3
(Tharnday)
Joton, Kri’enden
“Oil prices have gone up again,” the shipyard master reported in a commerce meeting in Joton.
“Perhaps it is time to go back to wind being the primary fuel for our ships,” the mayor pondered.
“Wind is less reliable. We can’t remain competitive with just wind – and what about the electronics on board? Navigation and communications…,” the shipyard master replied.
“Hmm,” said the middle-aged A’mara woman in the room. “Wind, by itself, is less reliable, this is true, but what if you used the wind and the sun to charge batteries to power the ship when the wind is low? Then, you also have your electronics, but are less reliant on the whims of Tephsa and X’lea.”
“Good thinking, Rami,” the mayor replied.
“Can we convert existing ships?” asked the shipyard master.
“Maybe it’s time to recruit some younger ship designers. You can then convert existing ships as a new industry and design and build new ones. Both will benefit our country’s economy enormously and prepare us for the future,” Rami Rhiodi suggested.
Outside, the sun was already high and hot, though the early autumnal breezes were beginning to blow.
Irola – midtown
Jessten nervously awaited the morning delivery as she ate her breakfast painfully slowly. She admitted defeat and put her dishes in the sink.
She heard the clatter of the letterbox.
Instantly, she was at the door. A brown envelope had her name on it! She ripped it open, barely avoiding tearing the document inside.
Her face fell.
The grades had not met her expectations. Rather than the As she had expected, it was mostly Bs and even a C. Maybe there had been a mistake.
Her eyes filled with tears.
At least Joton was still an option.
Through her tears, she sat at her HPS display in her room. She typed in Joton and pressed 'send.' She already knew it was the capital of Kri’enden, she always had done well at geography. According to the information now on her screen Joton was home to many followers of the nature-based Faldur faith. She felt that was okay – at least it wasn’t filled with Silatian nut cases.
Joton was located on the lush river lands and home of the major port of Kri’enden. That was good. She would hate to be in the subtropical desert of the interior.
According to the article, the Kri’enden people were very tall and very dark, but Joton itself had a more international flavor, so her own tan/olive complexion would not stand out too much.
Joton was known for its shipping, trade, glass and pottery industries. The city was also known for its strong A’mara tradition.
“Hmmm,” she thought to herself. Perhaps there was something there… She typed with her mind, “traits of A’mara.”
The display gave a nice picture with some of the abilities listed. “Quick reflexes, yep,” she said. “Empathy towards all, yep. Telekinetic tendencies, not sure if turning off the lights counts… Strong mental ability, yep. But so many of these can apply to anyone! Oh… red hair. That counts me out.” She had always had the dark hair of the Çtaráni people. “The A’mara red is an exceptionally strong gene that is almost always present in one with A’mara capabilities. Even amongst the Kri’enden, a very dark people, the red will show in the sun,” she read.
Jessten knew she would be on one of the next flights to Joton. Her father did not believe in long good-byes.
She worked on packing her belongings.
Omrill, Çtaráña
A small octagonal building nestled among the fruit trees in the spectacular gardens in Omrill. In the formal atrium in the back, several people sat in woven chairs which swayed lazily beneath their support. The short woman strode impatiently before a large screen, her cloak streaming madly behind her. Her clothing echoed her cloak’s sea blue coloring which was adorned with forest-green flowers elegantly trimming the edges.
She stopped and addressed the others in the room.
“Thank you for coming,” she began. “Indeed, I am not sure I can find a solution for the problems plaguing our planet...”
A loud beep from the screen interrupted her. She sighed heavily, turning her olive face and dark eyes toward the screen. She pressed the yellow button.
“Lia,” the older man on the screen greeted. His complexion was similar and his clothing too, his cloak a purple and green hash.
“Yes, Harren,” she replied wearily.
“I hope I have not caught you at a bad time,” he said. “You’re in a meeting?”
“Yes, but these days, there seems to be no good times.”
“This is true, alas,” he replied. “And, I fear, I have only further bad news to share with you.”
“Go ahead,” Lia-lynn Çtenus invited resignedly.
