He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter One Hundred And Fifty Nine - No Time To Confess

As it happened, O'vel-win had no time for confessions or developing feelings for his work took up far more of his time than it had over the earlier part of the summer. Perhaps it was in the rush to get the project finished or perhaps it was due to poor luck, but for every moment that the technicians were able to push forward, they were held back. And for every problem that they managed to fix, a new problem would take it's place. This stand still continued for the rest of the summer until the first sun receded into the distance as autumn onset, bringing cooler weather and the second rains.

Their minds refreshed and their bodies no longer overheated and sticky, the progress of the Machine began to once again improve well and then disaster struck once more. The Machine's inner workings were corrupted by an incorrectly inputted code and much of that which had already been added to the Machine's memory banks was lost or had to be scraped. This in itself was months of work lost, but there was one silver lined cloud in the descending storm; two individuals were found to have been the obstacles behind all of the problems that they had been experiencing of late.

In the face of the angry technicians and the Machine's creators, the men remained unrepentant. As it happened, these men were from the Traditionalists movement, a group of people who disliked machines and everything they represented. They had not just moved against the Machine, that in their mind threatened their beloved Library and all the books within them, but against farmers who dared use machines to help harvest their crops and paper makers who dared used machines to make producing paper easier. Just last year, the movement had laid siege to a family estate that developed and used a machine that could replace the beast and cart. They feared progress, they feared how it would effect them and their livelihoods and they feared what it might do to their overall way of life.

Naturally, they were ejected from the underground caverns in which the Machine was situated. The technicians grumbled, thinking that they might have to move the Machine again to prevent it being found by the Traditionalists and anyone they might stir in order to push their cause. Out of all machines, the Machine was the most unacceptable in society as it's job was to record within it's memory banks everything that can be found within the pages of a book. What they failed to understand was the creators' intent.

"No," said the Master and creator that was with them, as he thought about whether it was worth relocating. Many of the technicians had already had to leave their family estates to follow him and the Machine here, others he had had to leave behind, hence having to find new technicians, which had allowed those men access to the Machine in the first place. "We will risk remaining for now. I will hire guardsmen. In the meantime, let us see how much of the data we can replace now there is no interference from outside sources."

And so the next month pushed the project forward in leaps and bounds. However, as much as their was progress within his work, there was a serious lack within his love life.

O'vel-win had already thanked J'lin-lin for her support, but stated that he wished to evaluate his own mind first. He had her turn down the trader's daughter, knowing that he would not be able to provide the roots she wanted until his heart was settled. Whether K'tai-tul allowed him into his life or rejected him, he could not move on until he had spoken to him first. But the few times he had managed to visit town on his odd resting days he had not seen the man.

And so, as the work on the Machine progressing meant that he would finally be able to take his first handful of days off in six weeks, he planned to visit K'tai-tul and his farm and confess. As these days approached slowly, his nerves began to suffer and he did not sleep well, knowing the chances of K'tai-tul accepting him would be slim at best. And then, the day before his first day off, there was news.

The Masters actually both bowed their apologies to their weary technicians, but said; "We have to cancel your upcoming leave!" They explained that unexpectedly, they had received a summons from the Great Library and the Masters were both expected to attend. They picked a couple of technicians to come with them, including O'vel-win, the remainder were to stay with the Machine. And so, O'vel-win still could not get the long break he so desperately required.

*****

He was not the only one who had no time to cultivate feelings, for K'tai-tul also lacked time.  As his uncle and aunt had taken back the duties of going to town to trade and see to Ch'mai-tul education, K'tai-tul could not go and seek the face of the person he wanted to see most. Just as O'vel-win had been thinking of him, he had been thinking of O'vel-win.

His feelings had crept upon him sweetly and he had yet to discover what they meant, only that standing beside that man made his heart beat faster and seeing him smile made it skip a beat.  And when O'vel-win and his brother had come to visit them, he desperately wanted to impress O'vel-win with his home and work, rather than O'nan-win, who he should have been concerntrating upon.

When O'nan-win had brought him the two apprentices he had had in mind since the idea of K'tai-tul's had been spoken, O'vel-win was not with him and K'tai-tul felt great disappointment.  He had buried this for the sake of the two boys who were excited to find out whether this path would be good for them.  In the end, K'tai-tul took both boys into his home, much to the delight and relief of them and their families.  Tree farming might be a hard and arduous path, but it was a respected one.

The boys were enthusiastic, even with the gruesome task of dealing with invading slugs, the tiresome task of gathering fallen branches before they rotted as these were as valuable as the main tree they came from and learning what to look out for when inspecting the trees.  They by no means lightened the load that K'tai-tul and his uncle undertook as teaching them took up the time that their assistance saved, but K'tai-tul looked forward to their future.  And the boys had no time to miss their families as his mother, L'tai-shu was happy mothering them, enjoying the new life within her home.

Feeling that their lives were on track for the better, K'tai-tul turned down his neighbour's proposal.  However, this brought its own troubles as T'chu-gon was clearly not happy with the decision.  "Are you certain that you wish to refuse me?" came the veiled threat.

"I have considered it, I assure you," K'tai-tul replied, "and I see less benefits for my family in the long run than there are prices to be paid.  So while I thank you for your kind regards, I will stand fast on my decision."

"Will see about that," the man muttered as he turned away from K'tai-tul.  K'tai-tul quickly made his way back to his own farm before the man could forcefully change his mind.  He need not have worried, T'chu-gon's methods were far more suppressive.

"What happened?" L'tai-shu asked as K'sen-tul and N'ing-jun returned with their wagon much the same as it had left, with several bundles of branched wood and a barrel of fresh hard fruit to trade.  Only the baker willingly swapped his bread for some fruit as he was low in stock for his pastries.

"We were turned away," K'tai-tul's uncle sighed.  "Few traders would exchange goods with us and the paper makers sent us away with a warning.  As we offended T'chu-gon, there is no place for us to work together anymore."

"I knew that man would try something like this," L'tai-shu growled, her arms crossed about her chest.

"But what shall we do," N'ing-jun asked, wearily. "The next harvest begins soon and we have been refused by those we supply."

"We will go to the City of the Grand Central Library," K'tai-tul decided.  "The road leading away from town leads there and T'chu-gon's reach does not stretch so far. We will take with us the wood and surely there will be people able to see the quality of our trees and trade with us there."

"It's several hours greater in distance," K'sen-tul reminded him, "the fruit may not last the trip in order to be of use in trade."

"Well then," L'tai-shu announced.  "It is time for us to teach the boys how to make preserves and sauces then!"

For the next week, all the men and the women of the Tul house were slicing and chopping, cooking and mixing.  Fruit sauces and vinegars and preserves were poured into as many pots and bottles as the family could lay their hands on.  K'sen-tul went into town twice more and convinced a few to slyly trade with him so he could get what the family needed, though Ch'mai-tul had to miss her usual lesson.

At the end of the week, K'tai-tul jumped onto the wagon loaded with their goods and produce and began his journey to the City of the Great Library.