The Dean of Administration was the first to speak. “We have received word from our colleagues from Tabis regarding the caravan. Apparently there are a number of people on the caravan who have done our people a service in the recent past, referring to that trouble we had with the Raiders. Our word comes from the Doctor Wally. Apparently he knows another fellow named Ibis very well, and to lesser extent travelers named Virgil, Rogue, Gabriel, Talon, Grim and some others. This Mr. Ibis would be an ideal person for our liaison.”
The President nodded his head. “And their trip to Grey Cliffs?”
“Well” picked up the Administrative Dean, “ It has something to do with a Blade Elder named Caleb and a former slaver named Jeeva. Apparently they are seeking their friend who has gone to Grey Cliffs. Apparently they are aware of some intelligence that surviving Blades from the Battle of Tabis are en route to that destination. This Dr. Wally makes a good reference of them. They are also connected to the new government in Tabis which has changed a number of policies regarding the treatment of Ghouls.”
“Do the Ghouls in Tabis have word regarding the reactor?” Asked the Dean of Sciences.
“Regretfully,” The Administration Dean gave a long pause, “no. Since a group of ghouls with the Slayer Fang and his colleagues left for the reactor, there has been no word.”
This was troubling news. For the ghouls, the Reactor was not only a source of income, but also a source of life. The radiation from the ghouls was of nutritional value. Keeping it out of League hands was a central concern.
The President watched as the others muttered or took in the news. “No, lets not get distracted and lose our skin over this. We have much yet to discuss. Herbert?”
The Dean of Science coughed once, loudly, to focus the others attention. As soon as he was aware that all eyes were focused on him, he retrieved the tooth he had lost in coughing and spoke. “We have been looking at the soil samples from the Battle of Tabis. As you know, the battle involved the virtual destruction of a Blade force of several hundred to yet unknown forces. Our investigators found that the bodies of the Blades had all been buried when they arrived, while those of a varied number of raiders and slaver clans had been left to feed the scavengers. We are unsure of who it was that buried these bodies.”
The Dean of Humanities was about to speak, probably about funeral arrangements, but the Dean of Science spoke quickly, cutting him off. “Now the soil samples were interesting. We were able to discern in the soil unusual amount of a chemical substance of Potassium, Nitrogen, Chlorine and Chloro-X, which we believe were the residue of a chemical gas called X-Ron-V, manufactured before the war and used for both military and police use. High levels of X-Ron-V are lethal but the gas was generally used as a means of inducing sleep or lethargy. Furthermore we were able to discern trace amounts of radiation and uranium from the ground. This we believe to be the residual of uranium depleted ammunition, again not produced since the War. In addition we found remnants of a variety of rockets that had been used from airborne platforms. Finally, our agents examined some of the damage done and were able to discern that weapon fire came from an elevated and moving site. We suspect therefore that the Blades were destroyed using a variety of chemical agents and mobile aircraft.”
“Who would have such weapons?” Asked the Dean of Law.
The Dean of Social Sciences spoke. “I have brought with me a guest from the Department of Politics. Aaron?”
Aaron, an older ghoul wearing black clothing had sat in the back of the room. “We believe that the weapons could come from either two sources. The first is far to the West, the City of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons, if you will, were known to stockpile extensive stocks of weapons before the war. While Salt Lake City, the former center of the Mormon faith, was vaporized in a nuclear strike, other stores of weapons and supplies were used to rebuild the community with in the territory once called Utah, on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. However, the Latter Day Saints have not been known to journey out of their isolation, but have often suffered from internal divisions concerning religious leadership and doctrine. Therefore we doubt the Mormons were involved.”
“Then you think it was the League?” Asked the President.
“Most certainly. The other, yet unknown force may have such weapons, but we have had no reports of such, or of any major forces to the South. Riders, yes. We have heard reports of a group of riders called Oprezki, but so far they exist primarily as rumors. I would add that the activity among the Dons has been less, shall we say, violent, than we have seen for many years. Rumor suggests that this might be due to a new force, which has kowtowed them. It is also possible that this was the work of the Slayers. The Slayers have an interest in such technology, but we have never heard of the Slayers using air platforms or of chemical weapons. However, should the culprits be the Slayers, it would be a matter of great concern from us all.”
