven and eight, there were spacious living quarters for the members of the Council. It was not required that a member live in the Capitol Building, but nearly all did so. It was certainly convenient, and the rooms themselves were elegantly appointed and extremely comfortable.

Finally, in the very center of the building, like a cylinder driven down a shaft, there was an immense cavity; this was the Council Chamber. It began on the third floor and swept upward through all the floors above it, reaching to the very pinnacle of the structure. An opaque dome majestically topped the circular area below it. Exquisite hand-painted frescos decorated the interior surface of the dome. Skylights were critically placed to allow the sun to illuminate the Council Chamber.

Several floors above the base of the Chamber, an encircling gallery accommodated a steady stream of tourists and visitors. This large balcony was also used by the press, from which they observed and televised the proceedings of the Council.

Entering the portico, Kamon headed for the elevators reserved for Council members. These were the only elevators which stopped at the first, second, seventh, and eighth floors, areas restricted to members of the Council.

The security officer nodded a greeting at Kamon as the big man passed by into the lift. "Good morning, Councilman."

"Good morning, Jistum," Kamon responded with a smile. "Have you seen any of the snobs this morning?"

Jistum smiled while maintaining a watchful eye. "No, sir. I can't say that I have. Nobody's ventured out for a walk."

The employees within the Capitol Building genuinely liked Kamon. He was not arrogant; he was not abusive; indeed, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid the trappings of power. He often joked pleasantly with them and, as often as not, his humor was self-deprecating. The staff found that he provided a welcome respite from the usually dour personalities of the other Council members.

Kamon's relationship with his peers, on the other hand, was often tempestuous. He was a rebel, a man operating in a woman's world.

As the elevator doors closed on him, he gave a goodnatured reminder. "'Kamon' is the name, Jistum. And don't call me 'sir', either."

As the doors slid quietly together, Kamon heard a friendly, "Yes, sir," in reply.

The elevator took him to the fifth floor, the level on which his office was located. Casio's office was right next door to his. That would be his first stop. Get an update. Find out exactly what was going on.

Kamon walked briskly through the spacious hallways, greeting people along the way.

Kamon's successful bid to gain a Council seat had been the result of hard work and early-dawn-to-late-evening campaigning. For months, newspapers, magazines, and television news shows had followed Kamon's campaign, carefully eyeing its historic nature. A man might soon be elected to the Council! Kamon had been a tireless campaigner roving his province, providing daily grist for their stories. He mobilized the male vote and picked up just enough from the female side to achieve victory over his incumbent opponent.

In contrast, Casio of the neighboring province of Tanager, the only other male member of the Council, had slipped into office almost by mistake. A fluke. His female opponent had died quite suddenly just a week before the election under less than stellar circumstances. Rumors of bribery and influence peddling had quickly surfaced; perhaps a deal gone sour. For lack of evidence, however, the death had been ruled accidental. Still, the rumors were there on election day. Casio, who had been Kamon's friend since childhood, barely won the seat -- despite the fact that his opponent was dead and her legacy was under a cloud of suspicion.

The election result was challenged, however, thereby delaying the seating of Casio. Consequently, Kamon bore the honor of being the first male seated on the Council of the great state of Marmot.

Eventually, the challenge failed and, five months after the votes were tallied, Casio was sworn in as the new Councilman from the province of Tanager.

It was not expected that Casio would survive the next election. Indeed, nearly everyone believed he would certainly be defeated. The prevailing wisdom bothered Casio not at all. For the moment, the seat was his. That was all that mattered. And for now, Kamon had his best friend at his side in the Council.

Kamon found Casio in his office adjusting the dials on his television. The short though stocky man had pulled his chair over in front of the set and was devoting all his attention to it.

"Don't tell me you did another interview, Casio," Kamon groaned as he slumped into one of the office chairs.

"Well, hey, big guy!" Casio grinned, looking up at his friend. "Can I help it if I'm a media star? Besides, I have to get in good with these people. I'll need a job after my term expires."

The Councilman from Tanager dug his heels into the carpet and pushed off, propelling his chair backwards toward his desk. Once behind the desk he leaned far back in his stuffed leather chair, feet dangling above the floor. He rested one elbow on each arm of the chair and steepled his fingers in front of him.

