TRAVELER

Chapter 10

I--Gambit--enjoyed the view as we floated planet ward on large space blimps that beat the heat of reentry by going slow. Soon the metropolis of Arcadia city emerged in the late afternoon sun, a cacophony of color and shapes. The last quarter mile brought sounds and smells unlike any in the known Galaxy. For miles around the central amphitheater, tents and booths sprawled like a suburban renaissance fair. People stood and pointed as we made our way to the landing stanchion and climbed down a hemp rope ladder dangling precariously from the gondola. Before our feet touched sacred ground me and Mikala were inundated by a hundred eager merchants trying to sell their wares. As we walked the crowded streets, I took in the variety; spells and potions, fully organic vegetarian meals, recruiting stations for genetic freedom fighters. The next block held mystic teaching stations, transcendental massages, herbs, spices, and every natural substance known to man. Occasionally designated wetlands and wildlife sanctuaries bulged into the street providing a safe haven for native animals. Then we passed official buildings which housed the genetically modified organism committee, nuclear free zone committee, and city hall buildings, all aesthetically blended with their surroundings. As we approached the square, the crowd thickened and I noticed odd characters a little out of place, but I brushed it aside as insignificant.

"Mr. Gambit?" A finely dressed man approached.

"It is I."

The others hadn't known of my speaking engagement, but the pleasant man led us to the committee for peace and social freedom.

An official looking person in a forest green jumper showed me to our room, a closet no bigger than the state room on Double Entendre. A long list of rules and regulations was shoved into my hand as I was summarily dismissed. I glanced at it briefly, then tossed it aside.

It hit me, as a feeling of oppression began tugging at my intuition. It wasn't the clothing, rather the generic look of the guards back at Mad River. They were similar to the green jump suit and the others I had seen in the city. I dismissed it and relinquished myself to blissful sleep, but there was a weight that pressed down on me, like a nagging suspicion I had forgot something.

I--Gambit--had saved my time for this place. Tomorrow I was the keynote speaker in a massive peace rally that would mark the beginning of a galactic march for social rebirth.

It was one of those days where the whole world is in front of you. I woke exhilarated and fresh with memories of what the others had done last night. Their exploits lingered like a familiar fragrance. I-Gambit-had been enjoying the show the entire time.

I took Stephano's superb body out for it's required run, choosing to circle the park where the rally was to be held. Mikala was with me, running ahead and laughing. We had enjoyed each others company for a few tender moment this morning and we both felt fully alive.

The crisp pre dawn air bit sharply at my lungs as I scouted out the massive park with large willows dipping majestically to the ground and the chirp of a thousand happy birds preparing for the exodus of the day.

A figure loomed ahead, towing a small gravity cart decked out in brilliant orange and greens still muted by pre dawn shadows. As I passed, he looked me right in the eye with a forlorn twinkle that spoke to my soul. He was a true gypsy, the first I had seen of his kind, and I felt he could read my future with that one glance.

All was peaceful, and the oppression from last night was gone. I spent the day strolling through the park as crews and teams filtered in and began setting up for the rally. I had the book for the mayor tucked in my breast pocket, eager to meet the leader of the enlightened world. In one corner I saw a group of the green suits engaging a gypsy. I kept my distance as they began to argue, then he was on the ground, peppered and drug out of the park while another smashed the cart to pieces with the butt of some weapon he had slid from his jacket. This was unheard of. I jumped as a hand touched my shoulder.

"You should move along."

I turned to a grey jump suit with green bars on the shoulder. The Seahorse emblem of the Green Freedom Movement stared back at me with a jeweled eye.

"I'm here for the rally. I speak today."

"Let me escort you behind the barricade, your on the wrong side." I was struck by the hierarchy of power that began to surface. Was this a free society? It seemed a fine line between power and control. As we approached the amphitheater, I caught a glimpse of more barricades further out where the less fortunate stood longing to enter the park, but they were only letting certain people in. The guards at the amphitheater gave me a pass as I entered.

"Stay inside, we can't ensure your safety out there."

"I can take care of myself." I moved among the groups of affluent executives that were leading the rally. Back here there was posturing and power plays and the clarity of the social stratification on this planet became apparent. I couldn't handle it and snuck back to where the middle class protesters, hand picked by someone, began to fill the park.

I mingled, trying to settle on how I could inspire a generation of humanitarians to change a Galaxy rife with corruption. I would keep it simple and to the point. A whisper ran through the crowd.

"It's the mayor." His entourage passed close and he stopped.

"Mr. Mayor," I said.

"Yes."

I explained my journey and how we had met the astronaut.

"I have come a long way and I have a present for you." I handed him the sacred gift and waited for his response.

He turned it in his hands, glancing with disdain. "I have no place to carry it, thanks anyway. Good day." I stood for a long time, pressing my emotions down. This wasn't how I pictured the day. What was this undercurrent of false pretense? Then it was time for the speech. Thousands were gathered, they would hang on my every word. I had spent years preparing for such a time as this. The guards at the gate to the amphitheater scowled but finally let me through. I approached the stage, passing through more security till I finally reached the director. It was time. The crowd pulsed with intensity. He turned and ushered someone behind me.

"Sorry Mr. Gambit, we don't have time for you. See you at the march?" Numb, dumbfounded, confused. I wandered aimlessly, reluctantly falling in step with the marchers. I should have left, but something made me stay. Ahead there was a commotion where two hundred tiny children led the parade, a symbol of new hope. I ran up to see green suits shoving and yelling as they steered the kids to the side of the parade.

"What's going on," I asked a bystander. Mikala appeared from the crowd and stood close, taking in every word. The bystander was happy to fill them in.

"Oh, the damn kids are blocking the view of the corporate banner, so their clearing a path so everyone can see." It was the final straw as I turned to see the giant sea horse with one jeweled eye. I grabbed my best friend and we ducked down side streets and through some back alleys. Our path was blocked as twenty green suits beat the living daylights out of poor looking citizens. One of them spotted us and pushed us back.

"Move along or you will be arrested." The glint of joy in her eye told me to get going. The stench of corruption was suffocating and I longed for the cool refreshing breeze of freedom. Power corrupted and Arcadia was rife with it. I ran through the streets, pulling Mikala hard behind me. It hadn't made sense then, when Diadic told us to have an escape route, but now it was clear.

I saw the small solar car waiting; air had never tasted so good, and I was drunk on it. Then Mikala screamed and her hand was yanked from mine as she fell hard. A brilliant flash of electricity seared through my brain. This is it, I thought; then I was down, paralyzed as dusk settled over the city. Then, a face...