Aaron had everyone’s attention now. “That leaves us with the League. Comprised of Eastern States, the League has ruled as based on its superiority over other local populations. These populations have been incorporated as second of third class citizens, essentially slaves. The League’s primary citizens were primarily vault dwellers. They rule now through two means. The first is a new legitimating ideology. Here they are mixing a variety of post war religious systems to give them a claim of divine providence. Apparently the idea is that they survived in the Vaults because God wanted them too. They rule because God finds them superior. The others suffer, because God wants them to suffer. At the same time this ideology allows them to dominate and repress, it also is a force of empowerment. We have even heard rumors that this “God” has a material physical presence. However this cannot be confirmed with what we know. “
“The second means of power is coercive force. The League has been blessed with an arsenal of prewar technologies, which they have applied selectively. Most interestingly we know that they have been refurbishing ancient war machines as well as trying to develop their own fuel sources. We believe that this source is derived from a plant, perhaps hemp. But we cannot validate this.”
The Dean of Research nodded. “Yes, regretfully, our agents in the East are limited. Over the past two years the League has been undertaking an ‘inquisition’ against outsiders. This has included ghouls whom the League considers of inferior or tainted genetic stock. Currently our information is limited to the intelligence gathered at Big Easy.”
Further Away-
Down below, in the hole, the lone wanderer went about preparing his stew while the three-headed dog watched, attentive and patient. The others watched quietly. They had not been given orders to follow the wanderer’s companions, so they let them go. They had been told not to interfere, so they didn’t. Their orders had been simple, to observe, to watch, to learn.
The lone wanderer had gone about gathering materials, choosing what was valuable from what wasn’t and loading his treasure on the burro. He knew that he was being observed. The scout had spotted the position of the Oprezki observers and informed the wanderer. But if the lone man seemed concerned, he didn’t show it.
That which had not been deemed valuable was put into a pile. The stew pot had been arranged and filled with what water could be spared. To this he added the potatoes he found, the onions, what spices were available, some radishes, roots, carrots, a variety of vegetables found to the South. On occasion the wanderer would throw some morsel to the dog, which would snatch it from the air.
It was all very curious. As if he had decided to stop everything to feast.
Then the Oprezki leader had watched as the three dead interrogators had been lined up and apparently been bled out. These were members of the tribe, and the Oprezki leader had to stop him from intervening. But the orders were clear. Observe.
Unlike many, the leader was not a man blinded by ideology, but he understood the importance of community. In many they are strong and that strength was tied to the ideas and cultures they carried, to the future they worked towards, to their sense of oneness. He did not care for the torturers, although he appreciated their methods. Yet he could not help but feel a sense of conflict.
But the orders were clear. His position was simple. Obey, Submission to the One Rule.
It had been difficult to watch as the wanderer used his sharp knife to open up a cavity in each of the three men, and begin removing what internal organs he could. These he mixed into the stew pot. He even removed the brain tissue and the eyes, in fact, all that cold be removed, except the skin. Even bones were tossed into the pot. Some of the body he threw to the dog, whose muzzle grew red with fresh blood.
The pot water grew red, and bubbled up as it boiled.
The captured man remained tied to the cactus. The wanderer had made no effort to free him. Though the captured man continued to talk, the wanderer seemed to ignore him. The smell of blood attracted scavengers. What scavengers he could capture, the wanderer added to the stew pot. After at time he gathered what little remained into a pile further away from camp.
When he returned, the wanderer dipped a ladle into the stew pot and brought it to his lips. Tasted it, and then took a deeper drink. He filled a bowl up for the large dog, which came and lapped at the human stew.
The Oprezki leader put down his binoculars, not believing his eyes. Then he looked again. Confirming his suspicion. And he thought, with a dark smile, Those that Are have become Those That Are Eaten. The Order will want to know this.
Finally Grim returned to the panga he had borrowed from Gabriel and walked back to Marcus, who had listened to the sounds of organs being removed, of the fire growing.
“What is this? What are you doing?” Asked Marcus.
“Make peace with yourself, killer, your time is at hand.” Said Grim.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“Giving you your last moment.”
Then with a loud yell, Grim lifted the panga over his head, held it their for what seemed an eternal moment, a moment that he knew made the difference between his old life and his new, and then, disively, brought it down into Marcus’s chest.
The yell echoed across the canyon, against the hill were the Oprezki leader watched in horrified silence. The yell stopped his men from doing what ever they had been doing, and look up. The yell scared the burro, which would have run away had it not been tied down, and scared the horses of the Oprezki, which had experienced much death.
Even further away, it reached Rogue and Talon and Gabriel as they walked away.
“What the hell?” Asked Talon.
“That was Grim” Said Rogue.
Gabriel nodded. “Marcus is dead.”
Methodically, Grim went about the business of treating Marcus’s meat. That night, the light of his fire illuminated the scene for all to see. And Grim ate very well.