"You might get reelected," Kamon said. "You might not need another job."

"Yeah, pigs might fly, too," Casio responded, "but I'm not counting on it. I can't figure on running against a dead person all my life! Every Councilwoman knows I'm angling for a reporter's job after this is over. That's why they give me some measure of respect. They're afraid how I'll cover them in my afterlife."

"You--," Kamon began.

"Shhh!" Casio silenced him suddenly. "Here it comes!"

"Here comes what?"

"My interview! I'm gonna be the lead story on the national news tonight! Ditto for tomorrow morning's Capitol Times."

"Why would you be the lead story?" Kamon was skeptical.

Casio did not take his eyes from the television. "Just because! Now Ssshhh!"

"...and today our Channel 27 news reporter has this reaction from one of the Council members -- Casio of Tanager," the anchorwoman intoned as she turned it over to the reporter interviewing Casio.

"Councilwoman, er, excuse me, Councilman Casio," the reporter began, catching her mistake. "What do you think will happen to Chief Councilwoman Mavox Pro? Will the Council vote to censure her and remove her from her position as Chief Council? Or will the Council go even further? In your opinion, is a prison sentence in order?" The reporter moved her microphone close to Casio as she finished her question.

"We're going to wait; delay action on the matter for two weeks."

The reporter was stunned. "But the Delphi has called for immediate action by the Council."

"I know that. But the Council is going to table the issue and adjourn for two weeks. That's a guarantee. You can quote me on that."

"But how do you know this, Councilman? Who have you been talking to?"

"I can't say." Casio turned tight-lipped. "But count on it. I really have to go now."

Kamon watched Casio move away from the camera. The interview was obviously over.

Casio clicked off the television. He looked triumphantly at Kamon. "I did it, Hawk!"

"Did what? Made a fool of yourself on local television with that prediction that may not come true?"

"Guarantee, Hawk," Casio corrected his friend. "I didn't predict it. I guaranteed it. On an issue as big as this one -- biggest scandal in the past hundred years -- I just made a guarantee!"

"And what if you're wrong?"

"I won't be wrong! I'm gonna be right. I've talked to a lot of Councilwomen. I know what's going on."

Kamon seated himself in a chair. "Why would the Councilwomen talk to you and not to the press directly?"

"Because they're scared! They don't want to talk to anybody in the press. Nobody wants to be out front on this. Nobody wants her mug on television for the Delphi to see. Except me," Casio concluded with confidence.

"Aren't you afraid of the Delphi?"

"Why should I be? She can't throw me in a temple prison just because she doesn't like me..." Casio's face took on a quizzical look. "..I think."

"Why do you want to be a reporter anyway?" Kamon asked.

"Why not?"

"Reporters are always looking for some conflict," Kamon answered. "They're consumed by keeping score, who's on top, who's falling out of favor. Rarely do they cover a substantive issue."

"Oh?" Casio's eyebrows raised. "And politicians are a more honorable lot?" The question was rhetorical. "They're always running around with their hands out, like a bunch of panhandlers -- and there's always somebody there to fill the hands!"

"What about us?" Kamon asked.

"Who'd give money to us?!"

"You'll be a cynical old man some day, Casio."

"I'll be a realistic, practical, financially secure old man someday," Casio countered. "But enough of this. The leadership, or what's left of it, gave me orders to drag you down to the Council Chamber upon your arrival. So let's go, big guy."

The pair took the stairs to the third floor rather than the elevator. Kamon wanted the opportunity to briefly recount the events of the mysterious night.

Casio's reaction was one of skepticism. "What?! No little blue women!?"

"Very funny," Kamon grumbled.

"I'm not the one who described 'feeling' voices," Casio countered sardonically as they proceeded into the Council Chamber.

Kamon looked up at the gallery to find it filled with tourists and reporters. He had expected this. History could be in the making here. Never before had a chief councilwoman been forced to resign. There was a buzz of excitement all around. A drama was unfolding.

Councilwoman Quartz Lok was the first to spot the pair, and she headed quickly toward them. Short brunette hair bouncing lightly, she maneuvered swiftly around desks and councilwomen to reach the two men.

"Hi, Kamon. Hi, Casio," she began breathlessly. She looked directly at Casio. "Did you ask him?"

