From Sand to Nand

Chapter Eleven

The small Boston-terrier Eskimo was aggressively tearing at the leg of the man who was attacking his owner. Just shy of 2 years of age, the emotional support canine that survived the Elevation yelped in pain as it felt a responding, harsh kick to the rib cage.

"I refuse to sell you alcohol ever again!" growled the distiller in his thick, Russian accent through gritted teeth. "Let go of me!"

Bystanders had been watching the scuffle when several crewmen pealed the two combatants off of one another near the community water fountain. When order had finally been restored, one crewman took charge. "That's 5 days in the brig."

"Sir, uh, please. This man come to me for my goods, but he never keep his word. For 2 days I not sell to him because he owes me, and today I catch him stealing."

"That's a lie! I gave him a live chicken I caught hunting last week and—"

The crewman had heard enough. "If you wish to appeal, then I'll inform the captain and you can both take it up with the judge."

"Oh, come on, man! Five days?" The alleged thief was exasperated. "You are really buying into this whole 'captain being the king' bullshit?"

"Sorry, gentlemen. Everyone knows the rules. Captain explicitly said no fighting. Anyone caught will serve 5 days. Off you go." The crew members holding the two men's hands behind their backs escorted the pair to the recently finished jail.

"Well, I want to appeal," the man started as he was ushered away. He struggled momentarily and gave a sarcastic spout. "Er—guys, relax, okay—just hold on! Alright, alright, I'm going!" He continued walking before yelling again over his shoulder. "I was only taking what was rightfully mine! We had a deal! Besides, why do you guys even follow these stupid orders? We're on an island for God's sake."

Thankfully, the captain recently requested that the builders extend the jail. In the end, they had built a whole new structure. It was the second largest stone dwelling overall—besides the community center and main kitchen—and it consisted of over 30 individual cells, 5 of which were now currently occupied.

When the island's inhabitants first arrived, there had been no system nor organized method for punishing transgressions. In fact, there hadn't been any laws or official rules, either. Crime had merely been a function of the people's own morality, heavily influenced by the outside world. Over time, especially after Ahn's attack on McSchmitt, the Captain began setting the code of expectations:

"Assaulting my men is a month in jail. No trial. Assaulting one another or fighting is 5 days minimum with a sentence set by the court. Theft is a week." It all seemed reasonable.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope this is where the rule book has to end. If you can't handle being here, you are more than welcome to leave. Please understand that if you opt to live freely on the island, you will receive no assistance from me, my crew, nor anyone else still present. We have been very fortunate to create such comfort for ourselves, but we must also be strong, independent, alert, and most importantly, civil. We don't ask anything more than that each person contribute their fair share every day. If you can't handle that, then I ask that you consider leaving.

"We're starting to face deeper issues. Some of you have brought these up at previous town meetings and I sincerely thank you. Some of you may think we haven't been listening, but we have. Our gatherers have to trek further out into the forest to collect fruit, while the hunters face the same challenge. The biodiversity here is vast, but not always edible. We're looking for more varieties to eat, but please, we have suffered numerous poisonings and many injuries. One of us today just discovered a large area nearby holding kumquat. Our builders are still working on making more wheelbarrows for us over the next few days. You can see that there's always a positive outcome available, but we need time to strategize. Please be patient and have some foresight. Luckily, we have so many skilled crafts people to provide us with leisures, and for that, I couldn't be more thankful. Please treat each other well in your trades. We're not going to start conducting lawsuits. Criminal proceedings are already uncomfortable as it is. We're not here to punish or parent you, either. We're here to protect and help you. So lastly, please understand that I'm in this position because I was the captain of the Elevation. Naturally, the role of community leader and decision maker has fallen on me. I feel I've been more than fair and understanding with each and every one of you. I'm not a tyrant. I don't have my men spying on your conversations. We're not locking you up for saying bad things about us. We respect many of the human rights afforded to you in the real world, including your right to live and speak freely. I think you can all appreciate that we may not always agree, but my number one goal is to keep you all safe. For those trying to rally up some kind of mutiny, I highly caution you to think deeply about with whom you associate. You may be in more danger around some of these people you call friends than you are here with us. Disorder works against what we're working toward, and that's civility. This is not some kind of game and we're not a government. We're survivors just trying to make our way home. Be safe and watch out for yourselves when no one is nearby. Try to travel in small groups if possible. Understand that threats here will be taken very seriously and without leniency. Today, we unfortunately had to arrest a couple people who were planning an uprising. This is counterproductive and wastes our time and resources.