“We have a scientific report just in which confirms our worst fears about a massive decline in fireflies in our swamps,” he said.
A murmur of concern circulated the room.
“This is grave news, indeed,” a young man spoke up.
“Coomar Everes is head of our gardens,” Lia-lynn said by way of introduction.
“I would hear his point of view,” said Harren.
“Without fireflies to render the fire chestnuts inert, the swamps will burn. Any word on what has caused this?” Coomar asked.
“The report points to the massive plumes of smoke and pollution coming from Irola and other large cities on the planet. The ash and dust coat the chestnuts making it unpalatable to the fireflies who find nowhere to nest,” Harren reported.
“I have received a report just this morning that a whole flock of fringed sippers was found dead in one of our most-affected forests, Lia-lynn replied.”
“Ghastly!” Harren replied.
“As a major pollinator of fringed liana flowers, the pharmaceutical industry will have to look for other options to treat depression, malnourishment and puncture wounds,” Coomar informed.
“Your expertise is appreciated,” Lia-lynn said.
“We must both make sure our Peer Councilors are aware of these facts so that appropriate measures can be taken,” Harren said.
“The Çtaráni A’mara thank our neighbors in Shayanda for their support.”
“The same to your country.”
The screen went blank.
Lia-lynn turned around to look at her fellow A’mara.
“I wish that were a surprise,” Farin Skipper, an older man said. He also wore a Çtaráni cloak. “Unfortunately, Terrenden history would suggest naïveté when it comes to respecting one’s neighbor’s rights to clean air and water.”
“You are very right, Farin,” replied a younger woman who wore a burgundy cloak which matched her darker clothing, common in Avicen.
Lia-lynn noticed how Lark At’ail’s fair skin and reddish-blonde hair stood out from the Çtaráni-born A’mara. It made a nice contrast, she thought.
“But how do we make others be more considerate, especially when money is involved?” Lark continued.
“That’s the age-old question, Lark,” Farin said. “We are at an unprecedented level of technology and industry which make our problems seem new, but several hundred years ago, they had the same problems.”
“How did they solve them?” asked Lark.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t. But history doesn’t record a mass extinction then,” a younger voice chimed in. Danen Tapp’s skin was fair, his cloak light pink in the style of Iloren.
“You are right. Danen, my chola,” Farin said. “Instead, the countries went to war, destroying the economies of all the countries involved. Some, like Tephsa, have recovered. Others, were not so lucky – like X’lea.”
“So, it’s not just the environment in danger,” Lia-lynn said. “But the entire global economy too.”
“Yes,” Farin and Coomar said together.
“All the more reason to make sure that Dian’ji presents our case in Parliament.”
Everyone nodded.
Supplemental Materials
Character Guide and Glossary
Terrenden Atlas pages
Please catch up!
Rebound of Power –
Meet Iyva, a homeless teenager in Irola with a strong connection with the leya. Totally untrained, her power rebounds catastrophically, leaving her close to death. A Nameless hero saves her life, but hides. Anyone would be proud to teach her, but will she choose the safe, trustworthy A’mara or the shady ones who teach her what she wants to learn? Can she trust her hero… the Nameless One?
This story actually wraps around four other stories: Friendship on Fire,Courage to Trust, Elect to Change and Ocean of Empathy. Currently, they're only available separately, but I do plan to republish the collection as a whole - I just haven't got there yet.
Don’t forget!
I’m still offering 1 Steem Basic Income share for any newbie (100 SP or less) who asks me a question which prompts an “Ask the Author” post! I’m thinking about putting these into a Dbooks ebook all its own, actually.
Image Credits:
Birth of the Neví cover art based on:
Shaze divider based on:
- Sword image from Wikipedia Commons
All maps/editing by myself on GIMP and Photoscape, both free programs.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Although the penalty of knowing me in real life is that you will influence the creation of my characters; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Writing and artwork copyright myself 2005-2018 – all rights reserved.
If you are interested in helping me publish these works, please contact me on Facebook or Discord, viking-ventures#2883.
Lori Svensen – A'mara Books & Viking Visual
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