"No."

"Why not?" Quartz Lok was disappointed.

"I said I'd bring him. I never said I'd ask him."

"Ask me what?" Kamon interjected.

Quartz Lok swallowed hard. She looked at Kamon then back to Casio. "I saw you on television, Casio. I thought.....you two had probably talked."

"We did," Kamon offered. "Casio said we're looking at a vote to delay action. He obviously expects it to pass."

Q uartz nodded. "Delay action for two weeks. Give us an opportunity to reflect; time for passions to cool. We have the votes. However, given the Delphi's position on this we really feel it needs to be a unanimous vote of the council. Did Casio mention that?"

"No, he didn't," Kamon admitted.

"Well, what do you think?" Quartz asked.

Kamon glanced at Casio. 'Guaranteed,' the smaller man mouthed.

Kamon nodded. "I'll support it."

"Thanks." Quartz Lok was genuinely relieved. "I'll do a favor for you someday." She looked at Casio. "We can still count on your vote, can't we?"

"Of course," Casio answered.

"Great!" Quartz turned, then paused in indecision. She faced Kamon again, nervously rubbing the palms of her hands together. "Kamon, I need to ask you something."

"Go ahead," he said.

"Did you tip off the temple police about Mavox Pro?"

"Your question implies she's guilty," Kamon pointed out in reply.

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way," Quartz quickly responded, obviously unsettled. "I'm not trying to imply that she is guilty of the sacrilege charge. I was simply wondering about the rumors -- that you had something to do with this. No offense, but I was just wondering....."

Her voice trailed off.

"No," Kamon answered. "Casio told me that I'm the major suspect. But I had nothing to do with the temple police picking up Mavox Pro. I don't like the woman; I won't pretend otherwise. She sherpherded the Minot Preservation Bill through the Council so I can understand the suspicions in this case. But I was not the anonymous tipster. And I never will be for that matter. It's not my style. If I come after someone, it's always straight on. They know I'm coming. You can depend on that."

"Thanks," Quartz said with a smile. "I didn't mean to offend."

"You didn't," he assured her without returning the smile. "And don't thank me. I wouldn't count on my vote when it comes time to judge Mavox Pro."

"I appreciate your candor," Quartz replied in a more formal tone. "I would ask only that you keep an open mind when the time comes."

Kamon said nothing nor did he nod in acknowledgement. Quartz Lok then rushed off, undoubtedly to tell the leadership that the deal was done.

"I've never thought of Quartz Lok as being in the inner circle around here," Kamon mused. "Why do you suppose she's rounding up the votes on this?"

"That is a puzzle," Casio replied, "I admit that. If she's looking to move up, this certainly isn't the time to join a team that's likely to fall out of contention. But then, Quartz Lok's as new as we are. Maybe she figures any kind of work with the leadership is a good career move, no matter how short a time this current leadership might last."

Kamon shook his head. "I don't think so. There's more to it than that."

"I could try to find out," Casio offered. "What would you think if I asked her out to dinner sometime?"

"Are you serious?"

"Sure. I kind of like her."

"I don't know if fraternizing with one of your colleagues is such a good idea," Kamon advised.

"You could come with us!"

"Three's a crowd."

"You could come with somebody!" Casio suggested. "We'd go doubles."

"I'm not looking for a date," Kamon said. He glanced suspiciously at Casio. "Have you been talking to Markita?"

"Okay. I have," Casio admitted. "What of it? She told me to fix you up with somebody. I figure that's gotta be easy. I got you a spot on the DATE 'N MATE GAME."

Kamon's eyes narrowed and he pointed an accusing finger at Casio. "You better be kidding or you are one dead little man."

"Okay, okay," Casio replied quickly. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding,"

The two men walked to their adjacent desks. Casio plopped into his leather chair and leaned back. He rocked, springs squeaking, his feet rising up and down, never quite touching the floor. He awaited the upcoming vote. Nothing else would be done today, so there was no sense in appearing to be busy. Finally, he muttered something which was barely audible. "I'll call 'em tomorrow and cancel your appearance."

"What?" an impatient Kamon asked. A low voice did not carry well in the large chamger.

"Nothing," Casio grumbled. "I didn't say anything."

END OF CHAPTER